Black Man Thinkin'

This started back in February, when Republicans were still winnowing their field of potential presidential nominees:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=totRt7wks5I[/youtube]

And it continues to the present time, now fueled by the Obama campaign:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMo5pykT4uw[/youtube]

I’m speaking of the obsession over seeing Mitt Romney’s tax returns. That discussion continues, to the exclusion of other matters in this campaign. To be fair, Romney’s naming a running mate shifted the discussion momentarily. Yet we still here the same three questions about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s tax returns:

• Why won’t he release them?
• What’s in them?
• Why is his tax rate so low?

Of course, the president wants this focus on perceived Romney weaknesses – his wealth (therefore, he cannot understand the struggles of the middle class), and his ability to avoid high tax rates (therefore he’s 1%-er and doesn’t play fairly, by the same set of rules as everyone else).

I will not make Romney’s case regarding his tax returns. However, I will note that this discussion is reminiscent of the revelatory scene from the Wizard of Oz:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE[/youtube]

So, I will do my Toto impression and pull back the curtain. To quote Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the issue of Romney’s tax returns, like the fake wizard, is a matter:

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Those who will oppose Romney because of his taxes are likely Obama voters from the outset. Yet the Romney tax discussion works to divert attention from things the Obama campaign would rather keep behind the curtain. Consider how some issues have played out since February, when calls for Romney’s Forms 1040 became loud:

The unemployment rate, which the administration declared would not top 8% once the “stimulus” bill became law is back at 8.3%, where it was in February, now with an upward trajectory. I doubt that many unemployed have Romney’s tax returns as a top concern. How about this:

This disturbs me deeply as a black man. A year ago in Detroit, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) called black unemployment “unconscionable”. It is back over 14%, as it was in February. It appears that the administration’s plan remains a mystery to the Congressional Black Caucus…and to everyone else. I wonder if there are enough black people who now feel it is “time to let go”? Then there is this:

As the volume went up on the call for Romney’s tax returns, the volume on GDP growth went down. The trend would suggest another recession, and even more pain for those without employment. And what about this:

The president promised to halve the deficit in his first term. Instead, Obama’s deficits, each year, are more than double George W. Bush’s 2008 deficit, the last and largest of the Bush administration. This last one is key:

US Retail Gas Price data by YCharts

A gallon of gasoline cost less than $1.80 when Obama took office. The above chart is a bit old; gasoline has already topped $4/gallon in many places across the country. The 120% rise in gasoline under this administration puts a stranglehold on economic recovery and growth and a huge hole in family budgets.

Despite these issues plaguing the nation since February and even before, somehow the nexus of at least some discussions is Mitt Romney’s tax returns. Though it does not appear to be Romney’s style, I think a rant is in order. Some may remember this classic by former NBA star Allen Iverson:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI[/youtube]

If candidate Romney could pull it off, it might go something like:

“If a Democrat (i.e., Harry Reid) says that I’ve not filed taxes, and y’all (doubt that Romney would say “y’all”) hear it, then that’s that – you guys believe it! I mean, I might have not gotten one tax return together, and that’s because we’ve requested an extension and we’re working to get it done. If they’re not done, then I can’t release them. But it’s not about that…it’s not about that…at all. It’s easy to sum it up and try to say it’s all about taxes…

“We in here (another non-Romneyism), I’m supposed to be the GOP nominee for president and we in here talkin’ bout taxes. We’re talkin’ about TAXES, man. Not the economy, not the economy…we’re talking about…taxes. Not high unemployment, not low job creation…we in here talkin’ about…TAXES.

“We’re not talkin’ about the price of gasoline, and how it’s more than doubled since 2009….”

You get the picture. The country faces serious issues, and we’re in here talking about Mitt Romney’s taxes. This is majoring in the minors. I have no idea how seeing Romney’s tax return would worsen those problems, any more than I can see how Obama’s release of his tax returns has made them better the last four years.

When looking at those problems, it is easy to understand why the president would rather focus on his opponents’ tax returns. However, this is no different from the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, who had something he wished to hide. All that’s missing is for someone to confront Obama, as Dorothy confronted the fake wizard and say that they don’t believe him, and that he’s a very bad man. That may come in November, and it will likely be more than one person trying to get back to Auntie Em.

In the meantime, I would just like to hear the rant.

Copyright 2012. blackmanthinkin.com