On Geithner’s Taxes, the MSM and the Rocky Transition
At first blush, it seems that Timothy Geithner’s failure to pay taxes should disqualify him from serving as Treasury Secretary, yet as one who, for the past decade, has paid someone to do his taxes, I am willing to cut him some slack given that for “four of the years in question” he prepared his own returns.
That said, the president-elect has tapped Geithner to run the department responsible for collecting taxes. He should be more familiar with the tax code than the average citizen. As Tom Maguire puts it:
. . . it was tricky and he got bad tax advice – not a real resume boost for a former Under-Secretary of Treasury aspiring to the top job, but there it is. However, as of 2006 he knew he had a liability for 2001 and 2002 – where was his check? Was his conscience unruffled by his non-compliance? Or does Geithner have a “”Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on back taxes?
It’s too soon to tell whether Geithner’s failure to pay taxes will sink his nomination, but Glenn alerts us that his confirmation hearings are being postponed.
It’s not too soon, however, to see two big things this issue tells us about Obama’s transition and the media. First, as Jennifer Rubin asks, “what the heck is wrong with the Obama vetting process?” To be sure, when the Obama team learned of the problem, they alerted Geithner and he promptly paid his back taxes. Yet, they still allowed the nomination to proceed.
If Obama’s team was aware of the problem and Obama still appointed him, didn’t they think he owed the American people an explanation? That is, shouldn’t they have been more fortcoming about the nomination before he sent it to the Senate?
Perhaps, they were counting on the media according his nominee different treatment that they would a Republican in similar circumstances. Such a Republican, Rubin contends, would “surely” be “toast.”
I mean, as Jim Treacher points out, it’s “headline news” when a “plumber owed $1,000 in taxes that he didn’t even know about.” Of course the plumber in question dared challenge Obama rather than agree to serve in his Administration:
When you call out Obama during a rope line, the Media jumps into your history, and finds a tax lien you didn’t know you had.
If you are nominated for Treasury Secretary, and have four years of taxes you knew you owed, but didn’t pay, the Media yawns.
(H/t: Glenn).
My sense is that if it weren’t for the conservative blogosphere bringing this up, the MSM would not be paying much attention as it shows that the Obama transition has been rockier than they care to acknowledge.
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…is, perhaps and I hope, a hint that his heart is in the right place.
I don’t advocate people cheating on their legal obligations. Yet it is *morally wrong* that government taxes us (and all the products we pay for, and the companies that make them) as much as it does. Taxation is theft.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 14, 2009 @ 5:57 pm - January 14, 2009
I am a CPA. The fact is that our income tax system is incomprehensible to even experts. It is past time to simplify it. I like to point out that the IRA deduction was created in the early 1970s. It was simple and straight-forward. Now the booklet issued by the IRS for IRAs is over 100 pages long.
Comment by Swampfox — January 14, 2009 @ 9:06 pm - January 14, 2009
So the man Obama picked as his new Treasury Sec is a tax scofflaw. Yep, dummies and crooks. Their excuse, a misunderstanding, an oversight. In otherwords, he’s not a crook, just dumb. Gosh. Bet the MSM take will be, “he’s so qualified, Obama picked him, he must be great, we’ll overlook thisâ€. If it was a regular American, we’d be getting lawyered up to battle the IRS to stay out of jail. So this fabulous transition team…..this flawless performance by the chosen one and his team have given us Richardson, accused of pay for play and has to crawl back to NM. He’s gives us Timmy Geithner, Treasury Sec who can’t figure his taxes properly. And now today Hillary Clinton for Sec State who has conflicts from here to Saudi on why she shouldn’t be head of the State Dept. Joy. Crooks and dummies
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — January 14, 2009 @ 11:09 pm - January 14, 2009
And when any Republican bothered to ask Ms Hillary about the Clinton foreign donation conflicts she brushed off the questions, and the press called it a masterful performance. Crooks and cheats. And the press doesn’t give a damn. I’m coming to the conclusion that this is going to take a revolution folks. A peaceful, protesting revolution of the few people who would like to play by the rules and are feed up with being treated as chumps by the ruling class. For the change agent to shrug his shoulders and simpy say “hey Tim made a mistake, we all make mistakes ” is unacceptable! When the hell was one of these bumms held accountable for errors that regular people go to jail and pay fines for?? How’s the Charlie Rangel case going? Huh Huh
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — January 14, 2009 @ 11:13 pm - January 14, 2009
C’mon. Offering explanations is for the Prols.
Did you see Scott Ott’s first video piece?
http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=3211
Comment by ThatGayConservative — January 15, 2009 @ 1:21 am - January 15, 2009
Arguing against Geithner being a good guy is the fact that the whole Citibank debacle developed on his watch:
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/14/obama-treasury-nominee-oversaw-citigroups-descent-into-the-toilet/
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 15, 2009 @ 6:28 am - January 15, 2009
This issue needs to be re-examined in light of what Michelle Malkin is now reporting: that Geithner was reimbursed for the taxes he didn’t pay.
http://michellemalkin.com/
Comment by Sean A — January 15, 2009 @ 10:34 am - January 15, 2009
State of Maryland wants Obama’s Inauguration declared a disaster. Jeez, that’s not very hopey changey.
Comment by V the K — January 15, 2009 @ 10:46 am - January 15, 2009
Since the “flawless” Obama transition team didn’t vett most of his cabinet choices, could the press please do their job and dig into some of these crooks backgrounds?
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — January 15, 2009 @ 11:42 am - January 15, 2009
#9: “…could the press please do their job and dig into some of these crooks backgrounds?”
Gene, if they didn’t dig into Obama’s background, why would they do that to his cabinet choices?
Comment by Sean A — January 15, 2009 @ 12:05 pm - January 15, 2009
This is better than any movie in the theater right now.
Lovin’ every minute of it !!!
Side note :
Did you hear that members of the Maine legislature will be introducing a bill to remove gender from the State’s Marriage Statutes. Glad they are doing it through the legislature and not the courts.
Comment by TnnsNE1 — January 15, 2009 @ 1:42 pm - January 15, 2009
[...] Last week, when when I blogged on the failure of President Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to pay taxes, I quoted blogress Jennifer Rubin to note that a Republican nominee in similar circumstances would be “toast.“ [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Geithner Should Not be Confirmed — January 22, 2009 @ 1:18 pm - January 22, 2009