Mark America

Does He Owe Any Explanations?

It should be obvious by now that Governor Sarah Palin’s point about the Romney claim to having created one-hundred thousand jobs while at Bain was on target.  Romney has made this claim, and it’s been a factor to which he points in explaining why you should vote for him.  As it turns out, Palin was smart to raise this, because you can bet the Obama flunkies would hammer him with this in a general election campaign. What is in question is whether Romney’s “100,000 net jobs created” claim is accurate, since it seems not counted in this are all the jobs lost through the activities of Bain.  That’s quite a difference, and the leftist press is already running with it because it shows the impossible claim of Romney to be a falsehood.  It certainly demonstrates Romney’s weakness, and it also shows why Republicans should be careful about the proposition of appointing the former Massachusetts governor who plays so fast and loose with the facts.

Also at stake is this, as the Washington Post article points out:

“Second, it has become increasingly hard to understand how Romney’s personal involvement played a role in creating these jobs, especially years later. He clearly is adding up all the jobs now at the companies that are thriving, arguing these numbers far outweigh the job losses at companies that failed. But as the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, the failure rate one can attribute to Bain Capital changes significantly if one counts five years from an investment or eight years from an investment. ” (emphasis mine.)

The other interesting thing of which Governor  Palin reminded viewers during her Wednesday interview with Hannity is that Romney has yet to release his tax returns, an ordinary practice for those seeking the presidency.  The leftist press is already beginning to gear up to attack Romney on this point, and I think it’s gaining traction as people begin to wonder what Romney might be hiding. There is no law requiring candidates release their tax returns, but the simple fact is that most do and have done so for many years.  The idea that Romney wouldn’t is a bit off-putting, given the way in which he is flinging cash around in the primary campaign season.

I think we need more disclosure on this sort of thing, and not less, and I believe Romney’s claim of 100,000 net jobs created is ultimately going to destroy him if his other flaws don’t.  This is why we have a primary after all: To do the vetting so that we can put up a strong candidate, and under close examination, Romney’s record really isn’t measuring up.  We mustn’t nominate him until he’s willing to fully respond to these questions, irrespective of who the media and the GOP establishment tells us is the “inevitable nominee.”