As we speak, very talented and determined reporters from numerous media organizations are working very hard to find out what is in Mitt Romney's income tax returns from the last 10-15 years. It is one of the biggest stories in this presidential campaign.
Sooner or later, that information will become known, as it well should. Television journalist Jeff Greenfield put it nicely several years ago, in a speech he gave about "the press":
"The bedrock theory of the free press is that once society decides to invest ultimate power in the people, they must have access to the widest possible range of information."
It's that "widest possible range of information" that gives reporters and editors their determination. A reigning example would be Watergate, 1972-74, when Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, pursued the Watergate burglary story for two years, with other organizations joining in, before information was obtained which forced President Nixon to resign.
The Romney income tax information may – or may not – become significant in the election. All we can say about that information is that it will become known. Cops and reporters move through their worlds with three letters floating in their vision: DLR. Doesn't Look Right. Too many people are involved in the Romney taxes story, and those people know people who are not involved but know enough to not look right to a reporter. It only takes one, to start connecting the dots.
What happens then will depend on the information. People will factor it in to the choice they are going to make when they take their ultimate power into the election booth Nov. 6.
Voter ID is another big story in this election, and let us pause to appreciate the irony. A voter, possessing ultimate power, has to provide ID information tailored to local policies or be denied that power. The candidate can withhold information that could influence election results. DLR.
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