Blogs: The Big Con

Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games.

I want to say this as directly as possible: The sequester - the Jan. 2 across-the-board spending cut that was triggered when the anything-but-super committee failed to agree on a deficit reduction plan last November - needs to be canceled.

In case there's any doubt about what I mean, note that I said "canceled" rather than postponed, delayed, kicked down the road, modified, revised or anything else short of completely stopping the sequester from happening. And I mean both the military and domestic spending cuts, not just one or the other.

The sequester needs to be canceled because it's the wrong fiscal policy at the absolutely wrong time that, as the Congressional Budget Office has said (and no one has seriously disputed), will hurt the economy at a point in the recovery when the other components of gross domestic policy won't be able to absorb the blow.

Other than that, it's a great idea. more »

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In April, 2011 American pastor Terry Jones burned a Koran which set off days of riots in Afghanistan that killed 12 people, including four UN guards. Now Jones has released an online film mocking Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, depicting him having sex. This set off riots in Muslim countries including Libya and Egypt, where they later stormed US embassies. The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. more »

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MORNING MESSAGE: When It Comes to the DoJ and Wall Street, Don't Call It "Justice"

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On the menu this morning:

• MORNING MESSAGE: Deficit Rorschach Test: The Presidents, the Editors, and the Truth
• More Romney Tax Problems
• Dithering on Obamacare
• Chicago Teachers Strike
• GOP Polling Panic
• Breakfast Sides

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Mark Halperin chronicles the many woes of the Romney campaign in the wake of their epic Meh Convention. It's not pretty. If this is the conventional wisdom, they've got to be getting pretty desperate.

But Halperin shares a little inside knowledge from earlier in the campaign that's rather interesting: more »

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It's always amusing when God (if — and I know I risk losing a huge chunk of readers by writing this — there is one) gets dragged into politics. After all, with an entire universe to run (unless you're a Deist of the Thomas Jefferson variety), you have to admit it's kind of funny when mere mortals assume that She (or He, if you prefer) has nothing more pressing to do that take sides in everything from our presidential elections to city council meetings. Our knack for turning the sublime into the ridiculous may not match turning water into wine, but it's good for a laugh if it's good for anything.

This past week's sublime ridiculousness comes via politicos who had copies of the Democratic and Republican platforms, and enough skill to use basic search functions to determine which party gave God the most shout-outs in its platform. The almost funny part is that if God took the time to read at least one of those platforms, the most She (or He, if you prefer) would likely say is, "At least you spelled my name right."

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Campaigning alongside Pat Robertson today, Mitt Romney implied that President Obama plans to "take God off our coins."

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Now Mitt Romney is saying that President Obama gave us ":four straight trillion-dollar deficits." Since we are in Obama's third budget year, a different President must have brought us trillion-dollar deficits. Was it Bill Clinton?

The Romney Claim

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On the menu this morning

MORNING MESSAGE: Obama's Claim For A New Mandate

The Message And The Movement

Unemployment Report Signals

Reclaim The Solar Power Investment Mandate

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After all the fact-checkers and many in the media denounce the Romney campaign's blatant fabrication that Obama is "gutting" the welfare work requirement, Romney/Ryan doubled down, going full-on Angry White Male. The campaign says they are doing this because "it's working" and declares "we are not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers." Clearly not. more »

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