The drumbeat continues to build on the matter of Mitt Romney’s taxes, with prominent Republicans now calling for Governor Romney to release undisclosed pre-2010 returns.
And this comes on the heels of Businessweek’s attention-grabbing article that described the opacity of LDS Church finances and Church-owned business dealings, which have not been available to the public since the 1960s.
It’s unfortunate that both stories conjure up one of the most unfriendly characterizations that has followed Mormons in American public life—that of secrecy and duplicity.
It was this charge of secrecy and duplicity (and some pretty nasty political cartoons) that followed Senator Reed Smoot, the first Mormon senator, through a multi-year show trial prior to his seating in 1907.
Could it be that by drumming up the question of “what Mitt Romney is hiding,” the Obama campaign is playing a bit of dog-whistle politics? Surely they’ve done enough opposition research to know how Romney’s religion is perceived. And we know that David Axelrod is trolling Twitter for news on Mormons, even if it’s just to get inside Mitt Romney’s head.
I tell you, my ears pricked up and my Mo-dar pinged the first time President Obama called Romney an “outsourcing pioneer” in late June—a phrase he’s been repeating ever since. Pioneer is a pretty important word to Mormons. Is this Axelrod trying to nettle Romney, who can be provoked into unpleasantness? Maybe it’s just me. I think everyone agrees that it’s been a long Mormon moment. I can only imagine how Mitt Romney feels, since he’s been running for president for, like, decades.
It’s going to be a very long four months if he doesn’t release the returns. I think everyone would feel better if he did—including Governor Romney himself. No better way to take a stereotype of secrecy off the table than to open up.
Except maybe move up the date on his vice-presidential roll-out.
