Earlier in the week, Josh Marshall dubbed Mitt Romney's extensive offshore accounts 'Kryptonite.' Based on Bobby Jindal's performance on "This Week," he's absolutely right. Hilarity ensued when Terry Moran asked Jindal to comment on them.
MORAN: You know, Governor O'Malley, you raised something I want to raise with Governor Jindal, and that is something the Democrats are going to talk a lot about. Voters still aren't really sure of who Mitt Romney is, and this week, there were two major articles, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, taking a look at his fortune. And as you pointed out, he had a secret company in Bermuda. Not a lot of Americans have that, 12 offshore tax haven funds in the Cayman Islands and that Swiss bank account.
Let me go to Governor Jindal. Is it fair for voters to consider, Governor, what Mitt Romney does with his money outside the United States?
JINDAL: Terry, a couple -- I'll definitely answer that question. A couple things that I just want to again correct...
MORAN: No, no, no...
JINDAL: If you heard my friend, Governor O'Malley -- I will get to that question, but, look, Governor O'Malley, he's talked about President Bush several times now. That election was eight years ago. This election, this is a choice between President Obama and his failed policies and Governor Romney. This past week, David Axelrod tried to run against President Nixon. This is not about the past. This is about the future. Secondly, this...
(CROSSTALK)
JINDAL: ... Governor O'Malley is angry at Congress. He needs to be angry at the American people. They elected this Congress to stop some of these Obama policies. And this Congress, by the way...
MORAN: OK, what about his -- what about his...
(CROSSTALK)
JINDAL: ... policies about more domestic energy production. They passed policies...
MORAN: Got it. Got it.
JINDAL: ... to say regulations that cost our economy over $100 million...
MORAN: What -- what about...
JINDAL: ... should come in front of them.
MORAN: OK, filibuster.
JINDAL: They passed policies to rein in the NLRB. In terms of Governor Romney's financial success...
MORAN: Yes.
JINDAL: Look, I'm happy he's a successful businessman. We've got a president today who's never run a business, never run anything including a lemonade stand before he was president of the United States.
O'MALLEY: Governor, what about the Swiss bank accounts?
JINDAL: We can't afford four more years of on-the-job training. Look, the bottom line is, I'm thrilled that Mitt Romney has been successful in the private sector. I want somebody who's got that private-sector experience...
MORAN: But what about his money out of the country?
(CROSSTALK)
MORAN: Is it OK -- is it OK for voters to consider the amount of money that he's put out of the country in tax havens offshore, in secret Bermuda companies? Does that make sense for voters to consider?
JINDAL: Look, I think -- I think voters will consider all of the distractions thrown out by the Obama campaign. But at the end of the day, this election is about two fundamental choices. It's about President Obama, who wants to continue to spend money we don't have. They incurred now $1 trillion-plus deficit every year he's been president, after he promised we'd cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. He hasn't done that. Promised unemployment would be below 8 percent, hadn't done that, promised he'd reform the entitlement programs, hasn't done that.
Yikes, what a disaster.
It's obvious that the Romney campaign doesn't want to talk about this at all -- but they're going to have to do better than filibustering journalists on national TV.
I'd bet my next mortgage payment that Team Willard is, as I type, furiously scribbling talking points to deal with it the next time it comes up -- because Bobby's clumsy little two-step ain't gonna cut it.
