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We hear so much about truth when talking about candidates’ statements…
… but is Obama/Biden or Romney Ryan the more truthful team? The Dems are the losers on lying… but the Republicans cannot seem to achieve overall truthfulness. Politifact evaluates their percentages of truthful expression as follows:
So if having candidates you can believe is important, then there is no question of which team to support.
Related articles
- Obama’s story, Romney’s story, and the truth: Previewing the debate (news.yahoo.com)
- Letter: Not much of an endorsement of Romney, Ryan in their own backyards (tcpalm.com)
- Democrats’ truth vs. GOP lies (salon.com)
- Politico Truth Meters – Potus Obama & Mitt the Twit (bonjupatten.wordpress.com)
We’ve had enough of Mitt…
… so let’s take a look at why we don’t want Ryan for VP:
So if you are a woman or a senior citizen or a poor person needing medical services, perhaps you can see why this Republican rodent shouldn’t be elected.
The VP Debate may have changed things around a little… I think Biden really pulled it off.
I’ve heard critiques this morning that Vice President Joe Biden was all smirks, smiles, laughs, sharp elbows and impolite interruptions in his debate with Paul Ryan. It is always a risky tactic to let Joe be Joe, but it seems to have paid off.
After President Obama’s passive, lackluster response to Mitt Romney’s energetic assault during the first presidential debate, it was a relief that Biden came out swinging at Ryan. They got what they wanted and, as a result, Democrats should be reinvigorated as the closing days of the 2012 campaign tick away. I know I am.
And Biden made sure voters got to see Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” line put into action against the Republican presidential campaign. It was a fantasy moment for Democrats and Obama supporters, who thought the 47% quote from Romney was their major attack point.
CBS’s poll of undecided voters had Biden with a clear win, 50-31. Now we’ll see over the next few days how the VP debate effects overall polling for the presidential candidates.
Related articles
- Biden v Ryan debate: ‘Feisty, aggressive and great television’ (itv.com)
- Video: Biden on Obama’s relationship with Israel: “It’s a bunch of stuff” (cbsnews.com)
- Poll: Biden takes debate over Ryan, uncommitted voters say (cbsnews.com)
- Biden comes out swinging at debate, clashes with Ryan (reuters.com)
- Joe Biden Is Stronger Communicator in VP Debate (forbes.com)
- Biden walks line between aggressive, domineering (kansascity.com)
I’m watching the VP Debate…
If you listen to Ryan, if we are going to deal with Iran‘s coming nuclear capacity (the capacity of which both the 
candidates disagree on) we are going to have to insert troops. This means a new war – probably in partnership with Israel.
Biden brings up the fact that Iran has been weakened during the Obama administration – primarily in cutting back their oil sales by 20% or so. They don’t yet have a completed delivery mode, either.
Ryan is also going after Russia as an enemy… especially if we go to war in the middle east. In his opinion, Russia is the leasing supporter of the Arab countries. Biden, of course, gets back to the fact that Russia is currently our ally.
I’m curious as to how many of the current questions of the Romney / Ryan campaign get answered. I hand it to Biden that he has already put up the 47% as an issue related to taxes. Ryan seems to ignore it.
This is going to be an entertaining night.
Related articles
- 10 things to watch in tonight’s Biden-Ryan debate (firstread.nbcnews.com)
- Biden looks to avenge Obama in VP debate (metronews.ca)
- Joe Biden, looking to avenge Obama, goes head to head with Ryan in VP debate (vancouversun.com)
- 5 things to watch in VP debate (politico.com)
- Why the Biden-Ryan VP debate will be must-see TV for the healthcare industry (medcitynews.com)
- Iran In The US Campaign’s Crosshairs – OpEd (eurasiareview.com)
- War on Iran – Failing on Its Own Terms (antiwar.com)
Paul Ryan Booed at AARP Speech
Yesterday afternoon, Paul Ryan addressed the AARP’s National Annual Conference in New Orleans. The GOP vice presidential candidate attacked Obamacare for taking $716 billion out of Medicare — the very same cuts he included in his budget by the way — and made the case for transforming seniors’ health care from a guaranteed benefit into a premium support “voucher” program.
So what do you think the response was? Well, it didn’t go over with the audience. Take a look at this clip:
As you heard, audience members called Ryan a “liar,” told him to “go home” and repeatedly booed his critique of President Obama and health reform.
It’s a good thing senior citizens are part of the 47% and Ryan and Romney don’t have to worry about them.
Related articles
- Paul Ryan to Defend Medicare Plan at AARP (abcnews.go.com)
- Paul Ryan to seniors: Obamacare threatens Medicare (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)
- Barack Obama: Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan “could raise future retirees’ costs more than $6,000.” (politifact.com)
- Obama jabs Romney at AARP: ‘Medicare and Social Security are not handouts’ (leanforward.msnbc.com)
An article you must read: Romney and Ryan – The Haters in Chief
This article by Hrafnkell Haraldsson is in PoliticusUSA today. I’m giving you the first couple of paragraphs, but this is a long, well-thought out piece which continues the thinking I started earlier about religion and politics. In fact I was startled to discover a quote from Jefferson from the same document!
As you read it you discover that in a Romney America, “my god is bigger than your god. And your god doesn’t get any First Amendment protections because, well, it really isn’t a religion in the first place, is it? It’s a cult. Cults aren’t protected.” That certainly puts Islam in the gut bucket.
Anyway – here’s the start:
Can you imagine a United States where the president and vice president hate the world’s second largest religion and invite into White House councils those who advocate military action against whoever we feel might be a threat, including, particularly, Iran.
That’s the scenario being faced, incredibly enough, by the people of the United States. President Obama’s pragmatic, sober approach to diplomacy has restored the reputation of the United States and we are on the verge of escaping both long wars embarked upon by the Bush administration.
But Mitt Romney wants to abrogate control of America’s foreign policy – to Israel – which wants to attack Iran. He may have noticed we just got done with a nearly-ten-year-long-war in Iran’s neighbor, Iraq. He may have noticed that we are still engaged in Afghanistan, a place even Alexander the Great could not entirely subdue, a place that was a graveyard and charnel house for the mighty Soviet Union.
And now he wants to involve us in an attack on Iran.
OK… read the rest of it HERE. You’ll be glad you did.
Related articles
- Liberal Smear: Romney’s War for the Jews (commentarymagazine.com)
- Romney campaign quickly distances itself from Mitt’s statement of support for Obama’s Iran policy (dailykos.com)
- Romney and Obama Share Iran ‘Red Line’ (abcnews.go.com)
- Romney Struggles to Distinguish Iran Red Line From Obama’s (nytimes.com)
Have you considered what it means to you if Romney and Ryan get ahold of Medicare?
After hearing Romney on Meet The Press say that he wants to keep some of Obamacare, what he and Ryan want to do with Medicare, according to the Ryan budget, is a whole different matter.
It’s what it will cost you that you ought to think about.
I don’t know what age level you fall into, but knowing I’m being stripped of the money tobuy two years worth of groceries really pisses me off.
Related articles
- Romney’s budget would require a 40% cut to everything but Medicare, Social Security, and defense (pattidudek.typepad.com)
- Obama: Romney plan for Medicare would cost seniors ‘thousands’ (thehill.com)
- Obama hits Romney with new Medicare study (miamiherald.com)
- Obama uses Medicare to court Florida seniors (washingtontimes.com)
- Romney-Ryan Want It Both Ways on Medicare – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
- Romney camp admits Medicare cuts will hit current seniors (dailykos.com)
Want to know what Medicare will cost you when you retire under the Romney Plan?
There is a great danger in electing Mitt Romney and letting him and Paul Ryan get their hands on Medicare. According to a report from Harvard economist David Cutler, an Obamacare architect, and the Center for American Progress the cost of health care at retirement will be obscenely expensive.
If Romney and Ryan are allowed to turn Medicare into a voucher system for Americans under 55 when they qualify for Medicare, 48-year-olds would have to pay $124,600 more for Medicare, 39-year-olds would have to pay $216,600 more during retirement, and 29-year-olds would have to pay $331,200 more in total. That’s because the vouchers would not keep up with rising health care costs. For those 29-year-olds, the extra costs would consume 62% of their lifetime Social Security benefits. And that’s as long as the Republicans don’t destroy Social Security altogether.
It’s up to you and who you vote for to preserve and continue to improve Medicare as Obama has done so far. It’s your choice… don’t forget it when you approach the voting booth.
Related articles
- Paul Ryan plays fast and loose with facts (capitolhillblue.com)
- Report: Seniors to pay $60,000 more under Romney/Ryan Medicare plan (rawstory.com)
- Romney/Ryan Claim That No One Over 55 Will Be Affected by Their Medicare Plan is False (Surprise!) (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)
- Strickland blasts Romney, Ryan plans for Medicare, Social Security – Toledo Free Press (toledofreepress.com)
- How much more will Romney-Ryan Medicare cost you? > The Center for American Progress Action Fund has crunched the numbers. They’re not pretty. (newsreview.com)
- Surrogates Admit Romney Will Cut Medicare Benefits For Current Seniors (tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Medicare, Was Nice to Know Ya! (talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Americans Oppose Voucherizing Medicare But Don’t Know It Is Paul Ryan’s Plan (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
- Even a Majority of Republicans Don’t Want Medicare Turned Into a Voucher Program (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
- A Medicare switch you won’t believe (newsobserver.com)
Paul Ryan Watch…
Did you know rape is just another method of conception? That’s what Ryan said in a live, television interview:
And we thought Todd Akin was the brain dead sex definer.
😦
Related articles
- Paul Ryan: Rape Just Another Method Of Conception (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Ryan on abortion exceptions: Rape is just another ‘method of conception’ (rawstory.com)
- In Exclusive Interview, Paul Ryan Distances Self From Todd Akin (pittsburgh.cbslocal.com)
- Reps. Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Co-Sponsored Bill Using Term “Forcible Rape” (alan.com)
- Paul Ryan still believes in forcing rape victims to bear rapists’ children (secularnewsdaily.com)
- Paul Ryan To The Right Of Todd Akin On Abortion (alan.com)
Quote of the Week – What does the business community really think of Mitt?
Even the folks Romney claims to be a representative of, the Business Community, is unsure of his qualifications:
“All politicians flip-flop from time to time; but Mr Romney could win an Olympic medal in it.
“…competence is worthless without direction and, frankly, character. Would that Candidate Romney had indeed presented himself as a solid chief executive who got things done. Instead he has appeared as a fawning PR man, apparently willing to do or say just about anything to get elected. In some areas, notably social policy and foreign affairs, the result is that he is now committed to needlessly extreme or dangerous courses that he may not actually believe in but will find hard to drop; in others, especially to do with the economy, the lack of details means that some attractive-sounding headline policies prove meaningless (and possibly dangerous) on closer inspection. Behind all this sits the worrying idea of a man who does not really know his own mind.”
Related articles
- The Economist Slams Romney (politicalirony.com)
- The Economist Comes Out Against Mitt Romney (delong.typepad.com)
- Etch A Sketch (themoderatevoice.com)
- The Economist drops Mitt Romney (shortformblog.com)
Enough of Todd Akin. How about a bigger player: Paul Ryan
We’ve spent so much time talking about Todd Akin lately and his extreme position on a woman’s right to choose an abortion in the case of incest or rape. But Akin is a small player, here. What about the Republican pick for 
Vice President? In the past 15 years in the Congress, he has mad his position on women’s rights very, very clear.
Ryan sponsored a bill that would potentially allow rapists to stop their victims from having an abortion: The Sanctity of Life Act. Not only was ANY reason for abortion eliminated, but rapists could sue women who WANTED an abortion. The fact that it did not pass doesn’t change his viewpoint… and he has also worked with Akin several times in creating such legislative weaponry.
Here’s a very good summation of Ryan’s abortion legislation as explained by David Pakman on his television show:
Question: How can Ryan continue to say that he supports the rights of all Americans when he sees women as nothing more than breeding animals?
Keep in mind, there are solutions to what Ryan and his like represent:
Related articles
- Paul Ryan To The Right Of Todd Akin On Abortion (alan.com)
- Is Ryan going rogue? (salon.com)
- Ryan on abortion exceptions: Rape is just another ‘method of conception’ (rawstory.com)
- In Exclusive Interview, Paul Ryan Distances Self From Todd Akin (pittsburgh.cbslocal.com)
- Paul Ryan Is ‘Very Proud’ Of ‘Forcible Rape’ Bill He Co-Sponsored With Todd Akin (mediaite.com)
- Reps. Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Co-Sponsored Bill Using Term “Forcible Rape” (alan.com)
- The Star’s editorial | GOP can’t avoid Todd Akin — or abortion (kansascity.com)
- Paul Ryan pretends he doesn’t agree with every ‘outrageous’ thing Todd Akin said (dailykos.com)
- Paul Ryan and Todd Akin Partnered On Radical ‘Personhood’ Bill Outlawing Abortion And Many Birth Control Pills (thinkprogress.org)
- Just How Anti-Choice is Paul Ryan? (persephonemagazine.com)
Report from the Field in the Republican War on Women.
All the discussion in the last couple of days about Abortion as a response to rape has raised so many women’s issues and shown the true face of the Republicans.
First take a look at the overall view of the 112th Congress, it is impossible to miss the big picture that Republicans have used a multi-faceted approach in their war on women, especially in their right to choose their own health coverage. For the past couple of days, there has been a firestorm over comments made by Representative Todd Akin regarding what he calls “legitimate rape,” and although it is a big story, it is just a small part of the entire GOP’s view of women.
Akin
Republicans – even Rush Limbaugh – abandoned and condemned Akin over his remarks on legitimate rape and conception, especially when the Republican congessmen trying to make him quit the race, have voted with him to eliminate a women’s right to choose throughout the 112th Congress.
The Romney campaign team swtated in writing: “Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape,” but critics began connecting Paul Ryan to Akin. It became glaringly obvious that Ryan and Romney have also promoted his twisted pro-life position. Ryan co-sponsored, with Akin, a national personhood bill that defines a single-celled zygote as having all the rights of an American citizen, and Romney tapped him for vice-president.
Romney said he would scrap the Title X program (Medicaid coverage that handles contraception and abortion) entirely to cut costs. But, according to the Guttmacher Institute, every dollar spent helping women avoid pregnancy saves $3.74 in Medicaid spending. The issue is not cutting costs, but ending women’s right to choose when they give birth. And what is the basis of Ryan, Romney, Akin, and the rest of the Republicans’ pro-life stance? It is based entirely on the Christian bible and not fiscal conservatism.
If any woman in America has not yet figured out that Republicans, all Republicans, hold them in contempt and believe their place is on the birthing table, then they better take a better look at more than just Todd Akin.
Related articles
- Paul Ryan pretends he doesn’t agree with every ‘outrageous’ thing Todd Akin said (dailykos.com)
- Reps. Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Co-Sponsored Bill Using Term “Forcible Rape” (alan.com)
- Do You Get It? (talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Parker: Todd Akin’s words about rape aren’t the problem (newsday.com)
- Akin Intimates That Women Fake Rape to Get Abortions (news.firedoglake.com)
- Eight staggering GOP comments on rape and women (salon.com)
- Ryan backed more than one ‘forcible rape’ abortion bill (firstread.nbcnews.com)
- Paul Ryan Is No Friend Of Women Who Were Raped (dekerivers.wordpress.com)
- Akin Concedes, No Illegitimate Rape, It’s Just That Women Lie About It (alan.com)
- Republican Todd Akin: Don’t Worry, You Won’t Get Pregnant From Rape (triing2survive.wordpress.com)
Republican Quote for the Day – and how does Ryan’s budget plan fare with former Republican heroes?
“Mr. Ryan’s plan is devoid of credible math or hard policy choices. And it couldn’t pass even if Republicans were to take the presidency and both houses of Congress. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan have no plan to take on Wall Street, the Fed, the military-industrial complex, social insurance or the nation’s fiscal calamity and no plan to revive capitalist prosperity — just empty sermons.”
– Former Reagan budget director David Stockman
This means it may be hard for some front-office Republicans to get behind the Romney-Ryan budget onslaught.
Related articles
- Reagan Financial Guru Blasts Ryan Plan As A “Fairy-Tale” (alan.com)
- Reagan’s Former Budget Chief, David Stockman, Rips Paul Ryan (economicpolicyjournal.com)
- REPUBLICAN DAVID STOCKMAN: Paul Ryan’s Budget Is An Empty Fairy Tale (businessinsider.com)
- Reagan Official Blasts Ryan Budget (politicalwire.com)
It’s been our number one social program for 77 years…
… all it needs is one year of Republican control and you can kiss it goodbye.
FDR signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935, ensuring that all Americans—not just the privileged few—can retire with dignity. 77 years later, the Republican VP candidate, Paul Ryan, has proposed privatizing our promise to seniors. Pass on this image if you support protecting Social Security.
Related articles
- Social Security Turns 77 – August 14, 1935 (pastdaily.com)
- He didn’t build it: How socialism helped Paul Ryan go to college (americablog.com)
- Christine Pelosi: Ryan Roadmap STILL A Roadmap to Ruin for Social Security (huffingtonpost.com)
- Celebrate Social Security “birthday,” August 14, 2012 at FDR Library (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
- The Ryan Plan To Privatize Social Security (talkleft.com)
- Paul Ryan says ‘you did build it.’ Well, the government built Paul Ryan. (dailykos.com)
- Social Security’s Birthday (purpleborough.wordpress.com)
From the Daily Beast – 7 Fun Facts About Paul Ryan:
Do you suppose this is why Romney’s staff were all opposed to making Ryan the VP candidate?
1. He Sleeps in His Office
An unabashed nerd and constant worker, Paul Ryan is known to often catch 40 winks on a cot in his House of Representatives office. Of course, that’s not Ryan’s only residence. When he’s at home in Janesville, Wisc.—the same town in which he was born and raised—Ryan lives in a six-bedroom, eight-bath home on the National Register of Historic Places.
2. He Does P90X
A health buff, Ryan—who brags about keeping his body fat around 6 percent—may be one of the most fit congressmen ever to walk the halls of the Capitol. His preferred workout is the P90X home-exercise program, which he’s gotten some other legislators join in on. “It’s a fantastic workout,” Ryan told Politico. “Bart Stupak and I lead it every morning. There’s about a dozen of us who do it.”3. He’s a Bow Hunter
With Ryan, Romney may have pretty much locked up the antiquated-weapons crowd. While bows and arrows hardly draw as much political heat as concealed carry or handgun background checks, Ryan stands out among lawmakers for his prowess as a bow hunter. “Paul Ryan is congressman, statesman, and policymaker at our nation’s highest levels,” Jay McAnich, president of the Archery Trade Association, told The Washington Examiner. “To my knowledge, that’s never happened before.”4. He Was a ‘Brown-Noser’
Adding to the stock of trivia on the young (he’s still young) Ryan is one factoid that seems almost made to be blown out of proportion. In 1988 the high school senior was voted “Biggest ‘Brown-Noser’” in the school’s yearbook. But, heck, we all know how teenagers are. Ryan was also voted prom king.5. He’s an Avid Catfish Noodler
It’s as cool as it sounds. For those Americans who don’t fish as often as they’d like, “noodling” is a form of wrangling catfish in which the sportsman stands in the water and catches the fish with his hands—no line, no tackle. It’s something Ryan appears to feel strongly about. In a speech in the Lone Star State in June, Ryan bonded with the crowd, saying, “And I want to say something to you Texans—because you understand freedom, you now legally recognize a man’s right to catch a catfish with his own bare hands.”6. He Loves Led Zeppelin
Just because he likes to spend a lazy day out in nature doesn’t mean the Wisconsin native doesn’t have a bit of an edge. Ryan seems to has a taste for hard-rock bands like Rage Against the Machine, and one of his favorite groups is reportedly Led Zeppelin.
7. He Drove the Wienermobile
As a teenager, Ryan, who comes from an established family of Wisconsonites and whose great-grandfather started a major construction firm, found a summer job driving the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. It seems to have been just part of the newly-tapped veep candidate’s one-time responsibilities, but it’s about as genuine a slice of American as comes on four wheels.
I thank the Matthew DeLuca at the Daily Beast for coming up with these.
Related articles
- Paul Ryan Used To Drive The Wienermobile [Video] (jalopnik.com)
- Paul Ryan Noodles Catfish And Five Other Weird Facts About Mitt Romney’s VP (ibtimes.com)
- 9 things you didn’t know about Paul Ryan (wtvr.com)
- Ten things you didn’t know about Mitt Romney’s Republican running mate (itv.com)
- Paul Ryan hunts catfish with his bare hands (newstatesman.com)
Statement from United Wisconsin…
Who knows Ryan better? This from United Wisconsin:
“Wisconsin is once again at the epicenter of the battle between big-money special interests and hard-working families. Today’s announcement that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan has been tapped for Mitt Romney’s running mate will bring more big money and heated rhetoric to our already deeply divided state.
“As Governor Scott Walker has spent the last year and a half working to destroy our progressive Wisconsin tradition, Rep. Paul Ryan has stood by his side and defended his actions. After Scott Walker introduced his anti-working family budget repair bill, Paul Ryan told the media that he supports Walker’s union-busting laws and claimed that the peaceful protests that broke out in response to the bill were ‘riots,’ a claim later debunked by Politifact.
“In Congress, Ryan has proposed a budget that would end Medicare as we know it while handing out millions in tax giveaways to wealthy special interests at the expense of working families. Ryan has consistently opposed policies to improve health care, public education, and economic opportunity for working people. These are not Wisconsin values, but they are Paul Ryan’s values.
With Paul Ryan taking a more visible place on the national stage, all eyes will once again be on Wisconsin, but the eyes of Wisconsinites – and the progressive movement we have built – will be focused directly on Paul Ryan. We will hold Ryan accountable for his statements and actions on the campaign trail, ensuring he does not take Scott Walker’s failed policies to the White House.”
We’ll keep our eyes on Wisconsin. Of course, many of us wish we could have rid ourselves of Scott Walker when we had a chance.
Related articles
- Rep. Paul Ryan: Will also run in November for his Wisconsin House seat (blogs.suntimes.com)
- Ryan will excite the GOP base, Walker says (jsonline.com)
- Wisconsin: Capital of the Obama resistance (politico.com)
Let’s get to know more about Paul Ryan…
Factual information is the kind of thing that can blow a hole in a wall of falsification.
We have a lot still to learn about Ryan… like these five facts:
Now, go HERE and read the 290 page research report on Ryan. See everything he’s voted for, every position he’s taken on things important to you… and more.
Related articles
- 21 Of The Best Pictures Of Paul Ryan’s Very Serious Hair (buzzfeed.com)
- BUSTED: Watch TARP Republican Paul Ryan Begging Congress To Vote For The Wall Street Bailout (dailybail.com)
- Media First ROFL Spin On a Paul Ryan Veep Pick: Too Inexperienced to Be President? (newsbusters.org)
- Paul Ryan, the Pick of Fear (littlegreenfootballs.com)
- 3 Essential Things To Read About Paul Ryan Today (upworthy.com)
- Romney-Ryan 2012: The Herman & Eddie Munster Ticket (crooksandliars.com)
- Open Prep: 15 Things to Read, See and Hear About Paul Ryan (wnyc.org)
- I Admire Paul Ryan For Having The Balls To Do What No Other Lame-O Congressman Will Do (businessinsider.com)
The announcement is out… Romney has picked Ryan
It’s official. Mitt Romney‘s choice for vice president will be Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. It was announced this morning that Ryan, a more conservative Republican then Mitt, will be the candidate for vice president on the Romney ticket.
Ryan is considered to be much more conservative than Romney. Known for several new budget proposals and changes in Medicare, Ryan is probably the candidate that the Democrats are most happy to have running with Mitt. The fact that Mitt is not nearly as conservative as Ryan will be The cause of potential changes in his campaign.
The choice is interesting since Romney has not actually been nominated yet. This will all occur during the Republican convention. It does, however, make Romney appear more Republican then he has in the last few weeks. He appears to be doing this because it will make the members of his party be more supportive than they have been.
I am looking forward to traveling to Wisconsin for my son Buddy’s wedding In Milwaukee next week, and I’m looking forward to hearing what Wisconsinites have to say about their congressman being on the Republican ticket. I’ll be reporting that information here on Under The LobsterScope.
Related articles
- Quick Thoughts on Romney Veep Announcement (themoderatevoice.com)
- AP Source: Romney Picks Ryan for Running Mate (usnews.com)
- Source: Mitt Romney to select Paul Ryan as running mate (fox6now.com)
- Romney has picked Paul Ryan as running mate, Republican source tells the AP (foxnews.com)
- Romney “picks” Paul Ryan for VP in a DELUSIONAL fit to pretend like he has the GOP nomination. (jeenyuscorner.com)
- Republican official confirms to @AP: Romney will choose Paul Ryan for running mate (ksl.com)
Romney stuck with Ryan?
Looks like Romney may be stuck with Paul Ryan as VP nominee… not something he originally considered.
Here’s a clip from New York Magazine‘s piece on the subject:
Conservative anxiety has stalked Mitt Romney since the outset of his presidential campaign, expressing itself in a series of hopes that a nominee who was not Romney might win, and then, after his nomination became inevitable, as endless caterwauling for Romney himself to act less … Romney-like. Romney’s vice-presidential selection has begun to serve as a stand-in for these demands, and as recently as a week ago, they split between calls for him to pick Paul Ryan and calls for Marco Rubio.
But since then, Romney’s position has steadily eroded, intensifying the conservative panic. And a report by National Review’s Robert Costa that Romney was giving Ryan strong consideration focused all the attention on the dreamy House Budget Committee chairman and unofficial party leader. Suddenly Ryan’s potential nomination has become the sole locus of the conservative movement’s longings.
—
At this point, joining Ryan to the ticket would be a huge gamble. Romney would be tapping into Ryan’s immense political talent, but giving up on his win-by-default strategy that has taken a beating but might look good again if, say, some international disaster craters the recovery between now and November. In any case, the conservative drumbeat for Ryan has grown so overwhelming that it’s no longer even clear that Romney could turn Ryan down for an Incredibly Boring White Guy, even if he wants to. The Republican Party belongs to Ryan.
Has there ever been a Presidential nominee that was so unloved by his party?
Related articles
- Pressure on Romney to pick Ryan as VP (news.yahoo.com)
- Klein: Why do conservatives want Mitt Romney to choose Paul Ryan for VP? (newsday.com)
- Romney Hint: Paul Ryan for Vice Presidential Pick? (themoderatevoice.com)
- Romney Faces Pressure From Right to Put Ryan on Ticket (democraticunderground.com)
- Paul Ryan? Really? (thedailybanter.com)
- Romney: I want a VP with ‘vision for the country’ (firstread.nbcnews.com)
- Pressure on Romney to pick Ryan as VP (news.terra.com)
- Paul Ryan: Romney’s Only Sane Choice (redalertpolitics.com)
Best Political Definition of the Week… The Republican Budget Plan
I found this one in Truthout, and thought it was both truthful and revealing. See if you agree.
The Republican Budget, Explained
By Dave Johnson, Campaign for America’s Future
The new Republican budget plan:
Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke.
Fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog, fog.
Mitch McConnell, the Speaking Vagina, presents the Republican Case for revising the budget... Yeah!
Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense.
Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda, propaganda.
Obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation, obfuscation.
Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors.
Stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff.
Smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears, smears.
Division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Division, division, division, division, division, division, division, division.
Distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction, distraction.
Bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement, bamboozlement.
Diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion.
Shiny Object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object. Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other. Shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object, shiny object
And when it is all cleared away:
Tax cuts for the 1%, cuts in the things We, the People do for each other.
Paul Ryan and the rest of them are sitting in confidence that all Americans will see them as the budget champions who will make everything better for all of us. Maybe we will have an American populace that realizes what a fraud that is.
Repeat after me: LESS TAX CUTS!
I’m getting really tired of these right-wing corporation kissers who are demanding MORE TAX CUTS when we are already taxing less as a percentage of GDP than we have since 1950 (and if you remember at that point, the upper 1% of rich Americans was being taxed close to 90%).
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BCA) puts it this way in it’s report:
Federal, state and local taxes — including income, property, sales and other taxes — consumed 9.2% of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. That rate is far below the historic average of 12%
for the last half-century. The overall tax burden hit bottom in December at 8.8% of income before rising slightly in the first three months of 2010.
“‘The idea that taxes are high right now is pretty much nuts,’ says Michael Ettlinger, head of economic policy at the liberal Center for American Progress.”
Let’s get down to the real changes that are necessary:
A. If we are going to cut expenses let’s bring home the troops and cut the military…
B. Let’s get the same deal on pharmaceuticals that the VA has for all Americans (and save $50 Billion)…
C. Bring the tax levels on the upper 1% back to what they were the day before
Bush lowered them…
Of course, we are going to see the Republicans hang on to the Paul Ryan plan because they have all but married it. Don’t expect changes from the House then. And hope that Obama and the Senate don’t knuckle under. Just get us to the 2012 elections and eject the idiots who have made the House the non-voice of the people.
Related articles
- The New GDP Data Is Bad. The Hidden Data Behind It Is Worse (freakonomics.com)
- You Think You’re Paying Too Much In Taxes? (mint.com)
- New GDP Data: There’s Bad News, Hidden in the Details (economistsview.typepad.com)
- N.J. slips to third in nation for personal income (nj.com)
- U.S. tax burden at lowest level since ’58 (usatoday.com)
- Modest growth forecast for Tennessee economy (knoxnews.com)
Humorous quote of the Week
“I’m the death-panel-supporting, socialist, may-not-have-been-born-here president.”
The President was quoted by the Los Angeles Times, showing little sympathy to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) who accused him of “mis-describing” the House GOP Medicare plan. (Thanks to Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire.)
Related articles
- Late Returns: Wacky Pataki (huffingtonpost.com)
- CNN Poll: Ryan Plan Opposed by Majority of Americans (themoderatevoice.com)
- Medicare Cuts: What’s Real, What’s Kabuki? (firedoglake.com)
- IPAB – The Obama Death Panel (bellalu0.wordpress.com)
- Republicans Disrespect Obama on Debt Ceiling (usnews.com)
- GOP prods Obama on cuts – The Detroit News (news.google.com)
