Yet More Straw Men From Romney.
He won’t release his past tax returns or discuss his use of offshore trust accounts and he disavows any knowledge of what his wholly owned company, Bain Capital, was doing when he was supervising the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. And now Mitt Romney is running television advertising accusing the President of gutting welfare reform by dropping work requirements.
Now for the truth of the matter. President Obama was responding to the request by two Republican governors (of Utah and Nevada) asking for more flexibility in applying the rules. This wasn’t the first time such a request has been made. In 2005 29 governors requested waivers so they could implement the law better for their states’ individual circumstances. One of those governors was named Mitt Romney.
That’s it. No big deal in other words, because the underlying principle being applied by the president is well understood. It’s called federalism.
Romney, the poster child for legally sidestepping taxes, has a nasty habit of making up things about the President, and then attacking him for the made up things. This is called a ‘straw man’ argument. It’s commonly used when you can’t find anything substantive to attack, so you make stuff up and construct a ‘straw man’ to attack instead.
It would be real nice if the campaign started dealing with real issues and real policy discussions. Obama has one out now, framing the campaign as one about whether or not the American public wants to go back to the Bush era policies of tax cuts and de-regulation of finance–policies which obviously ended very, very badly in the worst recession since the Great Depression. One can disagree with Obama, but the ad is basically fair. No straw man there.
I’d like someone to ask both the president and Mitt Romney their policy on legal offshore account use. For them, or against them?
Tags: Mitt Romney, Offshore Accounts, President Obama, straw man arguments, Welfare waivers
August 9th, 2012 at 8:33 am
You obviously hate successful people. I suppose you paid more taxes and failed to take advantage of everything you could just out of the bottom of your heart.You wear class envy on your sleeve.
August 9th, 2012 at 9:40 am
Do your homework Beez, the two gov. you speak of flatly deny the allogations. If you can look at anything else but the liberal rags you read, check on the Heritage Foundation complete anaysis of the welfare change but I know you won’t.
August 9th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
I guess your side has now resorted to calling Mitt Romney a murderer. Liberals have no consience but only hate a jealousy for their own failings in life. They lie about and steal from the successful to make their lives better on the backs of others.
August 9th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Heritage is bought and paid for. It is a complete propaganda organization which has zero respect from mainstream economics. Even the news media knows it’s a totally false charge. And that’s rare for them to have a clue.
Romney has to keep on this tracks long so he isn’t hounded by his tax avoidance schemes and the probable fact he’s paid near zero income taxes for a number of years. Note the word ‘income.’ Romney never uses that word when he talks about what taxes he paid.
August 9th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
I could care less how much money someone has as long as they don’t demand special priviliges too. Wealth should be enough reward.
August 9th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
please give me a link re: two governors backtracking on what they asked from the feds regarding waivers. Should be interesting.
August 9th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Read the Heritage Foundation report. The media is 87% liberal by its own admission, that’s the number of so called journalists that voted for Obama in the last election so what they say about the Heritage Foundation means crap.
August 9th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Speaking of priviliges, over 100 million people in the US are on some type of welfare assistance, not counting SS. In 2000, 34 million were on medicaid, 2012, 54 million are now on medicaid. In 2000, 17 million were on food stamps, 2012, 47 million are on food stamps.Spending on food stamps will reach 1 trillion during the next ten years.Self reliance is becoming a thing of the past and we are becoming a total entitlement society led by Obama and the dems in congress. 37% of all immigrants are receiving welfare and 57% of all legal and illegal Mexican aliens are on the welfare roll. We presently have 15 million illegal aliens in the US who will receive healthcare under Obamacare. The new president of France is proposing a 75% tax on the “rich” which is exactly what will happen here with the dems in power.Our socialistic entitled society is expanding and soon will be the end for us all.
August 10th, 2012 at 9:06 am
Everything you cite is a symptom of something, and it sure isn’t rampant laziness. The majority of the people you ridicule as lazy are employed, some two jobs, just to feed their families and put a roof over their heads.
It’s like the Nun Bus. They’ve invited Romney to get on the bus, just for one day, because they think he may really not understand the depth of our inequality. Darn meddlesome Nuns. Imagine their concern that people who work hard need food stamps. Slobs.
August 10th, 2012 at 9:08 am
You have defined liberal as anything or anyone who disagrees with you.
Sort of leaves discussion out of the conversation.
August 10th, 2012 at 9:09 am
I don’t need Heritage. I could write for them.
August 10th, 2012 at 10:29 am
You’ve become blind in your old age Beez. Laziness combined with the realization that it’s easy to get on the govt dole under this administration. I know I’ll never change the mind of a person like you, an admitted socialist but maybe one of your readers who has an open mind.
August 10th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
The new democrat’s slogan “VOTE FOR ME,YOU”LL GET THINGS FREE”
August 11th, 2012 at 11:27 am
Nothing’s free, unless you’re a Republican because you believe tax cuts pay for themselves.
That’s believing things are free.
August 11th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Tax cuts are only allowing those who earn,( look up the word in case you forgot the meaning),to keep it in order to expand and create jobs. That’s not free that’s just stoppng the crooks at the door.
August 12th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Sorry Capt., I’m skeptical about the tax cuts trickle down meme. Not buying it. Can’t find it in the data either.
Not as simple as you imagine.