Get FREE NRO Newsletters

 

March 5 Issue  |  Subscribe  |  Renew

Close

New on NRO . . .

The Corner

The one and only.

Print   |  Text
 

Perry Calls Romney a ‘Fat Cat’

From CNBC:

Concerning his nomination rival Mitt Romney, who has derided the flat tax in the past as a boon to “fat cats,” Mr. Perry said:

“Well I would said that he ought to go look in the mirror, I guess. I consider him to be a fat cat. I consider what Mitt’s doing kind of nibbling around the edges. I consider what we’re doing bold.”

On a related note, the Perry campaign is pushing Mitt Romney to release his tax returns

New on The Corner. . .


COMMENTS   20

EXPAND  

Sonya321
   10/25/11 15:33

So either Romney does not get nomination ( my preference), or he is ready for Obama.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
dbolotin
   10/25/11 15:33

These two need an intervention. Can't we all just get along?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 15:36

And Perry is poor or middle class? This class warfare stuff is the epitome of scumminess. What a loser.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 15:45

Why shouldn't candidates release their tax returns? Shouldn't we know what tax breaks those who want to influence tax law took?

Remember when John Kerry released his tax returns but refused to release his wife's returns? Yeah, I do. And I remember how McCain released his. What is Mitt waiting for?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Grag
   10/25/11 16:15

Why should we want to know what tax breaks he took?

If he's both intelligent and rational, he'll have taken any and all tax breaks open to him. If unfair but legal tax loopholes exist, then it's the job of the government to close 'em, not the job of private citizens to generously choose not to take advantage of 'em.

Attacking your opponent for being rich is a pretty silly line of attack, especially for a Republican candidate. I thought we were supposed to be the party that thinks wealth is earned by merit, not the party that thinks rich people are moustache-twirling robber-barons living off the misery of the proletariat.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
sonya321
   10/25/11 21:09

Attacking your opponent for calling a SS a Ponzi scheme is pretty stupid. SS is a Ponzi scheme and only somebody like Romney could pretend otherwise. On the other hand, Romney can pretend that there is some difference between RomneyCare and ObamaCare. He is pretty good at pretending and trashing his opponents. Romney also thinks that the fact that he is a failed politician gives him advantage, because his failures to win prevented him from becoming career politician. Anyway, if he manages to fool the primary voters, I will vote for him in general, because even Romney is much better than Obama.

Everything is relative.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
WillDD
   10/25/11 16:20

The problems I have with Romney don't relate to him being a "fat cat." But for somebody who's salary has been paid by the taxpayers since, what, 1984, Perry might want to rethink how heard he wants to push Romney on this issue..

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 16:44

Taxpayers didn't give him a salary until 1991 when he was elected Agriculture Commissioner. We have a part time legislature that meets bi-annually. Pay is $7,200 per year. ( Per diem is paid for each day of legislative sessions ). So Perry had to work in the real world when he was in the Texas House.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/26/11 23:36

Cartooner, Great point. I'd add that if Romney released his returns we'd be able to figure out how he's paying off Ms. Trinko and KJL here at NRO.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 16:28

If I were Romney, I'd ask La Raza Rick Perry to release his tax returns for the last decade: how did he get so rich being a career and life long politician/ bureacrat?....We know how Romney made his money...but how did La Raza Rick the crony capitalist make his?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 16:52

Perry has released all those tax returns, but you don't really care about that, do you, la raza RYANT?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 17:31

I'm sorry but calling someone "La Raza" like me who vehemently opposes illegal immigration doesn't make a lick of sense: the sobriquet is better reserved for open borders men like your boy Rick Perry....And, I seem to recall Perry making a killing on a land purchase in a similar fashion to Hillary Clinton's extraordinary "luck" on Cattle futures: C-O-R-R-U-P-T-I-O-N...

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/26/11 23:39

RYANT, Looks like Romney will get the "sobriquet" vote. That, RomneyCare, and Mitt's complacency about SS and pretty much everything else have me raring to put out a yard sign right now. It says "Beware, Fertilizer on Lawn" but might as well say "Vot e for Romney."

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Ms. Nobodyuknow
   10/25/11 16:30

I don't like the name calling. Make your point without personal attacks.

Perry diminishes himself in my eyes more and more with each attack. I hate it in our current POTUS and his cronies, I hate it on the Right. I just hate it.

I was always taught, and truly believe, that when someone resorts to name calling, they are revealing how weak their own hand is and the depth of their natural pettiness.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 16:48

Does that mean the term "limousine liberal" is verboten?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Ms. Nobodyuknow
   10/25/11 17:25

Well, if they are liberals and ride around in limousines, then it's factual...and literal.

I do have a question....is "limousine liberal" and insult the way "fat cat" is? Are wealthy liberals offended when they are called that?

Seriously, I'm curious.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 16:53

Perry has a bad habit of speaking before thinking. What is his point? If Romney said that a flat tax benefits fat cats (and it most assuredly will benefit the rich disproportionately), he is opposing it. If Perry is correct in stating that Romney is rich, then Perry's claim is that Romney opposes a tax change that would benefit him personally. That sounds like quite a compliment to Romney, since he must be opposing such a policy on principle. And yet Perry's analysis is so shallow that he thinks he is slamming Romney when he is actually praising him.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 17:15

Barack Obama approves this message.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/25/11 18:16

Romney uses liberal tactics to attack perry on social security
Perry uses liberal phrases to attack romney on his wealth.

Please keep this up, guys. And spend millions doing it. The pundits are behind you!

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   10/26/11 10:36

LOL Perry!

More comical embarrassment.

Sound like a Democrat MORE and more, every moment that goes by...

Populist class warfare?

No problem for Rick Perry, as he plays a big fraud with Our fine Base and those stuck on fashionable image/identity sophistry.

The real fat cat?

Perry living off of the taxpayer's backs in the realm of Government and politics.

Can anyone tell us what he has produced? Oh, giving taxpayer funds to illegals?

We all want to do well in the USA Mr. Perry, (who is sounding just like Obama).

We long ago rejected the form of economic class divisions, all are equal, and we cheer on success in the USA, period.

This garbage is simply an embarrassment in the GOP Primary.

It is almost as pathetic as watching John McCain push his Cap and Trade Tax schemes, vilifying the Bush Administration for essential and strong policy in fighting the GWOT.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse

Add a Comment

Already Registered? Log In Here.


The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.


* Designates a required field.
© National Review Online 2012
All Rights Reserved.
Subscriptions
NR / Print
NR / Digital

Gift Subscriptions
NR / Print
NR / Digital
NR Apps
iPhone/iPad
Android

NRO Apps
iPhone
Support Us
Donate
Media Kit
Contact