Competition We Like: Who’s the Most Transparent?

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Mike Allen at The Politico reports that the Obama/Biden campaign is planning to use disclosure as a way to challenge the McCain/Palin claim to the change-maker mantle. The Democratic campaign announced it is releasing 10 years of Senator Biden’s tax returns in an effort to pressure the McCain/Palin campaign to do the same.  Senator McCain has disclosed little about his family’s finances, Allen reports. He files a separate tax return from his wife, and has only disclosed the last two years’ returns. Sen. Obama has released each of his returns since 2000.

Reports that Gov. Palin collected almost $17,000 in per-diem travel payments from the State of Alaska (even when she was home and not traveling) have raised the question as to whether she reported the income on her tax returns. “Disclosure, or transparency, is a big way for a candidate to make that case (for change) during a campaign,” Allen writes.