Why Romney's Finances Are Fair Game

Some Washingtonians are decrying President Obama's attacks on Mitt Romney's personal history—be it his tax returns, or his murky Bain exit. Why, they ask, can't we just discuss policy? "The short answer is, get real," Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times. "This election really is—in substantive, policy terms—about the rich versus the rest." With taxes on the rich at their lowest in 80 years, Romney wants to cut them further—almost surely at the expense of the middle and lower classes.

"No wonder Mr. Romney’s fundraisers in the Hamptons attracted so many eager donors that there were luxury-car traffic jams," Krugman quips. So why not just base attacks on that? "Look, voters aren't policy wonks who pore over Tax Policy Center analysis," he says. "Most voters get their news from short snippets on TV," and TV news is "strongly biased against substance." In this environment "talking about Bain and offshore accounts is the only way to bring the real policy issues into focus." Click for Krugman's full column. (More Mitt Romney stories.)