Blogs: The Big Con

Next week the Republicans hold their convention. They will supposedly focus their message on the economy. But after four years of an agenda to block jobs and economic growth so they can campaign on complaints of no jobs and no growth, can they offer anything that might actually create jobs and improve the economy? We will see next week.

The Romney Jobs Plans

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Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. more »

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She's baaaaa-aaaack!

The Romney/Ryan campaign has resurrected Reagan's "Welfare Queen." It would be laughable, if they weren't serious, if the stakes weren't so high, and if there weren't so likely to get away with it.

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As I've noted before, we have a saying in the south that often applies to national politics: "A hit dog will holler":

A hit dog will holler: when a group of folks find themselves in a troublesome situation, more often than not, the troublemaker speaks up first to clear his name.

… This phrase also works if you are speaking truth in a situation that offends one or more people and they speak up in offense. You’ve hit a nerve (it hurts) and they holler, much like when a dog is hit by a vehicle. All of his nerves have been hit, so he hollers. That’s how you get, a hit dog will holler. The proper response is “every time.”

Well, Vice President Joe Biden rolled up his rhetorical newspaper and whacked the GOP ticket squarely upon its hindquarters. And boy, did they holler.

It all started when Biden told a predominantly African American audience that Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's policies would "unchain Wall Street" and "put you all back in chains."

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Wow. Boehner must have had a few too many Merlots before he went on Greta Van Susteran's show on Wednesday:

VAN SUSTEREN, FOX News: People think of him as hawkish on the budget, on expenses, but he voted for TARP. He voted for the auto bailout, voted for two stimulus in '08, voted against the '09 -- February '09 President Obama stimulus. How does -- I mean, how does he explain those, or I mean, how does -- politically, how does he sell that?

BOEHNER: I mean, I think that he's a practical conservative. He's got a very conservative voting record, but he's not a knuckle-dragger, all right? He understood that TARP, while none of us wanted to do it, if we were going to save -- save our economy, save the world economy, it had to happen. I wish we didn't have to do it, either, but he understood that.

So those who were against the TARP are knuckle-draggers? How interesting. Howie gives us this reminder today: more »

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Mitt "I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I" Romney has accused President President Obama of running a "campaign of division and anger and hate." WTF? more »

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If anyone thinks that these guys are going to blame their fair haired boy for Romney's loss, they need to think again: more »

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Sometimes there no joy in being right. Sometimes it's just no fun to say "I told ya so." This is one of those times.

Depending on whom you ask, Mitt Romney choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as a running mate is either inspired or insane; bold or boneheaded; a opportunity for meaningful debate or a triumph of theory. But without a doubt, Romney's pick or Ryan as his running mate has revived the Ryan's seminal budget document, The Path to Prosperity, which would end Medicare as we know it back in the spotlight. (It's OK, really. There would still be a program called "Medicare," but the resemblance would end there.) This is already turning in to bad news for the campaign, as Romney can't win without Florida, and it seems neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan can show their faces down there right now.

But a few people have noticed something I pointed out at length about a year ago. He may want to give Medicare a witness-protection-style makeover, but Paul Ryan still wants to gut Medicaid. Apparently, so does Mitt Romney.

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Ever since Barry Goldwater lost his bid for the presidency in 1964, the conservative movement has been looking for a choice, not an echo (Goldwater’s mantra). more »

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I see that the New York Times is helpfully reframing the election away from jobs and the economy. Here's the headline on the dead tree version:

"Romney chooses Ryan, pushing fiscal issues to the forefront"

Huzzah. As Tristero points out below, this would be a lot less scary if the debate wasn't going to be between the moderate centrist plan for a "balanced approach" that slashes vital government programs in exchange for some ephemeral tip money from millionaires in the middle of an historic slump and a radical right wing plan that simply slashes vital government programs in the middle of an historic slump. In my view, that's a losing debate no matter who wins. more »

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