Don't Release Your Tax Returns, Mitt

The main GOP argument for a Romney tax return release is that by disclosing the information in question, he can deal with the inevitable questions soon, rather than closer to November. Even though the questions would be tough, the speculation that he's concealing something sinister in the meantime is more damaging. Alex Altman takes the opposite view, that releasing them would be futile:

Though the campaign has been tactically coy on the subject, it’s likely that Romney intends to name his No. 2 at the beginning of August, when he returns from his trip abroad. That selection will surely swallow all talk of tax havens, offshore accounts and carried interest. Until then, the topic is certain to linger, no matter how many shiny objects Camp Romney offers up to distract reporters. (And you have to hand it to them: between Matt Drudge’s preposterous VP floats and John Sununu’s “American” dog whistle, they’ve been rather inventive.) Unless, of course, additional years of returns yield no politically problematic revelations. And even then, Democrats would just keeping asking for more.

I'm not entirely sure whether releasing potentially damning financial information is the right public relations decision for Romney. The lack of transparency is enough to cause considerable alarm, but I suspect that this will become a fairly minor issue for either side. The tax returns are a distraction. The really disturbing thing about Romney is to be found among the information we already have: not only that he was an expert at outsourcing, but that he did it at tremendous expense to the American economy.

And besides, isn't there something just a little amiss about Romney aligning himself with small business? When it comes to firms like Bain, nothing seems more antithetical than the idea of mom and pop living above the store.