July 18, 2012 01:43 AM UTC

Romney, Bain and Tax Returns - How Long Does He Hold On?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Interesting stuff from our friends at “The Fix“:

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney continues to be steadfast in his refusal to release any more than his last two years of tax returns, a position that has already become a distraction to his presidential campaign and could cause considerably more agita if he doesn’t figure out a better answer – and soon.

“Perception is becoming Romney’s reality and these issues have now risen above mere distractions,” said John Weaver, a Republican consultant and former senior adviser to Sen. John McCain’s (R) 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns. “The President has had the worst three months of any incumbent, due to the economy, since George H.W. Bush in 1992, and yet Romney has lost traction among key demographic groups in the vital swing states. He has got to get this behind him or he’s going to face summer definition ala [Bob] Dole and [John] Kerry.”…

…No matter what’s in the tax returns – and our guess is that Romney likely paid very little taxes for several years due to the fact he was not drawing a salary – it can’t be worse than slowly dying a political death of 1,000 cuts as the media (and the Obama campaign) speculate about just why Romney won’t release his returns.

The truth – in politics and in life – is almost always less damaging than what the imagination can conjure. While the tax return debate is a no-win for Romney, he’d be better to lance this political boil once and for all. It’s not going away and if he doesn’t it’s only likely to grow.

What say you, Polsters? If you were advising the Romney campaign, what would you suggest?