Remember how we all mocked Mitt’s refusal to turn over his tax returns because we knew they were going to say he didn’t pay any taxes?
Every presidential candidate is legally required to submit a personal finance disclosure to the FEC. These were due in April, but Bernie Sanders requested a 45 day extension, which would mean that he would have to make his filing until all of the voting was finished. That deadline was yesterday. Still no taxes. Apparently he took another 45 day extension, which now means that he won’t have to file until after the Democratic National Convention. Dude, it’s almost Fourth of July, wheres your damn taxes?
The reason offered back in April was that Jane Sanders does the couples taxes and she’s been very busy. No explanation as of yet as to why the extension was needed this time. This report was due weeks ago. It is a legal requirement as long as Bernie still fancies himself a presidential candidate, as he seems to, waiting at the stage door for some Hillary bad news.
The irony of this post-convention delay is that, if it really is required to disclose this to be the nominee, it means he won’t be if something did happen to Hillary…Biden probably would be. They won’t nominate Sanders with these mysterious tax returns still hanging out there. Jane doesn’t need to do them. If Bernie Sanders really can’t afford the few hundred dollars it costs to have someone prepare his financials for him on his $174,000 annual, there is a thing called TurboTax which actually works really well.
Honestly. With respect: the man is behaving like a hypocrite. If we don’t call out our own when they conduct themselves poorly, we have no standing to complain when the Republicans do the same. If Bernie Sanders can be utterly cavalier about informing the public about his personal finances, then so can Mitt Romney, and so can Donald Trump.
Throughout the primary, we were repeatedly told that the rules of politics didn’t apply to Bernie Sanders. Specifically, that Bernie was so honest, authentic, the real deal, not really a politician at all, a wholesome and wizened sage, simply because a guy who’d been in Washington for 28 years said so. Look at how the campaign imagery reinforced this image. Many of us found that frightening; that people on The Left would believe something untrue because a politician said so. This isn’t about Bernie being a bad person. This is about Bernie’s image being false. No one is perfect and everyone has something to hide. This is a very troubling aspect of Sanders candidacy that should be addressed at some point.