House Democrats’ obsession with President Trump’s tax history is a waste of their time, but because that message hasn’t fully sunk in, the New York Times has the smartest story of the day making that exact point one more time.
The story quotes David Betras, who just recently resigned as Mahoning County’s Democratic Party chairman in Youngstown, Ohio:
“The Democratic Party has lost its voice to speak to people that shower after work and not before work,” he said. “All we’re saying is he won’t turn over his tax returns. He’s saying, ‘I’m fighting China to get you better jobs.’”
He added: “They don’t care about his taxes — they just don’t.’’
What could have possibly led Betras to that conclusion?
Perhaps it’s the fact that Trump didn’t release any returns during the 2016 election and still won the White House.
Or perhaps it was Rachel Maddow’s blockbuster scoop two years ago, when she obtained a copy of Trump’s 2005 returns, to find that — shock! — he actually paid a pretty high tax rate!
Or perhaps it was that painfully long New York Times report from the fall finding that Trump’s father avoided paying a lot of taxes and left his kids a lot of money.
Or perhaps it was that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., not too long ago released 10 years worth of his own returns and yet he’s still languishing nearly 20 points behinds Joe Biden in polls for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The issue simply doesn’t matter. Democrats should listen to David Betras.
[Related: Mnuchin, IRS commissioner refuse subpoena for Trump tax returns, setting up likely lawsuit]
