Jon Stewart is on the nose here:
In further evidence that the rats are seeing a sinking ship, his national campaign chairman, Tim Pawlenty, has resigned to seek less waterlogged, creaking environs in the banking industry.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
I think Romney’s strategy at this point is just to hold out and hope for some giant scandal to sink the other side.
There’s no indication he can win via superior campaiging, but he IS close enough that if Obama was caught doing something really unaccepable, Romney would win.
There’s always the massive voter-suppression machine.
Romney just can’t understand why the proles aren’t flocking to him. Isn’t he rich? Hasn’t he got presidential hair? Why won’t those lazy, useless peasants just accept their rightful lord and master? He makes all the right god-noises they lap right up, so why won’t they just bend over for Romney and his tax-cuts-for-people-who-aren’t-you campaign?
I thought you were going to link to this:
http://amultiverse.com/2012/09/14/executive-decision/
Must admit, Jon Stewart was on fire last night, as was Colbert after him. They really are having fun these last few days and they hardly have to bother writing a script for the shows either as Romney and Faux News does it for them.
Don’t forget to pay attention to the local races. We’re watching some icky stuff here in Connecticut, just getting bombarded with ads for Linda McMahon. She’s climbing thanks to a huge amount of money being spent on her campaign.
*shudders*
It’s not good.
What does it mean when your campaign co-chair ditches your campaign 7 weeks before the election to take another job?
Also what’s that word when you say something but your actions show the exact opposite of what you just said?
Unfortunately, despite the utter callousness of Romney’s quote, it’s not going to have much effect with his base. The Republican right agree with him, they hear “47% of Americans don’t pay income tax” and agree that they’re lazy freeloaders on government entitlements.
They don’t care that it’s due to things like being elderly, working poor, students, or such. They don’t care that it’s also, largely, people like themselves who are in that 47%. They agree with the sentiments from the hyper-rich.
I don’t expect this to cost Mittens any Rethug. votes, but he might lose some swing voters. In fact, all Obama needs to do to sink his campaign is give him one good broadside in the debates.
Also see Colbert’s way of making the statement more elegant
eric @ # 1: Romney’s strategy at this point is just to hold out and hope for some giant scandal to sink the other side.
Or perhaps some convenient October surprise, kindly provided by strategically inept Muslims incited by christianist &/or zionist provocateurs.
A.R
Don’t be so glum, it IS costing him voters in the only segment of society he was leading in, the elderly:
source chicago tribune
@7 Q.E.D asked,
He’s a good capitalist?
This whole thing reminds me very much of this classic Simpson bit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5s9dgzovg“
How is this any different than what the Republican extremes have more or less been touting for decades? How can this be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention?
I liked Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on the 47% remark. :’) I miss that guy.
And a linky, just because it makes me smile: http://youtu.be/PVyXbTn-YIo it was pretty similar to my own reaction when I heard about it.
Pawlenty is joining the financial industry as a lobbyist. And Mitt has already commented:
So–busting your ass to keep your family fed and sheltered makes you a parasite. Pimping for the industry that gutted the economy is work “vital to the future of our country.”
Every day I loathe that man a little more.
The Republican right agree with him, they hear “47% of Americans don’t pay income tax” and agree that they’re lazy freeloaders on government entitlements.
Even those who (like Mittens himself, possibly) don’t themselves pay federal income tax due to loopholes.
When Romney finally does release his tax returns, that’ll be entertaining. Obama’s certainly going to mention it in the debates.
The Grauniad reports Rmoney-supporting bloggers are trying to make something out of an c.2 minute gap in the recording, Romney fights to reassure donors and voters amid row over leaked video:
Huh? Failed? How… those estimated two minutes were not recorded. Everything that was recorded has been released. Continuing…
Indeed. Did the reptilian controllers land during those two minutes and give Rmoney some empathy or something? Geesh!
Here’s a good example of how the Romney campaign treats the 47% as props, as unpaid props, on the campaign trail:
I kind of like that explanation from the plant executive. It is entirely consistent with the kind of policy explanations that come out of Romney’s mouth.
Ad photo and more text here:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/20/13987042-unpaid-props-come-back-to-haunt-romney
Fully two thirds of the 47% who don’t pay federal income tax are working and paying payroll tax, state and local taxes, probably property tax, etc. The payment of payroll taxes puts them at about 15% of earnings paid in taxes. That’s more than Romney’s 13.9%.
Some of the working poor and lower middle class who do not pay federal income tax are benefitting from Republican concepts meant to encourage work, such as the earned income credit.
Republicans set the system up to help push people into the salary-making market.
On another subject, here’s another example of Romney’s hypocritical use of the coal industry in ads, and of wealthy doofuses posing as regular folks:
Some shit is coming down the line for romney’s church. They excommunicated the author of this piece this week:
http://www.mormonthink.com/politics.htm
and journalist steve benson said that the excommunicated church member is in talks with a newsweek/daily beast journalist about a story right now. The church is retaliating against people who write unfavorable things about mitt romney online. If that doesn’t scream “cult” to normal people, I don’t know what does.
Also the release of the boyscouts of america molestation probe might reveal some LDS church leadership cover ups, because of the church’s heavy involvement in BSTA and their habit of making boyscout leadership a church calling instead of a volunteer position. I hope the media picks up on that angle- it will be like the catholic church all over again.
I wrote up-thread that Romney pays 13.9% in taxes. I should have clarified that we know that figure for only one year.
On another subject, here’s a good example of how Republicans are doing everything they can to make sure Obama does not accomplish anything, even if it means dumping on Veterans big time.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49096729
After screwing veterans and passing a nonsensical Buffet Rule Act, the U.S. House of Representatives (dominated by Republicans), voted to give themselves yet another long vacation.
pipenta said:
And like Scot Brown in MA, she’s broken kayfabe with Romney’s 47% comment.
As meh/bad as Obama may be, as time goes by, I’m having more and more a hard time thinking that anyone who would still vote for Romney is not a cynical bi/millionaire, racist, homophobe, and/or xenophobe.
Hypocrite? False-face? Politician?
–
Wait…Bowie is voting for Romney!?
Romney has indeed come a long way.
From hazing fellow classmates to hazing fellow Americans.
Religious. Tactless. Plastic. Empty. Despicable.
It’s hard to believe Clint Eastwood backs this Mormon monstrosity.
I still am holding out to some hope that Eastwood was Poeing, and he’s having a good laugh about how conservatives tried to justify his crap after it went down.
Romney has the idiot vote lined up.
He has the racist, homophobic, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-atheist, anti-science, Islamophobic voters lined up.
He has the fundie death cult and Mormon voters lined up.
He has the Space Reptile, birther, UN agenda 21 lunatic fringers lined up.
Unfortunately, the haters and lunatic fringers make up about half the USA.
Here’s a link to the excommunication threat, as documented by Steve Benson, and referred to by skeptifem in comment #23:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,644285
Excerpt:
In reference to comment #29:
“If somebody’s dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they’re gonna have to take what they get,” — Clint Eastwood
Link.
@30
There are a lot of people I know in meatspace who I wish were just poeing with their romney support, but they are actually just racist (and therefore totally willing to believe any bullshit about obama). its sad.
Why is Romney considered a racist?
Yet another Republican has condemned “lazy” Americans, this time in defense of Pennsylvania’s stupid, Republican-imposed state-ID law that is designed to disenfranchise eligible voters most likely to vote Democratic.
“I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right and takes on the according responsibility that goes with that right to secure their photo ID will be disenfranchised,” Metcalfe said. [State Representative Daryl Metcalfe, member of the American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC]
“As Mitt Romney said, 47% of the people that are living off the public dole, living off their neighbors’ hard work, and we have a lot of people out there that are too lazy to get up and get out there and get the ID they need. If individuals are too lazy, the state can’t fix that.”
Metcalfe also claims to have been “a Tea Partier before it was cool,” and he is infamous for introducing birther legislation. Oh, yes, Metcalfe is also linked to right-wing anti-immigrant hate groups. But he has plenty of hate to go around, and has been called the legislature’s “most prominent critic of gays.”
Just for the sake of being thorough, here’s a link to text and video showing Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai candidly outing the true purpose of state-ID laws:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/06/25/12402854-accidental-candor-about-voter-id?lite
Well no one has questioned whether he was born in America
@35 swarly
well he was a high ranking member in an openly racist organization (the LDS church) for many years, and he still belongs to them as a member. The recent inclusion of black men into the priesthood of the church does not erase the serious racism of the church and its teachings. One of their beliefs is that non white skin is a curse that god puts on people for various reasons (such as being less valiant in the pre-existence or for being disobedient).
But if they join the Mormon church and are good tithers, brown skinned people will gradually turn white.
Got to admit that is a neat trick.
This was something a recent Mormon Pope actually said but it’s an old and common Mormon superstition.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/07/13163204-the-scandal-behind-romneys-new-attack-ad?lite
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-rachel-maddow-show/48561849#48561849
Romney’s supporters are also racist:
http://newsone.com/2043123/pat-buchanan-racist/
Buchanan’s book “Suicide of a Superpower” included the chapters “The End of White America” and “The Death of Christian America.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/27/1124649/-Romney-Goes-Full-Racist-Accuses-Obama-of-Cutting-Welfare-Work-Requirment-to-Shore-Up-Base
I think all the birther crap is also thinly-veiled racism, and as was noted up-thread, Romney made a joke about how no one has asked him for his birth certificate. Not funny.
When birther can’t prove one of their conspiracy theories, they just switch to another one. Republicans like Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party hop on board.
Snipped from a Salon article.
Paul Krugman on Romney’s world view, and that of his compatriots who paid $50,000 a plate to hear him spew the view:
I am so sick of the RNC’s deceptive editing of videos in order to produce anti-Obama ads. They ought to be able to argue against Obama’s policies truthfully if they really believe their own philosophy. My mormon neighbors watch this crap then send it to me as proof that Obama is the socialist anti-Christ and unfit to be President.
I’m weary of fighting the never-ending fact-checking battle.
Here’s the latest ad, which Talking Points Memo is calling a “Master Class in Out-of-Context Editing.”
The ad can be viewed at the link above.
The article goes on to document several other egregiously edited clips.
Writing for the Daily Beast, Michael Tomasky provides backgroung for How the GOP Invented Mitt Romney’s Moochers. Excerpt below:
Maybe I was using different machines but sticking a paper clip in was a way to eject the disk, not reboot.
Romney’s campaign may be in disarray, but Boy Scout troops in Utah are lined up to help. In violation of Boy Scout policy troops in Utah are being used as campaign ground troops.
As most Pharyngula readers already know, the LD$ Church uses the Boy Scout organization as an extension of mormon church activities. It’s part of the “Priesthood” training for boys, and mormon check-the-box tactics are used to deceptively increase the percentage of Eagle Scouts in mormon-dominated troops. Mormon bishops often assign “callings” as troop leaders to church members.
Boy Scouts greeted Paul Ryan in Provo, Utah as well.
BTW, Mitt’s sons all participated in Boy Scouts. It is likely Mitt knew the rules, but he also knew that mormon Boy Scouts would ignore the rules for mormon royalty like Romney.
>In a way, people like Romney agree with Occupy: it’s them against the 99 percent, except that they consider the 1 percent to be the people being exploited.<
absofuckinglutely true
they do not believe in "We The People"
they are selfish resentful people who only care about themselves.
Mitt only wants to be POTUS to prop up his ego.
He would never put himself on the line nor his fortune for the "republic". He would not have supported nor signed the Declaration of Independence. At heart he is a royalist as are most conservatives.
it is entertaining watching the almost continuous back pedaling every time he outs himself.
uncle frogy
There’s a poll at the link given in comment #465:
Do you think the Scouts should have greeted Romney and Ryan?
1. No; it goes against policy, and that’s that.
2. Yes; it may go against policy, but the policy needs to be amended.
3. Yes; I honestly don’t see where the violation is.
4. I really don’t care one way or the other.
The poll is trending toward #3. Blech.
The base doesn’t matter; of course they’re not going to vote for Obama, but there’s not enough of them to get Romney elected by legal means, and it’s getting to the point where even illegal means probably won’t work.
But I think the real impact of the video is that every day Romney has to clean up a mess like this is another day where he can’t focus on the only message that could get him elected: namely, that Obama’s policies aren’t working and are stalling recovery. (To be clear, I’m not endorsing that message, but coming from a good candidate it could’ve been effective. We’re really lucky that Romney’s so incompetent.)
How low will they go?
http://www.upworthy.com/seriously-mitt-romney-wears-brownface-at-actual-televised-event-with-real-humans?c=ufb1
(I guess we’re just lucky he won’t be addressing the NAACP again.)
Wtf
Which is interesting in light of this:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/09/19/boy-scouts-abetted-child-molestation-too/
From the cited article:
Rose Mary Woods strikes again!
But seriously, what are they arguing? That the two minute gap happened to contain the part where he said “ha ha, everything I said and will say tonight is a joke in poor taste, disregard it”?
Regarding the “brownface” link in comment#51, looks more like orange-brown-face to me. Still a WTF moment.
Another WTF moment, folks who would like to lynch Obama have started lynching empty chairs instead.
Clint Eastwood gave them a symbol for Obama that they think they can get away with lynching. Strange fruit.
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/20/invisible_obama_chair_lynchings/
According to Romney, the two minute gap contains additional comments on the Israel/Palestine conflict, and that those comments soften or negate the it-is-hopeless stuff he said before.
Okay, I’m willing to remove the Palestine gaffe from the list. Still plenty to work with in terms of stacking up appalling personality traits in the Romney column.
One Romney lie in the secret video that is not getting much attention: he thinks the Fed is buying three quarters of all treasury debt.
From the CNBC report:
That’s okay. Romney got to name drop bigwigs at Goldman Sachs. That’s what counts.
Another misinterpretation of data that Romney repeats, as do other Republicans, is that China holds 29% of USA debt. This is a misreading of the data. China actually holds about 8.1% of USA debt.
Why is it that Republicans, and Romney in particular, always fail at reading comprehension and at statistical analysis?
blf: The full video released by Mother Jones does not have the two-minute gap.
Defending Romney with fake history:
So, who did write the democracy-is-doomed bit? Alexander Tyler, Scottish history professor at the University of Edinborough, in 1787, in reference to the Athenian Republic.
Why are Republicans incapable of vetting their sources?
David Corn setting the record straight on the “missing” two minutes — video clip:
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/09/corn-kudlow-report-supposedly-missing-two-minutes-romney-video
Unless the two minutes consists of Romney laughing and saying “Oh boy I got all of you!! Hahah! No, I don’t actually believe a word of what I just said, not a word. Vote for me.” then it doesn’t matter one bit. There’s no context that can save him from his vile ideology.
#60- It’s SOME Alex T. Does it matter which one said it?
I doubt most Republican voters have heard of either of them.
Sue D. Nymme:
Yes, it does. At the end of the vid you linked to is a link to the second half, that has a note about the gap.
John Kruger:
It isn’t a surprise. You are asking that to pretend that Democrats are idiots for not having noticed before, and I’ve seen the same sneering comment elsewhere, as if posted by shills for the Republicans.
Democrats have been paying attention, and they know it’s not news. It’s just that they guy is on tape now, and can’t well pretend that he’s not a nut. If you don’t understand that, you may be the one not paying attention.
Now the Romney campaign is claiming that the video has been “debunked.” Debunked!? My ass.
Excerpts from Mother Jones article in reply to “debunking”:
I think Rick Perry is the Republican who focuses on the real problem. It’s Satan.
He blames separation of church and state on Satan. Satan is also responsible for Obama’s likability. Much prayer is needed to enlist God’s intervention in the presidential race.
Personally, I think Rick Perry is right, but he hasn’t figured out Satan’s most obvious ploy. Satan is in control of the MittBot and is making it say and do so many stupid things that the sound of face-palming has risen to the heavens.
Excerpted from a 13-minute conference call with Rick Perry and other evangelicals. Complete audio here: http://40daystosaveamerica.com/calls/091812.mp3
They’re talking about selectively edited video? That’s the pot calling the silverware black!
Lynna, OM, you’re a roll today! Go, Lynna!
Randomfactor @51, I looked at the link showing Romney apparently wearing “suntan” makeup to speak to a Latino audience. However, I don’t think it’s as bad as portrayed. Lots of men have that “suntan” line between florid face and pale neck… and he’s not as much darker as the two photos would have you think at a glance. In the first picture, pre-makeup, he is wearing the same tie and presumably the same suit. Yet the suit looks many shade lighter. I think that one picture is simply more washed out than the other.
Meanwhile, speaking of a tin ear for one’s own utterances:
Romney on undocumented youth (he uses “illegal aliens”): “These kids…deserve a permanent solution.”
And that was part of his interview on Univision, IIRC. Latino audience? I think I’ll call them illegal aliens.
Now that’s a pot/kettle gaffe, MittBot.
“God’s truth”. Is that, like, different from the real truth?
Up-thread we have quite a bit of discussion about suppressing the vote of likely Democratic Party supporters. In the September 27 issue of The New York Review of Books, Andrew Hacker takes a look at this issue and other issues related to Romney’s efforts to garner a majority of the vote.
Excerpts below, from page 2 of the article:
Wow, Jon Stewart is great. Hilarous clip. Strange that initially Romney went on Fox News (Cavuto’s show) to double down, but last night told a largely Hispanic audience on Univision that he is campaigning for the 100% and cares about the 100%. Doesn’t that contradict what he said on the video in front of his rich friends where he said words to the effect that he’s not worried about the 47%?
The man is flipping and flopping so much that he’s going to need serious medical treatment for whiplash when this election is over.
Rmoney expects people to believe whatever he says.
His other trouble is that he believes it himself, for a while, then he believes he never said it, or that he meant something else, or that his cognitive isn’t dissonant.
A classical reference: Faux is basically the Pardoner from Chaucer, who explains that all his goods are fake, then immediately tries to sell them as real. Except he gave a nice rendition of The Three Robbers and got nothing but the promise of a good beating if he tried the swindle again.
ALL “Republicans” are stupid, ignorant, insane and/or evil.
And may horrible fates await all those who assist Faux in their campaign to destroy the few positive qualities of Western civiliation. I can forgive them, as they never will forgive themselves, but AFTER they die.
Canadian link:
http://dailyshow.thecomedynetwork.ca/
Sept 19, 2012 episode.
And now Reuters is reporting that Rmoney is attacking Obama for “surrendering” because he said he can’t change Washington from within. This is based on Obama’s comments on Univision that the health care act only passed because of popular pressure on Congress.
This is a Republican saying that! The same party that stonewalled health care reform. The same party that’s willing to throw the American economy off the cliff rather than even discuss the possibility of taxes.
As David Corn said in his lead off on MoJo about the Republican claim that the videos have been debunked, “This is getting ridiculous.” It feels like 1984 all over again.
note: no preview so apologies in advance if this post is a mess.
Standing and cheering! Jon Stewart did hit it right on the nose alright. The Republican talking heads are either willfully malicious or dumber than a sack of hammers.
If you happen to live in a country where the Comedy Central website will not show this clip, just google on “daily show modify headers firefox” for a way to see all Comedy Central content.
bcskeptic:
I long ago decided to split the difference, there. They are smarter than their audience, but not nearly as smart as they think they are. They are trying to lead/deceive their followers, but aren’t fooling anyone else.
By the way, I first worked that out regarding Kent Hovind, many years ago.
Mitt Rmoney has much experience/training in “leadership”, which is the same kind of thing. (There was a Baptist church near MSU (Skepticon) that used to host “leadership” events with the local frat boys, since they were in the same sneering contempt business.) Mormonism is all about worker participation and hierarchy, and Mitt was groomed to be a leader. (He spent his mission year in France, as assistant to the head of the national mission, not as a bicyclist in Borneo.)
Mormonism is not a casual religion, by the way. They can’t just go to church at Christmas, and be a Mormon. They have to work at projects, go to services, and obey orders (which includes finding out what the new tenets of the prophets are, and revising all their beliefs accordingly (such as happened when the church decided that black people were no longer demonspawn)). Mormonism is serious fucking business, much more than most non-Mormon people’s religion is.
Plus, Mitt is way up in the Mormon church. If he was a Catholic, he’d be a cardinal or something—he’d be voting on the next pope, hoping it’d be him. Mormon elders are serious business—they don’t just lead the church, they get to make up new scripture, and it must be obeyed. He is a seriously religious person. (Seriously, he is wearing “temple garments” under his suit. He’s just as involved as the Hasidic Jews with the hats and the curls and the shawls, you just can’t see his magic underwear.)
Mitt, if he isn’t a top boss of the Mormons, must obey the leaders, who can make up anything they want. He can’t tell us how his religion will affect his presidency, because he doesn’t know.
How the hell a southern Baptist can vote for Mitt I don’t know.
They confuse ruthlessness with brilliance
Hey look, Jon Stewart angry.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-19-2012/chaos-on-bulls–t-mountain—the-entitlement-society
The Obama team has a new ad owning the comments about working with pressure and voices from the outside. Rmoney can attack and call it “surrendering,” but Obama makes a good case for his accomplishments so far being possible because of grassroots support that more or less goes around the Republican roadblock.
The ad is titled “where change comes from” and can be viewed here:
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/21/14013256-fridays-campaign-round-up
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom?feature=watch
Paul Ryan on Social Security:
Remarks above were made to an Ayn Rand group in 2005.
Granny better get her capitalist ass in gear.
One more right-wing conspiracy theory bites the dust:
What’s your bet? Do you think Republicans will now drop this expensive and time-wasting attack on Attorney General Eric Holder (first black AG)?
Darrell Issa Won’t Halt ‘Fast and Furious’ Probe
Crazy Republicans have an adverse affect on how the rest of the world views the USA.
“Let’s be blunt and acknowledge the biggest threat to the world’s biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over the Republican Party.” — Wayne Swan, Australia’s deputy prime minister, referring to the Republican Party of the USA.
Republicans blocking the START treaty prompted one European ambassador to tell the Washington Post “People ask us, ‘Have you been drinking?'”
Ditto for the debt ceiling crisis: “Coming back from Europe, the Europeans just can’t believe we’d be so foolish as to decidedly squander away our debt rating in such a frivolous manner. This just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.” — chief economist for Mesirow Financial, Diane Swonk
“The irony of the situation at the moment … is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few right-wing nutters in the American Congress rather than the euro zone.” — British policymaker, as reported in the Washington Post on July 25, 2011
“It is because the vast majority of Republicans, driven on by the wilder-eyed members of their party and the cacophony of conservative media, are clinging to the position that not a single cent of deficit reduction must come from a higher tax take. This is economically illiterate and disgracefully cynical.” — as reported in The Economist
Ann Romney has a solution for all the Romney campaign troubles: stop being mean to Mitt. Especially you Republicans.
Sarah Silverman has produced a video giving viewers instructions on how to get around the new voter suppression laws.
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/21/sarah_silverman_want_to_vote_this_year_get_a_gun/
“Get these kids [students] gun permits!”
“… take Nana to get a license to kill!”
http://www.letmypeoplevote2012.com
Delving into Mitt’s likability problem: No other presidential candidate has racked up unfavorable ratings this high during a campaign, according to a Pew Survey. Why is Romney so disliked? It’s not personal, it’s business.
…
“His problems are compounded by an open secret in Republican politics—no one who has ever run against Mitt Romney walks away liking the guy.”
…
“Mitt Romney approaches politics in a more transactional way. He wants to improve the country but he is fundamentally a salesman and in this world view, it would be illogical not to tailor sales to the needs of different audiences. Why would Mitt try to make the same pitch to a Massachusetts electorate as Republican primaries voters? It’s not personal; it’s business.”…
Chronicling Mitt’s Mendacity, Volume XXXV
Excerpt:
New tax info has arrived from the Romney camp.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/21/14016427-romney-overpaid-his-taxes-because-hes-running-for-office-for-petes-sake
I also think that in 2011, Romney was playing catch-up on his mormon tithing obligations. He didn’t want it to look like he had paid less than 10%, (which he had done in 2010), so he overpaid on tithing in 2011 to make up for it. The tithing overpayment caused another problem, so then he had to find a way around that.