The tax scandal may become the main topic of the US elections

US President Barack Obama lost the first stage of the election campaign: his headquarters managed to collect one and a half times less donations in June than Mitt Romney's supporters. Experts attribute the unexpected advantage of the Republican candidate to increased support from large corporations. In this situation, the current president’s political strategists are betting on spinning a scandal around Romney’s accusations of tax evasion. Experts believe that this is what could decide the outcome of the election.

In recent days, several prominent representatives of the Democratic Party have demanded an explanation from the ex-governor regarding the scandal that erupted last week. According to American media, over the past 15 years, Mitt Romney has created several offshore companies in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, opened accounts in one of the Swiss banks, and the total value of assets not indicated in the candidate’s declaration exceeds $30 million (see Kommersant for July 6). “Mitt Romney made the phrase “Believe in America” the main slogan of his election campaign,” said Robert Gibbs, an adviser to the incumbent president’s election headquarters. “It looks like now this slogan needs to be changed to “Believe in Bermuda business.”

At the beginning of the week, Barack Obama, who had previously avoided direct criticism of his opponent, mentioned Mitt Romney’s offshore accounts for the first time. The head of the White House said that every contender for the top post is required to fully report to voters about their income. “You can’t keep any secrets,” Barack Obama said. “This is exactly what every presidential candidate has done, starting with Mr. Romney’s father.” Former Michigan governor and ex-CEO of American Motors George Romney actually became the first US politician to make his tax returns public in 1968.

In response to the new accusations, representatives of Mitt Romney's campaign only stated that their candidate does not intend to waste time on “useless discussions.” And according to the challenger's press secretary, Ryan Williams, the emergence of information about offshore accounts indicates that Obama supporters are ready to use "any excuse to distract voters." “Instead of talking about the real problems in the economy, Obama decided to use dirty technologies and baseless accusations,” he complained. “It seems he has no other tools left for the campaign.”

According to experts, the unexpected activity of political strategists of the Democratic Party may be associated with the disappointing results of the fundraising campaign. The campaign released new financial reports on Monday. As it turned out, in June, Mitt Romney’s supporters managed to collect $106 million in donations, while Democratic Party activists were able to receive only $71 million. At the same time, as experts note, the Republican candidate was also supported by the largest corporations that four years ago relied on Barack Obama.

In 2008, the Obama campaign managed to win the financial race by relying on small donations from individuals. Then, two months before the elections, more than $780 million was collected. It seems that the Democrats intend to return to this tactic now. On Tuesday, the headquarters of the current president sent out a new call for help to his supporters. “This month has been our best month in six months, but we are $35 million behind our opponents,” the letter asking for donations reads. “We believe we can win, but we must close the gap.” The appeal ends with a request to donate $5 to the election campaign.

According to sociologists, Barack Obama is still ahead of his competitor, but this gap is gradually narrowing. According to Gallup, 47% of Americans are ready to support the current president today, while Mitt Romney can count on 45% of voters. “If Obama’s campaign can stir up a tax scandal, then Romney may forget about winning the election,” political scientist David Fanger explained to Kommersant. “In America, they respect people who know how to earn money, but they don’t like it when these incomes are hidden in Swiss banks.”

Kirill Belyaninov, New York

The President is betting offshore