A bill introduced Monday in Salem would require candidates for president and vice president to give a copy of their most recent tax return to the Oregon Secretary of State with written permission that the document can be made public. Alternatively, the candidate could fill out Oregon’s standard income disclosure form for public officials.The obvious intent is to force Donald Trump seeking reelection in 2020 to release his tax filing. Inasmuch as he has exactly zero chance of winning Oregon, it would serve them right if he simply ignored the state or had a local Republican run as a surrogate. And he’s just brassy enough to say “Why should I bother?”
Let’s suppose the idea catches on, most blue states adopt the law, and let’s suppose further that an irritated Trump just runs in states where he has a chance of winning and doesn’t bother with the rest. It could be the weirdest election we’ve ever had.
I’m imagining a subsequent election where the Democrat doesn’t bother getting on the ballot in red states, the Republican doesn’t bother in blue states, and the only states where both are on-ballot are the so-called “swing states” that could go either way. That is almost what happened in 2016, swing states were the only ones in which candidates campaigned.
How much longer before most people move to a state where their guy (or gal) has a chance? We’d end up as two almost-countries living side-by-side, scowling at each other in mutual incomprehension and distaste. We aren’t too far from that situation now.
