MSNBC Guest: Mitt Romney Could End Up Withdrawing From GOP Race Before Convention

[ProSense]

MSNBC Guest: Mitt Romney Could End Up Withdrawing From GOP Race Before Convention

by Josh Feldman

On his MSNBC show today, Al Sharpton opened by focusing on Mitt Romney‘s tax returns and increasing pressure from Republicans and conservatives for the GOP candidate to release more of them. Guest Catherine Crier said that it is certainly fair to look into that aspect of Romney’s background, and even threw out the notion that Romney might withdraw as the Republican nominee before the convention.

Sharpton argued that Romney has, all along, been encouraging people to look into his business background because he wants voters to see him as a successful businessman and a job creator, but as soon as people started looking at his background, he made it clear he wanted the scrutiny to only go back so far.

Crier pointed out that in 1994, when Romney ran against Ted Kennedy for his Senate seat, Romney did not release his returns, despite the precedent set by his father. She said that it is completely fair to scrutinize Romney’s history of job creation when he puts that forth as one of the reasons people should vote for him. Then, talking about what the implications of releasing or not releasing the returns would be, Crier mentioned she read an article today saying Romney might have to withdraw before the convention.

She didn’t mention which piece it was, but it was likely this post on The Huffington Post by Paul Abrams, who made this argument against Romney if the returns come out and reveal that the candidate took advantage of a 2009 IRS amnesty program.

- more -

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbc-guest-mitt-romney-could-end-up-withdrawing-from-gop-race-before-convention/

Throw it out there.

[progressivebydesign]

1. ONLY if the media and the Dems refuse to be sidetracked by the new assaults by the right.

They are trying to throw everything they can at us this week, to make us forget about it. Bad polls.. uh huh... Attacks on comments taken out of context? Yep. Videos about welfare queens. Got it!

They are so desperate that they're trying to change the story. DO NOT LET THEM. Keep harping on it on all the various sites you visit..

And.. romney is MISSING part of the 2010 return! And has only guesstimated his 2011 return.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. +infinity

And they have unleased the fiends on DU as well.

Got keep at it. I noticed some of the other liberal/progressive PACs have been issuing ads now.

[randome]

9. The crap they are throwing does not appear to be working.

I think it's very possible Romney will withdraw. Will the GOP then throw good money after bad? I doubt it. They treasure money too much.

It is conceivable -only conceivable, mind you- that Obama will be uncontested.

[LiberalFighter]

33. We don't want Obama to be uncontested.

It would hurt candidates down the line and likely hurt our chances in Congress.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. Only problem...I like our chances against MittWit...but who would they put up ? nt

[ProSense]

3. I have no idea

if this is a possibility, but Mitt actions are increasing doubt in his ability to remain viable.

[randome]

11. He is increasing doubt in the validity of the GOP in general.

Are we sure he's not on our side?

[MiniprotesterTodd]

14. RETURN OF THE NEWT!

Could it be that Newt is waiting in the wings for the Romney collapse? He's damaged goods, but not as bad as many of the rest of the previous presidential posers. And he'd get all the "bitter white racist guy" vote.

Or will the tea party (or more specifically the corporate overlords that control them) reach into obscurity to find someone whose scum factor isn't yet on the radar?

Oh, and one more thing. Did Romney ever put on his college resume his day as a barber? Only served one customer, of course, who was far from satisfied.

[GarroHorus]

17. The GOP Convention ends August 30 and the election is November 6.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is capable of putting together a national presidential campaign and ground game in 68 days.

Even if they started today, it would not be doable.

If Romney bails, everything goes into the House, Senate, and Gubernatorial races and they put up some sacrificial lamb this year.

[flamingdem]

25. This is why he is not revealing his tax returns, and knows the GOP will go along

They are upset with him in a half fake manner, so they all don't look like liars

[KamaAina]

31. MittWit!!!

Watch out for Jeb!

[standingtall]

4. No way in hell

He wants to be President more than anything in the world, and feels entitled to it. The republicans would have to drag him away from the campaign ,and I am not sure they could do that.

[Mz Pip]

8. It's his turn

or so he thinks and he's not about to let anyone cut in line ahead of him. He'll stonewall this and hope that Obama runs out of money before he starts with the really negative ads he has planned for October.

He won't release his tax returns either.

[riderinthestorm]

18. +1. He'll never withdraw. He has the delegates, $400 mill, the ABO voters

(Anyone But Obama), his Mormon base of millions motivated to GOTV, and recent polls showing him very, very close.

He's a serious fundraiser whose demonstrated he knows how to get it done.

He'll stonewall. There's no legal imperative for him to release the returns so he won't. He'll ride this out.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. The amnesty thing hit me like a ton of bricks as well.

I really think that will kill his campaign, as well as any future in politics. Don't know if he will drop out over it, but my gut tells me that is why we aren't going to see the pre-2010 returns.

[JenniferJuniper]

7. I strongly suspect the Obama camp knows exactly what's in those returns

And it's bad.

Anything is possible.

[DFW]

10. The returns are filed with the Treasury Department

I'm sure the Obama administration could gain access if they wanted to. However, considering the precedent
that might establish for future Republican administrations, I'm not sure they want to go there. Frankly, I
think the notion that Republicans wouldn't go there anyway is foolish, but I doubt Obama wants to be known
for it, even though Cheney probably did, and Romney certainly would.

[Motown_Johnny]

15. They would never admit it

but it is very likely that this has been common practice for decades.

[former9thward]

16. "but I doubt Obama wants to be known for it, "

Yeah I doubt he does also because it is a VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. It was one of the impeachment counts against Nixon.

[DFW]

20. Violation of Federal law?

That has often proved to be a minor hindrance at most for many Republican administrations.

[former9thward]

24. Yes there have been abuses by many adminstrations.

The Kennedy's and the Johnson administration used federal agencies to spy and harass MLK among others. Nixon's abuses are well known. Hopefully we have moved beyond that. I think we have. We with internet it is much harder for authority to operate in secret.

[leftynyc]

32. Or - someone from the mccain/palin campaign

could have "accidentally" left those 23 years of returns laying around. Or someone who saw them is spilling the beans.

[randome]

12. They don't need to know details. Raising questions is enough.

Romney -and the GOP- are falling to pieces in front of our eyes.

It's beautiful.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. Someone could send him a little dog named "Checkers"

and he could have a tear-filled statement about how much he loves the dog, like Tricky Dick did to stay on the Republican ticket. For visual effect, he could tape the statement from the roof of a car.

[SunsetDreams]

19. This is very intriguing and could explain

the refusal to release the records. I read the articles in question, I say articles because one led to another and another. Gives more depth to the name Swiss Mitt. If this is in fact true, you can now put me into the camp that he will have to drop out.

[ProSense]

21. Care for

some popcorn?

[SunsetDreams]

23. Why, yes I do believe I will have some

Thank you



(that graphic is hilarious)

[WI_DEM]

22. pure nonsense. If Romney is tied in most polls he won't be dropping out of the race.

[flamingdem]

26. Thanks for your efforts to keep things in perspective

We can't assume that the independents will care about tax returns, what Ann says, or much else other than "what's in it for me" tax refunds and jobs.

[Atman]

27. Mittens WILL NOT withdraw.

He cannot. He never backed out of business deal with so much invested. He'll just pony up some more dough (sorry for the dancing horse pun) and soldier on. Failure is not an option for Romney, unless he can outsource all the jobs and still make a few million bucks.

[AlinPA]

28. That won't happen. The GOP will pick the VP candidate and the media will take over from there.

If it is Rubio, TV viewers will be looking at pictures of him and his wife 24 x7 for a month.
If it is Rice, the media will also go berserk and cover her for the rest of the campaign.
If it is Santorum, the Christian right will take over the campaign and the media will love that too.

Bain gate and the tax thing will be forgotten. Media controls it all.

[Gothmog]

29. This would involve Romney having some shame

The only way that Romney would withdraw would be if he was capable of feeling shame. I think that it is safe to say that shame is an emotion for the 99% and that he is immune from this emotion.

[hifiguy]

30. His ego won't let him quit

but he has boxed himself into a very unappetizing corner. He can stonewall on the tax and Bain issues and be thought of as a thieving weasel or he can open the books and prove it. He's screwn.

[Coexist]

34. no he wont

this is his life's ambition. They're gonna have to pry it out of his cold dead hands.

[Zyzafyx]

35. After Ann's comments on GMA this morning

I wouldn't rule it out.