Top two items on Political Wire just now:
Reid doubles down on Romney tax charge
Obama steps up attacks on Romney tax plan
And following links I get these items.
Reid interview with Las Vegas Journal
The meme is building. Willard M. Romney is a tax dodger whose economic plan cuts his taxes and raises yours. And one of the best things about this line of attack is that it is 100% true. He really does intend to cut his own taxes by hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, while middle class familes take a $2,000 hit. And he really has done everything he possibly could to avoid paying taxes - and in his case "everything he possibly could" staggers the imagination.
And Harry Reid is showing that he does have some skills at this whole political business.
On Wednesday, Reid stuck to his story, and broadened it.
"I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination," Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. "I have had a number of people tell me that."
Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. "No, that's the best you're going to get from me."
"I don't think the burden should be on me," Reid said. "The burden should be on him. He's the one I've alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn't he release his tax returns?"
A Romney spokesman said Reid's charge was baseless and below the belt.
Baseless and below the belt. That's nice. So you'll prove him wrong right away, won't you?
On the other hand, Jon Stewart has named Harry Reid a terrible person for this line of attack.
TPM
“You’re the Senate Majority Leader, you can’t just run to the Side-Boob Gazette with ridiculous speculations about what may or may not be in Mitt Romney’s taxes. That’s this show’s job,” Stewart added.
Reid went even further, suggesting that Romney’s “poor father must be so embarrassed about his son.” That was too far for Stewart’s taste.
“I cannot believe you just went dead-dad shame on Mitt Romney,” he said. “As someone who has truly and thoroughly disappointed his still-living father on many occasions, let me just say, that is a bullshit shot.”
Which makes me wonder if there's yet another strategy at work here - get Romney's infamous temper working and see what pops out. If Romney is going to be more accessible to reporters, and some scribe asks him about Reid's comments, we may get to see Romney's head gasket pop.