When Calls for ‘Transparency’ Go Too Far
Some of the demands currently being waved about are clearly problematic, if only from a logistical standpoint. Gingrich may or may not be able to publish his contracts and “produced product” from his period of employment as a consulting historian for Freddie Mac. Some such deals require the compliance of the other signatories to the agreement. The case with Romney’s clients at Bain is, if anything, even more unlikely to bear fruit for the same reasons. But the deeper question here isn’t whether they can produce such documents, but rather if we should reasonably expect them to do so.
Office seekers are commonly called upon to provide all manner of private information, even when the law doesn’t specifically require them to do so. Much of this data includes details which the vast majority of voters would never themselves consider releasing and would likely be offended in the extreme were you to ask for it. Few of us would care to cut loose the protections of doctor-patient confidentiality, yet we routinely expect it of politicians. The voters might have a vested interest in seeing if the candidate is likely to live long enough to complete their term and retain the competency to do so. But their opponents might be more interested in fine grain details, such as… why did you need that penicillin shot back the summer of 1972, sir?
Financial records are also a matter of curiosity in all quarters. Conservatives tend to wish for everyone to pay lower taxes, but they prefer this take place through the lowering of marginal rates, not having their candidates break the law to dodge the IRS. But yet again, malicious opponents would like to pry further into the bank vaults, examining each and every investment and return. Did the politician perhaps purchase the stock of a company who once did business with some overseas entity which once purchased oil from… Iran!? Surely an endorsement of sharia law in America if we’ve ever seen one, ladies and gentlemen.
The list of potential discoveries stretches on from there to eternity. So is there such a thing as too much background information on a candidate? Does the search for legitimate, character-defining historical data ever delve too deeply into a quagmire which does nothing but muddy the waters and provide fodder for misleading or baseless attack ads? To be sure, we don’t want to cut off the flow to the point where we leave the candidates comfortably ensconced in a dark, salubrious hole of anonymity. But it seems there should be some sort of Rubicon we don’t want to cross here, and only the voters can establish that standard.
(Also read: “Mittens Takes Off the Gloves“)
Obama and his cronies had better not get too gleeful over this line of attack. Talk about fertile “Show us” your past Obama records bonanza that awaits the eventual Republican nominee. Romney is desperate and it is beginning to show. Instead of going after Obama forcefully he is going after Newt forcefully. That is why he is slipping in the polls. The public wants to see a fighter who will not only go after Obama but will also slam the msm when they deserve it. Romney has done neither and looks like he won’t no matter what happens to his campaign. I truly believe that Romney is DNA challenged when it comes to testosterone. He is almost priest like in that he knows what is required but cannot make himself do it.
Oh McRomneyu had plenty of testosterone when he was squeezing 80% profits for Bain while thousands of Americans were being laid off fluff the bottom line.
oops, I shouldn’t have said that.
people will call me and anti-capitalist
Romney is weak which is what the GOP elites want in a candidate – someone pliable enough so they can continue to milk our tax dollars out of DC and into their own coffers. Same with the Democrat elite which is why Obama is POTUS at present – he too is weak.
But the game is changing Mr. Elite – at least for the GOP elite – and I suspect the same might happen on the left – if they have any brains left. A doubtful assumption. I’m tired of those fools handpicking my candidates. Savaging them as Rove did with Christine O’Donnell when they don’t get their way is such a blatant move and people are noticing these things more than ever. Getting us engaged in the decision making process is not what the GOP elite want – all they’ve ever wanted was our votes. Too bad for them we are paying attention to their every move. Rove is the spear-tip of the elite – smooth promoter when he has to be – and hatchet man when the elite call for it. Its what he gets paid to do. Rove has been tiptoeing around Newt though. Can you guess why?
The elites seem to forget that the US Constitution is OK with more than two parties and the elites don’t own the franchise on either. We don’t need to gather round one or the other – especially when that group espouses ideas that we do not agree with. That is where a large part of Republicans today are at. The leaders are leaders only if/when others allows themselves to be led.
It must be a very frightening feeling for the GOP elite to look behind them and nobody is following.
Mitt is already trailing Newt at all the polls in FLA.
In other news, you know Newt has really made an impression in the public when the Gregory bros songify his debate brightest point.
Flip Romney is sounding more and more like Peloser everyday.
Well then, maybe he can redeem himself by doing a commercial sitting on the couch with her. Worked for Newt. Maybe Romney needs to start having affairs and doing some lobbying, too. And attacking modest reductions as “right wing social engineering”.
Because you know, the Romney is just too right wing! We need a grandiose progressive visionary like Newt with BIG ideas!
Yeah, Newt has sat on a couch with Peloser. And even said some things in the last few years that are not very Conservative in my book. But everything Newt has actually done when in a position to do so has been all Conservative.. at times even greatly so.
And Flip Romney… not so much.
But hey we can thank Flip for one thing. He shows us just how far the progressives have penetrated the Republican party. Looks like about 25%. I actually feel pretty good about that as I thought it was more.. far more.
Flip would have been very conservative in Massachusetts if the mean old legislature had let him. Somebody should have told him it was a Democratic state before he bought the governship.
Why republicans are trying to embrace the OWC crowd by attacking Romney for being rich and successful is beyond me.
Stupid argument. One could just as reasonably replace “Romney” with “Soros” or “Corzine” in that sentence.
Try again.
Yeah, that’s it. It’s just envy rather than the fact that Romney is just another big money man from Wall Street rather than a real businessman. Warren Buffet, like all broken clocks, got it right once recently when he said this about himself and Romney:
You want a rich man that actually had some real credential as a businessman? That was Herman Cain.
Ah, I didn’t realize that we were looking for someone with toilet-cleaning skills to be president…
… I think I will leave the rest of that unspoken.
Watch Herman Cain deliver the Tea Party State of the Union at http://www.TeaPartyExpress.org ! The live stream starts on Tuesday, January 24th at 10:30 EST/7:30 PST.
I want every single member of congress, their staffs, the White House staff, aides and cabinet members to release their IRS returns for the past five years. Also, they should disclose their worth when they began employment (or election) to date so we can if their “assets” have grown and why!!!