Stories to Watch: 7/18/12

Finally got a soaking rain up here -- got dark as night and came down in sheets. Also, I'll probably be out most of the day tomorrow, so I'll probably let posting slide. Now here's the news...


I don't know what's in Mitt's tax returns, but it must be really bad. Check out this lede from Ryan grim and Abby Huntsman (emphasis mine); "Mitt Romney has been determined to resist releasing his tax returns at least since his bid for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and has been confident that he will never be forced to do so, several current and former Bain executives tell The Huffington Post. Had he thought otherwise, say the sources based on their longtime understanding of Romney, he never would have gone forward with his run for president." Wow.


I really, really want to know who this dopey "conservative blogger" is.


You may not have thought it was possible, but Romney's Bain argument gets even weaker.


Meanwhile, Mittens gets on board with debunked rightwing black helicopter conspiracy theories.


How to be a pundit.


John McCain has apparently had enough of Shelly Bachmann's foolishness.


Finally, Americans still think it's all Bush's fault.

Related articles

• Romney's Midsummer Test

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• Mitt Romney's NEW AD Attempts To Dodge His Tax Returns/Bain Debacle With Desperate Distractio ns & Dancing Horses

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• Ron Paul, Republicans Pressure Romney To Release Tax Returns, But He May Not Budge

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News Roundup for 7/16/12

The truth is, Mitt's just forgotten where he put his tax returns

-Headline of the Day-
"Romney comes up with a tax-return spin."

Mittens is really having an awful time right now. He's being forced to distance himself from Bain Capital -- which is pretty much his only case for being elected president -- and then there's this whole thing with his tax returns. He's keeping like 90% of them secret, which even conservatives say is dumb. And when asked why his finances are such a big freakin' secret, the best answer Romney can come up with is "because."

Or, that used to be his answer. But he went to Fox News to test pilot his new answer. "The Obama people keep on wanting more and more and more," he told the nitwits at Fox & Friends. "More things to pick through, more things for their opposition research to try make a mountain out of and to distort and to be dishonest about."

"I'm delighted Romney is now saying something in response to the question, but I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around this one," writes Steve Benen. "He's going to keep his tax returns secret and hidden from public view because... Obama might find stuff?"

So basically, Mitt's argument is that he can't release all his tax returns because there's bad stuff in there. Which -- not coincidentally -- is Team Obama's argument for why he should.

Maybe he'd be better off going back to "because." (Maddow Blog, with video)


-Wait, who's the 'freeloader' again?-



If 'baggers understood their own arguments, they wouldn't make them. (McClatchy)


-Bonus HotD-
"TSA frisks man with 'world's largest penis.'"

What, you want a punchline too? (Raw Story, with video)