A significant public occurrence in America tonight, also a recurring one, is Donald J. Trump Jr.'s failure to release his tax returns.
To foreigners that may not sound significant, like Mao Zedong could not understand what all the hullabaloo was over that Watergate thing, but releasing tax returns has become a traditional obligation for presidential candidates in America, the issue hounded Mitt Romney in 2012 until he relented and released a bare minimum. There is no law.
This is an issue that I think the Fourth Estate can be faulted for not pursuing continuously...Course how would they do that? "Day 107, America Held Hostage, Still No Trump Tax Returns." The last time, as I recall that Trump's tax returns was brought up was when Mitt Romney...whatever the OPPOSITE of "endorsed" is, rejected with prejudice, Trump in a speech he gave in Utah. Romney then predicted a "bombshell" in Trump's tax returns.
Trump has made this a bigger issue, and it is a big issue, with contradictory statements on his intent. He has said he would release them, he would not release them, he might release them, might not. Today he said he would release them when the IRS is done with their, Trump's word, "routine" audit-of all six tax returns since 2009.
Ever been audited? Me neither. For those who have, ever had six years audited at the same time? "Routine?" No.
And the problem with Trump's latest, that he will release his tax returns when the audit is completed is that IT MIGHT NOT BE UNTIL AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
Now, for those of us who already consider Disco Donald to be a particularly slimy, slithering lounge lizard, our opinion of him is not, cannot be, much affected by this late slipperiness..."Disco Donald": that labels so much of Trump to me. Probably won't catch on...Might holding his tax returns hostage hurt Trump with Trumpists?
Trump knows his supporters. When he said "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," he knew his supporters.
He did not say "I could cheat the IRS out of every red penny and not lose voters."
Those are different crimes. There are people-To put a political label on these different types of people these would be Democrats.-who excuse a little violence among friends, "Rioting thugs in Baltimore? You racist honky, you.", who are not down with getting ripped off; there are people, Republicans, of course, like Lindsey Graham, who consider lawful tax avoidance to be The American Way, who would impose life minimum mandatory sentences on rioting Democrats, and, truthfully now Amigo Lindsey, do not get all broke out with outrage over a little "honest graft" much less criminal cheating of the IRS.
It is the singular achievement of Donald Trump that he has brought together both kinds of crime, street violence and white collar thievery, under the banner of "Make America Great Again."
Most normal peoplez I think get pretty pissed off by both kinds of crime. But Trumpists are not normal people. If Trump is holding a tax bombshell in his bosom, and if it is detonated, it probably would not take out most Trumpists collaterly, but, there are a couple of "buts" here:
But: I could imagine that it might. Trump's whole image is how rich he is, how great it is to be rich, if he is not so rich or if his riches are particularly ill-gotten, that would probably deflate him some for some Trumpists. I do think his choice of crimes that would not hurt him with his voters is probably subtly revealing of what would hurt him with his voters.
But maybe not! Why would all of Trump's Republican opponents have ignored the issue if it could peel off voters?
But. We don't know if there is a bombshell and what its megatonnage is; We don't know what kind of bomb would do his support damage nor how powerful it need be.
But, I can guaran-damn-tee ya this t'ain't gonna be a problem for Trump if he successfully stonewalls releasing them until after the election. Fourth Estate: get on that...somehow. Mrs. Clinton, beat that horse till it's dead and then beat it some more.
But Disco Donald does have this image. Playboy cover boy; always had some oleaginous friends: Roy Cohn, George Steinbrenner, Don King, Mike Tyson, Roger Stone. His wife posed half-naked and chained for GQ. He's got that "little lawsuit," like "routine audit," Trump's phrase, involving Trump University that will go to trial before the election.
-Fraud.
-Misrepresentation.
-Dishonesty.
-Ripping people off.
-Ill-gotten riches.
-Sleaze.
You can't "win" a lawsuit like that politically. Not releasing his taxes just fits like a glove the persona of Disco Donald.
There are not 270 electoral votes to make Disco Donald president.
To foreigners that may not sound significant, like Mao Zedong could not understand what all the hullabaloo was over that Watergate thing, but releasing tax returns has become a traditional obligation for presidential candidates in America, the issue hounded Mitt Romney in 2012 until he relented and released a bare minimum. There is no law.
This is an issue that I think the Fourth Estate can be faulted for not pursuing continuously...Course how would they do that? "Day 107, America Held Hostage, Still No Trump Tax Returns." The last time, as I recall that Trump's tax returns was brought up was when Mitt Romney...whatever the OPPOSITE of "endorsed" is, rejected with prejudice, Trump in a speech he gave in Utah. Romney then predicted a "bombshell" in Trump's tax returns.
Trump has made this a bigger issue, and it is a big issue, with contradictory statements on his intent. He has said he would release them, he would not release them, he might release them, might not. Today he said he would release them when the IRS is done with their, Trump's word, "routine" audit-of all six tax returns since 2009.
Ever been audited? Me neither. For those who have, ever had six years audited at the same time? "Routine?" No.
And the problem with Trump's latest, that he will release his tax returns when the audit is completed is that IT MIGHT NOT BE UNTIL AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
Now, for those of us who already consider Disco Donald to be a particularly slimy, slithering lounge lizard, our opinion of him is not, cannot be, much affected by this late slipperiness..."Disco Donald": that labels so much of Trump to me. Probably won't catch on...Might holding his tax returns hostage hurt Trump with Trumpists?
Trump knows his supporters. When he said "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," he knew his supporters.
He did not say "I could cheat the IRS out of every red penny and not lose voters."
Those are different crimes. There are people-To put a political label on these different types of people these would be Democrats.-who excuse a little violence among friends, "Rioting thugs in Baltimore? You racist honky, you.", who are not down with getting ripped off; there are people, Republicans, of course, like Lindsey Graham, who consider lawful tax avoidance to be The American Way, who would impose life minimum mandatory sentences on rioting Democrats, and, truthfully now Amigo Lindsey, do not get all broke out with outrage over a little "honest graft" much less criminal cheating of the IRS.
It is the singular achievement of Donald Trump that he has brought together both kinds of crime, street violence and white collar thievery, under the banner of "Make America Great Again."
Most normal peoplez I think get pretty pissed off by both kinds of crime. But Trumpists are not normal people. If Trump is holding a tax bombshell in his bosom, and if it is detonated, it probably would not take out most Trumpists collaterly, but, there are a couple of "buts" here:
But: I could imagine that it might. Trump's whole image is how rich he is, how great it is to be rich, if he is not so rich or if his riches are particularly ill-gotten, that would probably deflate him some for some Trumpists. I do think his choice of crimes that would not hurt him with his voters is probably subtly revealing of what would hurt him with his voters.
But maybe not! Why would all of Trump's Republican opponents have ignored the issue if it could peel off voters?
But. We don't know if there is a bombshell and what its megatonnage is; We don't know what kind of bomb would do his support damage nor how powerful it need be.
But, I can guaran-damn-tee ya this t'ain't gonna be a problem for Trump if he successfully stonewalls releasing them until after the election. Fourth Estate: get on that...somehow. Mrs. Clinton, beat that horse till it's dead and then beat it some more.
But Disco Donald does have this image. Playboy cover boy; always had some oleaginous friends: Roy Cohn, George Steinbrenner, Don King, Mike Tyson, Roger Stone. His wife posed half-naked and chained for GQ. He's got that "little lawsuit," like "routine audit," Trump's phrase, involving Trump University that will go to trial before the election.
-Fraud.
-Misrepresentation.
-Dishonesty.
-Ripping people off.
-Ill-gotten riches.
-Sleaze.
You can't "win" a lawsuit like that politically. Not releasing his taxes just fits like a glove the persona of Disco Donald.
There are not 270 electoral votes to make Disco Donald president.
