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Harry Reid's big mouth
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Bradley K Sherman
Aug 7, 2012, 4:32:42 AM8/7/12
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http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/saunders/article/Harry-Reid-s-big-
mouth-3767407.php
Whenever a name Republican says something stupid, indefensible
or arguably either, for the next three days folks will open a
conversation by asking me (the only Republican they know) what I
think about the latest GOP gaffe.
That standard does not apply when Democrats talk out of turn -
even when they make unsupportable accusations deliberately. Last
week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did just that when he
told the Huffington Post that an unnamed Bain Capital investor
told him Mitt Romney "didn't pay taxes for 10 years."
Mitt Romney denies the charge. Politifact rated Reid's
unsubstantiated claim as "pants on fire" false and "far fetched."
Reid seemed to understand how fantastic his charge appeared. He
told HuffPo, "Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not
certain. But obviously he can't release those tax returns. How
would it look?"
HuffPo reported that while it was impossible to verify who the
investor is - or whether Reid's invisible friend had any proof
or even knowledge of Romney's tax history - and that Reid didn't
even claim he knew what he said was true, "there is limited
political downside to the type of open speculation that Reid is
making, so long as Romney refuses to budge on the issue of his
tax returns."
You see, when Democrats hurl charges they can't back up, it's
because they're so politically astute.
There's little penalty, so Reid not only repeated his tale but
also embellished it. He said on the Senate floor of Romney: "As
we know, he has refused to release his tax returns." That's not
true. Romney released his 2010 return and an estimate for 2011.
But when a man has a casual relationship with facts, he can make
this sort of claim with impunity.
Reid has critics. The New York Times' Frank Bruni lamented
Reid's "spew first" tactics. "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart
ranted: "Here's a rule of thumb - if you have to follow your
claim with the words 'I don't know if that's true,' then shut
up." Stewart likened Reid to fellow fabulist Donald Trump,
railing that Reid "might as well put a dead cocker spaniel on
(his) head and start yelling about birth certificates."
No worries. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi supported Reid.
She told HuffPo that Reid's statement "is true. Somebody told
him. It is a fact." Pelosi and Reid share the same low bar.
While both Democratic leaders have called on Romney to release
years of tax returns, both refused to release their tax returns
to McClatchy Newspapers last month.
As for Reid, he has a history of inserting his foot into his
mouth. Reid once told "Game Change" authors John Heilemann and
Mark Halperin that he believed Barack Obama could win the White
House as he was a "light-skinned" African American "with no
Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Reid also called
President George W. Bush a "loser" and former Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan "one of the biggest political hacks we
have in Washington."
Note that Reid didn't call Greenspan the biggest political hack
in Washington. That role, after all, is taken.
mouth-3767407.php
Whenever a name Republican says something stupid, indefensible
or arguably either, for the next three days folks will open a
conversation by asking me (the only Republican they know) what I
think about the latest GOP gaffe.
That standard does not apply when Democrats talk out of turn -
even when they make unsupportable accusations deliberately. Last
week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did just that when he
told the Huffington Post that an unnamed Bain Capital investor
told him Mitt Romney "didn't pay taxes for 10 years."
Mitt Romney denies the charge. Politifact rated Reid's
unsubstantiated claim as "pants on fire" false and "far fetched."
Reid seemed to understand how fantastic his charge appeared. He
told HuffPo, "Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not
certain. But obviously he can't release those tax returns. How
would it look?"
HuffPo reported that while it was impossible to verify who the
investor is - or whether Reid's invisible friend had any proof
or even knowledge of Romney's tax history - and that Reid didn't
even claim he knew what he said was true, "there is limited
political downside to the type of open speculation that Reid is
making, so long as Romney refuses to budge on the issue of his
tax returns."
You see, when Democrats hurl charges they can't back up, it's
because they're so politically astute.
There's little penalty, so Reid not only repeated his tale but
also embellished it. He said on the Senate floor of Romney: "As
we know, he has refused to release his tax returns." That's not
true. Romney released his 2010 return and an estimate for 2011.
But when a man has a casual relationship with facts, he can make
this sort of claim with impunity.
Reid has critics. The New York Times' Frank Bruni lamented
Reid's "spew first" tactics. "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart
ranted: "Here's a rule of thumb - if you have to follow your
claim with the words 'I don't know if that's true,' then shut
up." Stewart likened Reid to fellow fabulist Donald Trump,
railing that Reid "might as well put a dead cocker spaniel on
(his) head and start yelling about birth certificates."
No worries. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi supported Reid.
She told HuffPo that Reid's statement "is true. Somebody told
him. It is a fact." Pelosi and Reid share the same low bar.
While both Democratic leaders have called on Romney to release
years of tax returns, both refused to release their tax returns
to McClatchy Newspapers last month.
As for Reid, he has a history of inserting his foot into his
mouth. Reid once told "Game Change" authors John Heilemann and
Mark Halperin that he believed Barack Obama could win the White
House as he was a "light-skinned" African American "with no
Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Reid also called
President George W. Bush a "loser" and former Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan "one of the biggest political hacks we
have in Washington."
Note that Reid didn't call Greenspan the biggest political hack
in Washington. That role, after all, is taken.
Dhu on Gate
Aug 7, 2012, 7:51:14 AM8/7/12
to
On Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:32:42 +0200, Bradley K Sherman wrote:
> [Reid] told HuffPo, "Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not
Dhu
--
Ne obliviscaris, vix ea nostro voco.
> [Reid] told HuffPo, "Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not
> certain. But obviously he can't release those tax returns. How
> would it look?"
>
hehe.
> would it look?"
>
Dhu
--
Ne obliviscaris, vix ea nostro voco.
§pamßustêr
Aug 8, 2012, 1:01:40 AM8/8/12
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Bradley K Sherman" <brad...@panix.com> wrote in message
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§pamßustêr
Aug 8, 2012, 1:01:42 AM8/8/12
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