Why is Everyone Crapping on Harry Reid?

[DirkGently]

30. The specifics of the tactic are tacky & risk making Dems look horrible.

Reid's obviously executing a deliberate ploy here. But the business of sweeping charges from unnamed sources is not a pretty one.

If the idea is to keep the tax return pressure on -- which it obviously is -- Reid and the Democrats could have still taken a higher road about it. It would have been easy enough to focus on the fact that the returns obviously show something Romney is afraid of -- an obscenely low rate, more offshore monkey business, IRS amnesty for Swiss accounts.

But they went with a very specific, very strong accusation from an anonymous source.

It's also a big rhetorical gamble just in terms of the way it could play out. If Romney releases his returns and paid a teeny weeny bit of taxes, Republicans get to scream "Liar!" and deflect.

The only way this specific, absolute accusation of "paying no income tax" doesn't end up just stirring more partisan bile is if it's absolutely, 100% true. If we get the returns, and they show anything different, Reid and the Democrats will have left a very bad taste in the mouths of independents or undecided voters.