Here’s the latest from the Red State Strike Force:
Well now we know why the Democrats don’t mind raising taxes – they don’t pay them.
Barack Obama has nominated another tax cheat.
With Tim Geithner we were told he was the indispensable man during the economic crisis. What about Tom Daschle? What makes him special?
In truth – nothing makes Daschle special other than he’s one of Barack Obama’s friends.
One tax cheat is enough.
Call 202-224-3121. Tell your Senator to vote no on Tom Daschle.
Sincerely yours,
Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com
Now, I’m firmly in the Glenn Greenwald/Matt Taibbi camp of people who are sickened by Daschle’s willingness to whore himself. But nothing special about Tom Daschle? The guy was the fucking Senate majority leader. How much more special can you be in Washington?
It’s also dumb to focus too much on the tax problems and not at all on the fact he took 200K from health care groups the last two years.
Tom Daschle is a fastball right down the middle to these clowns and they still miss it. I’m sure there’s a joke about pitchers and catchers in here, but I can’t think of it right now.
FourtyTwo
Not only was he the Senate Majority leader, he went to bat for Republicans time and time again.
They should have waited until he was confirmed before starting the hissy fit. It would have made Obama look more disreputable.
They just called out their mole in the cabinet… How were these clowns smashing the Democrats each year?
Oh, right…
Josh Hueco
Actually, Daschle’s not that special, not very talented or progressive, and I wouldn’t mind if Obama threw him over the side of the boat, if it also means his administration gets to maintain credibility for being far more ethical than the previous.
4tehlulz
If they focus on the whoring, they risk scaring potential johns.
yet another jeff
All I can think of is the Foghorn Leghorn quote, "It’s a joke, son. I keep a pitchin’ ’em, you keep a missin’ ’em."
Person of Choler
So, Obama’s appointment of officials with, at best, questionable records of paying taxes only serves as proof that Republicans are stupid?
Is this pretzel logic, Moebius Strip logic, Klein Bottle logic, or just another lame whack at the opposition?
Any stick will do to beat a dog, but this is a pretty thin stick.
joe from Lowell
Not if you’re launching an attack for purely partisan purposes, and the people with the most to lose from changing the health care status quo are part of your team.
joe from Lowell
No. Your inability to figure out the rather straightforward point DougJ made, on the other hand…
low-tech cyclist
What Joe in Lowell said. From the wingnuts’ POV, that’s a feature, not a bug.
Ugh
You say that like Erickson thinks whoring for big business is a bad thing.
KCinDC
They’re missing out on the Amazon commissions this time. Surely they should have instructed the troops to send something along with the "no" message — maybe this?
TCG
There was another post at RedState last week proclaiming that Geitner’s and Daschle’s tax problems show that the Democratic Congress can’t govern.
Eric seriously needs to limit the number of nutjobs allowed to post on the blog’s front page.
sgwhiteinfla
You hit the nail on the head. What regular folks find reprehensible about lobbyists, conservatives see as the price of doing business. If they started complaining about Daschle whoring himself out then they would have to complain about half of their GOP Congressfolks. Don’t forget the wingnut conservative credo:
high paid lobbyists= good capitalists
decently paid union members= bad socialists
plukasiak
Daschle is toast, not because of his tax problems, or because of his connections to the health care industry, but because Team Obama (and the relevant Democratically controlled Senate committee) was notified of Daschle’s tax problems nearly a month before they became public — and Daschle remained Obama’s go-to guy on health care during that time.
It looks to me like Daschle’s biggest problem was in the IRS’s timing — that appeals, etc were (are?) ongoing, and by sitting on the information for a month, there is the appearance of some possible funny business going on with the IRS now that Team Obama is in charge. Perfectly "innocent" inquiries and attempts to reduce Daschle’s tax liabilities will look sinister if the GOP demands to know what has been going on since Daschle disclosed to Team Obama… and to avoid that particular can of worms, Daschle is being signalled to fall on his sword.
sgwhiteinfla
moderation?
TheFountainHead
Am I the only one who thinks that this is all much ado about nothing? Am I the only one who thinks the current tax code is designed to cause confusion and mislead? Am I the only one who thinks that if the IRS catches you owing taxes, so long as you pay them immediately, no foul? I can’t imagine any of these guys, certainly not Daschle, having any incentive, financial or otherwise, to actively cheat on their taxes. My guess is they just didn’t fucking hire someone, or if they did, that guy didn’t do his damn job. It’s one thing if you only have one source of income and we had a flat tax in this country, and you failed to pay. It’s another thing when you receive payments for myriad services and the number of different forms to fill out just to properly pay taxes on any one of them numbers in the dozens. I just don’t see the big fucking deal. He owed taxes on money he made in previous years, and he fucking paid up!
sgwhiteinfla
Whats the chances that Dr Dean might be considered if Daschle drops out? I know the Rethugs would HATE that.
Dave
I think Strike Farce needs to focus on long-term strategy here. If Daschle is forced to step down, who comes in his place? What if it is someone who is a genuine progressive with no tax problems? What’s their angle then? Instead, they shoot their bolt early.
Napoleon
In Wingnuttia that is called seeing starburst.
Conservatively Liberal
I was reading over at RedNeckState earlier and I noted that the shallow and rarely commented on but rather prolific writer there, Pejman Yousefzadeh, has a post about a story in the WaPo where the Repubs are called ‘modern day Hoovers’, how it is Obama who is really like Hoover and that the stimulus package is a "remarkably interventionist" act on his part. Throughout the post Pejman sprinkles links to other places that support his argument. Six of the seven links he provides are to his own posts on another site. IOW, another Republican who is in love with the sound of his own voice.
It’s a small world after all. ;)
Paul L.
Did Matt Taibbi ever correct this?
MATT TAIBBI: It was a plastic turkey.
AMY GOODMAN: Was it actually plastic?
MATT TAIBBI: Yes. Apparently it was a plastic turkey.
AMY GOODMAN: It was plastic?
MATT TAIBBI: Yes. That was actually reported in the — in another part of The Nation, in the daily outrage column online. But, yeah it was a plastic turkey, apparently. Which is even funnier. The famous shot where he’s holding the big turkey, apparently that’s a plastic turkey.
Mazacote Yorquest
I would focus on the fact that Daschle stole Sally Jessy Raphael’s glasses. Seriously– those things defile the White House and all of its values.
Laura W
@Napoleon:
I gotta get out of here. A girl shouldn’t laugh this much on the first Monday morning in February.
But then again…why the fuck not?
plukasiak
Am I the only one who thinks that this is all much ado about nothing?
_
I’m sure there are millions of fellow oborg out there who feel the way you do.
Here’s the thing. Hindery’s explanation for the limosine (and driver) is that he let Daschle use it when he wasn’t in DC. But Hindery is based in New York City, not DC, and it makes no sense that Hindery would have a limosine in New York to "lend" to Daschle.
Ash Can
Paul L, master of the drive-by WTF.
TheFountainHead
I don’t give a fuck what his explanation is, there’s no crime here. Daschle or his accountants didn’t get, or didn’t understand that there should have been, a 1099 for the car and driver. So he didn’t report it. When it was pointed out that it should have been taxable, he fucking paid. Does that make Daschle evil, or something?
Balconesfault
I’d love to see someone swapped in who has historically been less in bed with the insurance lobby.
Let’s see – Obama first placates the lobby by picking someone they’re comfortable with. Then, right before he starts to really do something, information is released that Republicans are bound to jump all over with Pavlovian predictability. Team Obama gets Daschle to withdraw, and substitutes another more progressive person to spearhead the reform of the medical industry in America … blaming the Republicans for getting rid of the Dem who was in bed with the industry.
No, I don’t think Team Obama would have planned this from the beginning – but I could see this strategy forming itself over the last month, after Daschle’s problems became known.
gopher2b
I completely disagree. First, he has an incentive: money. He owed more than twice in taxes what the average family in this country makes in a year. Martha Stewart went to jail because she made less than half of that insider trading.
He paid them because it became clear that Obama was going to win the election and Daschle knew he was going back into government. Had we elected McCain (god help us), Mr. Daschle would not be knocking on the IRS’s front door at 8:00 am on a Monday. Paying up because its in your interest to do so is not honorable conduct.
The tax code may be comlicated, but this isn’t. Everyone knows, and especially politicians, that perks and gifts are taxable income. If he honestly didn’t know this then that alone is enough to disqualify him.
Conservatively Liberal
Hey
plukasiakphuckstain! Long time no see, and that was a good thing. Why’d you ruin it? I do have to admit that I enjoyed your unhinged screeds during the primary, but only because you always had this way of going overboard about nothing.How the dead-ender life? Yeah, thought so…
SGEW
Oh my God. I think I just had a liberalgasm.
Waitaminnit, here . . . does anyone else think that all of this is just a bit too . . . convenient?
Richardson gone for Commerce. Republican gets the nod. Senate goes to 60. Daschle hits the tax-scandal wall (after Geitner’s l’il thing, with impeccable timing). Dr. Dean grabs the reins of the health care debate (note the prepared "snub" of Dean at the DNC recently – a carefully orchestrated kabuki gesture, obviously!).
Is Obama too smart for our own good? Or am I becoming some sort of beneficial tyrant conspiracy theorist?
TheFountainHead
I guess I’m in a contrary mood today, because there’s a problem with that logic. Anyone who knows the Insurance world well enough to know it’s problems AND where the squeaky wheels are is going to have their hands dirty with them. I’ve never fully understood the zero tolerance stance of the Obama campaign. Lobbyists are insiders and insiders are in a unique position to make things happen. If you dislike for whom and for what they lobby, that’s a whole separate issue. I’ve yet to see a convincing argument made that Daschle couldn’t or wouldn’t accomplish Obama’s Healthcare goals because he’s been involved with the Insurance lobby before.
SGEW
@Balconesfault: I see that my theoretic conspiracy may have some legs. I better print up a pamphlet. How can I work the WTC into it?
4tehlulz
Yay! pluk HERO OF THE WORKING MAN is back!
@SGEW: BLUE CROSS DID WTC
TheFountainHead
Wait, what? First of all, how is his incentive money? Yes, he owed a lot, but he makes a fuckton! I’m quite certain the money he owed is not money he’ll hurt for. And what the fuck does Martha Stewart have to do with backtaxes? Are they bringing Daschle up on charges??
So says you and your cynicism. Prove it, then come peddling that shit.
That’s actually not true at all. There are plenty of perks of plenty of non-government jobs, as well as government ones, that are not taxed. This was a private sector job, there are no ethics rules that apply here.
Balconesfault
@SGEW: Except you’re envisioning first intent … I’m seeing turning lemons into lemonade.
@Fountainhead:
It is possible I’m conflating things – my main problem with Daschle stems more from his ability to be rolled during his term as Senate Majority Leader.
Zifnab25
Perhaps someone could explain to me what a questionable tax history has to do with getting the country an affordable health care system.
I know I may be drifting massively OT here, but isn’t the end goal – as far as voters are concerned – a reduction in insurance premiums and an improvement in health care? If you’ve got to summon up Al Capone to do it, tax cheating and all, this seems to be the end goal.
ricky
As a matter of historical note, I think the outcome would have been much different if we had an East and West Dakota
instead. Although the argument for a Central and Outer Dakota had some coencentric logic to it.
Faux News
That is his usual M.O. Paul L. is the LAMEST Troll on BJ. Like a monkey he flings his feces upon a BJ thread then disappears and almost never comes back to that thread for a rebuttal of his post. Antana-whats-its-name is a better Troll than that.
As for the topic at hand I believe the last time the Senate did not vote in one of their own to a cabinet position was the hapless John Tower (R-Texas) who was to be Bush Senior’s Sec. of Defense. So unless Mr. Daschle withdraws I would expect his confirmation.
ricky
Many of us fail to give proper adoration to the highest ethical canon of the free market private sector…the work ethic.
Although there are those who argue nepotism is rule 1.
gwangung
I thought the problem was that this should have been reported on the 1099, which Daschle did, indeed, receive, but it wasn’t.
(Yeah, there are major problems with Daschle, but if we’re so unclear on what was the problem, perhaps it isn’t as clearcut as all that…)
Zifnab
And yet Martha Stewart was busted by the SEC (if I’m not mistaken). She didn’t have the entire Legislative GOP barreling down on her ass.
I appreciate increased scrutiny of public figures, and if guys like Geithner and Daschale have unpaid taxes, its good that they are forced to get their books in order. That said, if this is a tax problem, the IRS should take care of it. And if they don’t take care of it, this is an IRS problem and the GOP should be hounding the head of the agency, inquiring why certain individuals are getting kid glove treatment.
If Geithner or Daschale were to fall under suspicion of tax evasion, we should be seeing some heat from the IRS and the GOP shouldn’t need to do more than point out the looming indictments. To date, however, it doesn’t appear that either of these individuals have run afoul of the law to any punishable degree. So the screaming, kicking, pants wetting fit we’re getting from across the aisle is just wasting our time.
gopher2b
@TheFountainHead:
I love how when anyone is challenged about anything on this site the throw a tantrum.
"So says you and your cynicism. Prove it, then come peddling that shit."
From Daschle’s "apology" letter:
"Last fall, when I was being considered for this position, the Presidential Transition Team’s vetters reviewed my records. During the course of those reviews, the vetting team flagged charitable contributions they felt were deducted in error. When my accountant realized I would need to file amended returns, he suggested addressing another matter I had raised with him earlier in the year: whether the use of a car service offered to me by a close friend might be a tax issue."
One, he knew about it "earlier in the year" and did nothing until vetted.
Second, he owed over $128k in taxes which means he must have received upwards of $350k in gifts/perks. Maybe your friends or employers give you $350,000 in gift/perks all the time, but as a thinking person, I would probably consider the tax implications along the way.
Third, greed knows no bounds. Look at Wall Street. $120k is $120k if you make $50k for $2.5mil. It’s a lot money. You’re just rationalizing his behavior at this point. Stop making excuses for the guy. There are others Obama can choose who can do the job just as well.
Fourth, I brought up Martha Stewart because tax evasion is theft just as insider trading is; and both involve dishonesty and fraud. She went to jail. Daschle isn’t going to go to jail and will likely be confirmed for a high ranking government position with considerable power and influence. The distinction doesn’t make any sense. (Sorry I didn’t spell that out more clearly for you).
Michael D.
So was Trent Lott.
TheFountainHead
@gopher2b:
Not really throwing a temper tantrum, but have it your way, if you like.
Nothing in the apology letter suggests he was doing it "just because he was being vetted". The car and driver issue had clearly come up before the vetting, but the fact that it was not yet resolved doesn’t mean a damn thing. The fact that the charitable donation deduction issues weren’t caught until the vetting process began is only evidence that his accountant had not seen them as flaggable before. Indeed, it’s not clear that he COULDN’T have taken those deductions, only that he and the vetting team decided that he shouldn’t.
And your argument that Obama could find someone else to do the job because Daschel is greedy is pretty thin. Just because you see all people who make a lot of money as necessarily greedy, doesn’t mean they are. Just because you think Obama can find someone else, doesn’t mean there IS a better person (can you think of one?) or that Obama should find someone else. It’s his damn cabinet spot to fill.
TheFountainHead
Oops, missed this:
See Zifnab.
dmsilev
@SGEW:
Theory: Barack Obama is Lord Vetinari, Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.
-dms
Church Lady
Thank you Michael D. for beating me to the punch. I was going to ask Doug if his criteria for "special" also included Bill Frist (the physician who diagnoses via videotape) and Newt Gingrich. Surely, if being "special" is the criteria for a position in Obama’s cabinet, there is something they can contribute. :)
ricky
I do not believe the current salmonella controversy can be traced to plastic turkey. Nobody every died from eating a plastic turkey shit sandwich.
But back to the topic raised, "hapless" is too kind to be the only adjective used in a description of John Tower.
TenguPhule
Fuckstain McCain promises to vote against the Stimulus bill.
And the sun rises in the east.
TenguPhule
I’ll believe that when all the mimes are thrown into scorpion pits.
Left Coast Tom
Out of curiosity, does the Trike Force not have any weekend "missions", or are their weekend missives less snark-worthy? Just wondering if this is an "army" that takes weekends off.
demimondian
@TheFountainHead: Um…gopher2b is a fRightwing troll — it’s been here since around post 4000, and doesn’t like the new world. Trying to change its mind is pointless.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled snark…
TenguPhule
Zifnab, the reason so many rich people have so many unpaid taxes is that the Bush admin cut down the number of IRS agents who normally audit them.
Please note that so far all of the tax problems fall in that period.
When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
Unless it’s Tunch, then they’ll dance just out of reach of his fat ass. :P
SGEW
@dmsilev:
I sure hope not. Much as I dislike street performers and conceptual artists, I’d hate to see them all thrown into scorpion pits.
[edit: Blaargh! Beat to the punch w/ my Sir Pratchett joke. grumble grumble]
TenguPhule
@TheFountainhead
Yes, but they never do. That’s the problem. Their interests are almost always against changing the status quo.
Woodrowfan
ooooooo, Discworld reference, gotta love it!
gopher2b
@demimondian:
Voted for Obama, worked for Obama, was in Grant Park on election night freezing my ass off. I’m just not a mindless follower.
TenguPhule
@dmsilev
Also, I don’t think I could put up with Republicans overthrowing him constantly only to find they can’t run the country without him and begging him to come back.
TenguPhule
@SGEW
If it makes you feel any better, as soon as I saw the theory, that was the *FIRST* thing that crossed my mind.
SGEW
"Is this what Vetinari feels like all the time?"
[And yes, Lord Vetinari has, upon occasion, crossed my mind whilst watching Obama’s political ju-jitsu. In the “genius” good way – not the mime killing, tyrannical, “One Man One Vote” sort of way.]
TenguPhule
No and No.
SATSQ.
jibeaux
Yeah, $128k in tax nonpayment gets my goat, honestly, and I don’t necessarily have a sophisticated reason for it beyond "look, asshole, we all have to pay our damn taxes, okay, and nobody really loves it but it’s what funds the legislation you keep passing." It starts to make me feel like a chump for paying mine all this time. And, sure the tax code is complicated, but the vast majority of IT is not relevant to the vast majority of US. I have some small investments, a home, children & child care, student loan interest, personal property taxes and state income taxes to deduct — in other words many of the more common deductions and more common forms for reporting income, and I personally feel like if you couldn’t get a calculator and complete them, then you shouldn’t have been allowed to graduate from high school. I go through more complicated mathematical maneuvers trying to deal with the billing department of Time Warner Cable all the time, curse their immortal souls. And if you are in the minority that has more complicated tax issues, like Tom Daschle probably is, get a competent freakin’ accountant. And if you’re an extremely prominent politician, ERR ON THE SIDE OF PAYING THE TAXES.
Charity
Yeah, not happy that they’re sticking with Daschle, and Obama gave him full support today. It just looks bad. Especially because Daschle apparently hid the problem all the way back in June.
But I can guess what Rahm Emanuel is having for lunch today: poached fillet of Vetting Committee Who Let This Slip By in a nice white wine sauce.
gopher2b
And its a Senator’s vote for or against confirmation. I don’t understand your point.
I didn’t say that. I said it doesn’t matter how much money someone makes – anyone can be greedy.
I’ll give you this. My understanding of the charitable deductions is that he didn’t have all the necessary support for $8000 worth but he says he gave them. It would be easy to prove one way or the other (check with the charities).
I’m not sure what it would take to convince you. If you’re waiting for him to say "Nope, I thought I could get away with it but when Obama picked me I knew I had to fix it", its never going to happen. You prove these things by looking at the circumstantial evidence. Maybe if we found out when he asked his accountant to "look into it," saw some emails, etc I would discovery I’m wrong about it not being an innocent mistake. I really doubt it though.
Also, this argument that it was the IRS’s fault kind of silly. If he had raided a trust fund for disadvantaged youth but the statute of limitations had passed and the SEC and FBI failed to investigate, would you all be saying "Well, its the SEC and FBI’s fault for not doing their job. Confirm the bastard." Unlikely.
jibeaux
Actually, there’s another reason it bugs me, too. Are all the rich and/or prominent people in this country ducking their taxes, and only if you happen to be picked for a cabinet-level position is anything going to come of it? I mean, I’ve got no cite here, but I have heard that the Bush-era IRS has focused its enforcement efforts on the lower and middle income people, which strikes me as not likely to even be a cost-effective use of resources since that’s not where the money is. If Tom Daschle can duck $128k in taxes, what are the seriously rich people ducking? And I’m not even talking about loopholes, which however infuriating they may be, are legal, and no one has a legal obligation to pay more taxes than the code requires, I’m just talking about pure-T not paying taxes you owe. This could be a pretty widespread problem, and feel like I don’t have any way of knowing what the extent of it is.
Reverend Dennis
@jibeaux:
The IRS focused its enforcement efforts on lower and middle income people because it’s the easier thing to do. Most of us in that stratum get our income in the form of wages. The deductions that we take are easily proved or disproved. Wealthier Americans’ incomes may involve salaries but also include investments, tax shelters, write-downs, etc., etc. Their complexity can make for a difficult investigation requiring knowledge, experience and tenacity so the IRS goes after the low hanging fruit. Moreover, you’re a lot less likely to get in political trouble investigating a mechanic than you are investigating a millionaire.
gopher2b
It’s an enormous problem. Overseas income, unreported perks (do you think execs report all their personal use of the corporate plane??), etc., etc. I simply cannot believe that people think this is an honest mistake and, well gosh-darnit, Mr. Daschle is just a stand up guy for "self-reporting" it. If we had President McCain, I very very very much doubt Daschle would have paid his debt.
But, I’m positive that all these people on this board calling me a troll were defending Ted Stevens when the U.S. Attorney’s office was prosecuting him for failing to report $250k in gifts.
Zifnab
Apparently. SATSQ.
I mean, I’m with you. It’s the old "needle in a haystack" thing. If I find one just by looking, that’s odd. If I find two inside a dozen or so straws… wtf? I would absolutely love to have someone audit Dick Cheney’s books or Donald Rumsfeld’s records and see how fast the GOoPers went from "taxes must be paid!" to "Witch Hunt! Witch Hunt!"
It’s been a widespread problem dating back to the 1916 passage of the Income Tax Amendment. They’ve been putting away tax cheats since Al freak’n Capone. The existence of tax cheaters (specifically, uncaught tax cheaters) is never in doubt. It’s just a matter of volume. And like FountainHead said, when the cat’s away…
I would be intrigued to discover how much money could be raised simply be enforcing existing taxes and royalties outstanding the US Government. John McCain talks a big game about the dreaded "earmarks" but my bet is the real money rests in government IOUs.
jibeaux
@Reverend Dennis:
That makes perfect sense, and there is certainly a need for some enforcement even if it doesn’t result in any savings since people need to know that some returns are going to be audited. I guess I just feel like the wealthier and more complicated tax returns need to be audited at at least the same rate, even if it’s more work and potentially more litigation and political cost, since you’re talking about real money.
But, then, I have many hopelessly naive and out of date ideas, like that people on the bus should give their seats to pregnant women, children should be sometimes be arbitrarily told "no" for essential character development, and going everywhere talking to yourself on your bluetooth is creepy and disturbing.
John D.
No, no, a thousand times no.
She went to jail for LYING about her insider trading. The amount of money was immaterial.
Tsulagi
Any word yet from RSSF headquarters on the magnitude of success from current operations? Any surges in balls contemplated?
Gotta say, though, I’m disappointed in Commander E.E.’s seeking and likely accepting blood money from amazon. Where’s the purity? A quick Google check shows amazon.com company founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, along with the company PAC contribute predominately to Democratic candidates. So every time a loyal RSSF trooper buys his balls from amazon, unrepentant D-liberals in Congress say “Thanks, buddy! And thanks for your efforts to keep pro-choice protected through our votes.”
Jesus is weeping once again at the stupid.
gopher2b
@John D.:
That’s right. I stand corrected.
Reverend Dennis
@jibeaux:
Being an Old Guy, I’m automatically old fashioned about the things that you mentioned. The bluetooth thing is creepy to me, too. Just to show you how out of date I am, we have three cellphones on a family calling plan. They give us something like 600 "free" minutes a month. We’ve never, in five years, gone over an hour. That we actually sit down and talk to each other without distractions every day may have something to do with it.
Maus
OH NO PLASTURKYGATE
Nobody cares about your rot.
TheHatOnMyCat
The bottom line is that Daschle will be confirmed unless there is new trouble for him we don’t yet know about.
The "campaign" you are looking at is futile, and ineffectual.
TheHatOnMyCat
Yes, and to be totally accurate, because she refused to ADMIT that she lied to investigators who gave her every chance to recant.
She went to jail for hubris and disrespect for the system displayed by an officer of a public corporation.
And rightly so.
gwangung
Hrm. I’m not sure why anyone has a problem with that kind of thing.
But that’s just me.
Martin
Since it seems that anyone who has a complicated employment situation is likely to have this happen to them (and there is no shortage of Republicans with precisely the same problems) perhaps it’s more an indictment on the fucked up tax code, and not on the motives of any of these guys.
All I know is that my dad, who was responsible for steering his company through the IRS rules managed to fuck up his own taxes one year. When I asked how that could possibly happen – he said that one gets 40 hours per week of attention and the other about 20 hours per year.
Simpler tax code for individuals, please.
jibeaux
I liked Wonkette on this, too. You guys will appreciate that includes the throwing under the bus meme that is so popular with the kids.
L. Ron Obama
@gopher2b:
lolwut? It was unseasonably warm that night, as anyone who was there will tell you.
Jay Ballou
One, he knew about it "earlier in the year" and did nothing until vetted.
No, he didn’t do nothing, moron, he raised it as an issue with his accountant.
Jay Ballou
going everywhere talking to yourself on your bluetooth is creepy and disturbing
What about sitting at home with your red velvet curtains and lace, talking to yourself with a rotary telephone stuck to your ear?
Jay Ballou
I’m positive that all these people on this board calling me a troll were defending Ted Stevens when the U.S. Attorney’s office was prosecuting him for failing to report $250k in gifts.
You’re a troll for equating criminal and non-criminal behavior, asshole. As with Stewart, Stevens was prosecuted for lying.
Jay Ballou
I’m not sure what it would take to convince you.
Uh, convincing evidence?
If you’re waiting for him to say "Nope, I thought I could get away with it but when Obama picked me I knew I had to fix it", its never going to happen. You prove these things by looking at the circumstantial evidence. Maybe if we found out when he asked his accountant to "look into it," saw some emails, etc I would discovery I’m wrong about it not being an innocent mistake. I really doubt it though.
So because you doubt that evidence will ever turn up to convince you that he’s innocent, others should be convinced that he’s guilty?
Fucking retard.
gopher2b
@L. Ron Obama:
Douchebag. I was there. I was about 150 meters northwest of the platform in the closest perimeter (the only one you had to go through metal detectors to get to).
Some of the people on this site are serious fucking losers. And stupid.
gopher2b
@Jay Ballou:
Telling the IRS your income is X when you know its Y is LYING……oh, right…moron.
gopher2b
@Jay Ballou:
Lying about your taxes is a crime.