Blog Archive: August, 2012

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John Sununu, top Romney campaign spokesperson, went on MSNBC's Hardball tonight with a message that the Romney budget and the Romney Medicare plan is not the same as his vice-presidential choice Rep. Paul Ryan. When asked "are you still with Ryan" Sununu responded, "No, I'm still with Romney ... Forget Ryan's plan."

Then he described Romney's Medicare plan ... which is the same thing as the Ryan Medicare plan: privatize it.

SUNUNU: Medicare is going to be covered by guaranteeing to everybody 55 and over that they can have Medicare exactly as it is today. No change. ...

CHRIS MATTHEWS: But the future of Medicare under the Ryan and Romney plan is to replace a fee-for-service program ... with a voucher plan, when you got to go out and buy insurance in the private market. That's what they want to do. Both of them.

SUNUNU: But that happens for people under 55.

MATTHEWS: But why is that a good deal?

[CROSSTALK]

SUNUNU: Why is it a good deal? Because I'd rather have a private insurance policy than a government insurance policy any day.

To review:

Romney's campaign spokesperson says the Romney plan is to privatize Medicare for all Americans currently under 55 years of age.

Now we know.

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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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Even if you don't have school-aged children, you can tell schools are about to open in many places because the airwaves, mailboxes, and newspaper inserts are stuffed with "Back to School" advertising. It's also the time of year when we hear most about research studies and serious-sounding reports about public education. more »

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This guy, Edward DeMarco, is deliberately damaging America -- promoting foreclosures, high unemployment and excessive taxes.

This guy, the acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), has aggressively denied help to eviction-imperiled homeowners.

And now he's threatening to prevent towns from implementing their own plans to rescue underwater homeowners -- those with mortgages exceeding their home values.

This guy, Edward DeMarco, has got to go. He's a George W. Bush administration holdover and is only by default running the agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation's mortgage financing giants. Handed the chance to help homeowners, as well as taxpayers, the economy and Fannie and Freddie, urged by President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to seize that opportunity, DeMarco yelled, "NO, NO, NO, NO." So he's just gotta go.

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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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• MORNING MESSAGE: "President Ryan" -- The Corporate State's Long Game
• Romney-Ryan Struggle To Talk Taxes
• And Medicare
• While Florida Looms
• Ryan Helps Dems Make Their Case
• Breakfast Sides

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Did Republicans work to help our President fix the economy and the country after he took office, in the midst of two wars, a financial crisis, and an economic emergency? This is a question every American should consider. The month President Obama took the oath of office the country lost another 815,000 jobs. What did Republicans do to help him and us? more »

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The United States already sports an exceedingly rich people-friendly tax structure. But America's rich seem to have far more friendly tax models in mind. Like Singapore.

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Paul Ryan's looks are often compared to an actor's, and that's no accident: He's being groomed for the role of a lifetime. more »

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