Taxes Heat Up US Presidential Campaign

 The political campaigns of U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt¹ Romney have sharpened their attacks against each other with heated discussions on taxes. Romney's decision to limit disclosures about his personal wealth to his 2010 federal tax return and estimates for 2011 drew more fire from the Obama campaign on Sunday. 

The Obama campaign, on Friday, had urged Romney to release five years of tax returns. The Romney campaign dismissed the proposal. 

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Obama campaign senior adviser² Robert Gibbs defended the call and said it was a relevant issue. 

"Look, Mitt Romney is a highly educated man and he has clearly made a decision that what is in those tax returns is far more damaging to him than to do what every presidential candidate has done which is show the American people your personal financesm," he said. 

Romney senior campaign senior adviser Ed Gillespie responded by questioning why tax disclosures were not an issue during Obama's first presidential race. "It was not an issue in 2008 because President Obama was not trying to distract from a four-year-long record of failed policies," he said. 

Obama released eight years of tax returns when running for office in 2008. 

Meanwhile, Gillespie did indicate Romney would make public his 2011 tax return by mid-October.   

He also suggested the Obama campaign was trying to avoid focusing on the big issues. "We want a serious campaign about real issues that are facing this country. It is time for that. We will win that debate and that is why they are trying to avoid that debate," he said. 

Earlier in the program, Gibbs dismissed criticism from Romney's team about running a negative campaign. "The notion that we're going to get lectured by Mitt Romney and his campaign about running a positive campaign, that's a pill far too big to swallow," he said.

On ABC's 'This Week,' the debate turned to tax plans to help Americans and grow the U.S. economy. 

Democrats³ have accused Romney of putting forth⁴ economic proposals that would mostly benefit the wealthy.  

Campaign adviser Kevin Madden said Romney and his running mate, Congressman⁵ Paul Ryan, had a more broad-based plan. "This is a campaign that is very focused on the middle class. Governor Romney has made it very clear that what he is doing is putting forth an economic vision, an economic plan along with Congressman Ryan, that is focusing on the middle class so that we have more jobs and more take-home pay and, that is the focus," he said. 

Obama campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter disagreed. "I find that statement slightly incredulous because the tax plan that is on the table, even if Congressman Ryan is now agreeing with Mitt Romney on his tax plan, is a five trillion dollar tax cut, mostly geared toward the wealthy," she said. 

Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee⁶, will face Democratic President Obama in the November 6 election.

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。