standing ovation from his minions when he called himself smart for paying nothing in taxes where the law allowed. Let him release 30 years of returns showing a 0 aggregate federal tax bill, but perfectly legal, and I'll join the applause.

This really isn't that hard, but I guess the right is all in on this line of argument, and it tend to stubbornly resist even the simplist forms of logic when it gets its panties in a bind like this.

You're just flat out wrong about Dean Smith and about your floating definition of hypocrisy. Dean Smith did in fact very clearly admit that the 4 corners was bad for basketball, sometimes right after using it to salt away a win. He campaigned for a shot clock so that he would not be able to use the 4 corners anymore, but considered it his first job to win games, and if the rules allowed it, the rules allowed it.

This Pelosi bullshit is the exact same thing. She can favor 90% tax rates and pay 1/3 that if the law allows, while actively campaigning for 90%, and there would not be a shred of hypocrisy in that.

And with that remark about middle class taxpayers, which is patently false (many managed to prepay taxes, and with rates at the time, modest borrowing for a few months to pay it even made sense), all you're doing is joining with the lefties in making bullshit class arguments. It's funny how often the right and left conspire with each other to perpetuate bullshit like that.