…of course, we would have never heard of this black, atheist-loving, Soviet Union worshiping, radical anarchist “Barack Obama” fellow ever again.
Lawrence O’Donnell analyzes Paul Ryan’s former love of Ayn Rand
Related: Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand: splitting Americans into the “makers” and the “takers”
via: xxiiv
“We’ll believe it when we see it. Until Mitt Romney releases his tax returns, Americans will continue to wonder what he’s hiding.” -- Harry Reid, clearly amused by Mitt Romney’s revelation earlier in the day…
Buzzfeed reports that Mitt Romney went “off-script” yesterday during a press conference at the Greer, S.C. airport, during which he planned to wonk-out for reporters — with a white board, marker, and eraser — and explain his Medicare program. Instead, this happened:
…a reporter asked him whether he had reviewed his tax returns to find out how much he’d paid, as he promised ABC News he would when he was in Israel. Apparently frustrated with the distraction from his Medicare message, Romney bristled at the question, calling it “small-minded” — and then spontaneously offered new details on his personal finances.
“I did got back and look at my taxes and over the past 10 years, I never paid less than 13 percent,” he said. “I think the most recent years is 13.6 percent or something like that. So I paid taxes every single year. Harry Reid’s charge is totally false. I’m sure waiting for Harry to put up who it was that told him what he says they told him. I don’t believe it for a minute, by the way.”
See? I’ll bet that if President Obama said things and wanted Republicans to just take his word for it about the things, that would be good enough for the GOP — so why isn’t that good enough for Harry Reid and Democrats!?
Buzzfeed continues with Master Paul Ryan, who was supposed to flash his foreign diplomacy bona fides by talking about China:
Paul Ryan bought a reporter a hot dog for his birthday and answered an off-message question. And so the campaign, yet again, lost control of its story, with Romney making news on his personal tax returns, and Ryan offering a complex defense of his views on Medicare. And questions about the wisdom of picking a policy visionary for a running mate and then rejecting the specifics of his detailed vision grew deeper. [... Moody asked] Ryan to explain why he had included $716 billion in cuts to planned Medicare spending in his famous budget plan, if he now opposes it. Ryan’s answer, couched in the process-heavy language of Capitol Hill, was that it wasn’t his fault the cuts had already been priced into the “baseline” and that while relying on them, he had also opposed them when they passed as part of ObamaCare. Forget China: Medicare drove the day in Ohio.
Maybe in Ohio, but by that evening Think Progress noted that ABC, NBC, and CBS Evening News all led with Romney’s tax returns.
Go Romney! Where are the tax returns? This election could be a referendum on what percentage of income you’ve paid for 10 years, compared to the rest of us — and how maybe, possibly, potentially we might think those tax laws are unfair and want to change them.
Source: stfuhypocrisy
John Cole mocks the pseudo rightwing outrage over the supposedly “new ugly tone” from Democrats:
But what really upsets the “reasonable” Republicans and libertarians is the fact that for once, Democrats are fighting back. For years as a Republican I would just laugh as we beat down Democrats and they never did anything. Well, they’ve learned, fortunately, and are fighting back, and now we have folks getting the vapors, worrying about “tone.” Fuck, it’s not like Obama and team put a fucking crosshair over Gabby Giffords head and had machine gun rallies. But my favorite bit of bullshit is this outright goddamned lie from James Joyner, which he uses as evidence of the new negative tone:
Now, though, we’ve got the Obama administration signing off on an ad insinuating that Mitt Romney killed a woman and the vice president refusing to back away from the suggestion that Romney wants to put black people back in chains. So, yeah, I’d say it’s worse than four or eight years ago.
First off, if that woman had health insurance that had not been robbed by the vulture capitalists at Bain, led by Mitt Romney, she might still be alive. But I’ll pass that off as debatable. The latter part, though, is unmitigated bullshit:
the vice president refusing to back away from the suggestion that Romney wants to put black people back in chains.
Joyner is lying. Biden never said Romney wants to put black people in chains. Period. That is not what Biden said. Here is the actual quote:
Specifically, the vice president said to the Danville, Virginia, crowd that the House GOP budget, partly written by House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., gives an indication of the Republican presidential ticket’s values.
“We got a real clear picture of what they all value,” Biden said. “Every Republican’s voted for it. Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they’re proposing. Romney wants to let the — he said in the first hundred days he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, ‘unchain Wall Street.’ They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”
[...] What Biden said was completely true. They want an unfettered Wall Street, an unrestricted and unregulated business sector, they want tort reform, and they want you all unable to respond to their excesses. That is the Republican vision. End of story.
Dave Weigel highlights The Dumbest Question Anyone Was Asked Today by Fox News’ White House correspondent Ed Henry: “Let’s just settle it, once and for all, all of this speculation — this is the ticket, Obama/Biden?”
“What’s “all of this speculation?” If you watch the earlier parts of the briefing, you learn that the speculation comes from Sarah Palin and John McCain, neither of whom are Democrats with particular interest or influence in the process of nominating a Democratic veep. In 2008, there was considerable (and even then, overblown) buzz about angry Democratic delegates who wanted Hillary Clinton to be the veep nominee. There is none of that now. We know because any story like that would rise with rocket speed to the top of the cable news pile. Henry was asking about “speculation” that does not exist in any meaningful form, and allowing that the speculation was kicked off because the vice president said something that no elected Democrats have taken issue with.
“One of the strange paradoxes of political journalism is that the televised presser with the president’s spokesman — probably the most prominent and prestigious regular briefing there is — lends itself to imbecilic showboating that you’d laugh out of the room in any lesser context.”
Joe Biden in Danville, VA
team-joebama : ”now realize that this crowd is called “largely black” as in “Biden told a largely black crowd the GOP economic policies would put them in chains”
“but you rarely see anybody saying “Romney told a largely white crowd”—you know because his shit is largely white—“that Obama needs to go back to Chicago and blah blah welfare blah blah un-American.”
“I’m so mad that even this good looking motherfucker can’t distract me from it.”
Metaphors and Fox-News-coordinated outrageous outrage. Is it any wonder that no Democrat, or any other average person, is upset by what Joe Biden said?
The Hill: “Romney uses white board to attack Obama on Medicare” – Mitt Romney took to a whiteboard Thursday to explain his plan for Medicare and to slam President Obama on the healthcare program for seniors. ”The president’s plan cuts Medicare … by $716 billion. Cut. In addition, the trustees of Medicare estimate that approximately 4 million people will lose their coverage under Medicare Advantage,” Romney said in Greer, S.C. The GOP presidential contender went on to say that under Obama’s plan, Medicare Part A will go bankrupt for the next generation of seniors. He exalted his own proposal, saying it would make Medicare “solvent.”
Bullshit: Mitt’s Medicare whiteboard – corrected.
It’s very “Glenn Beckian” to use a white board.
Also, new meme!
Romney’s White Board Tumblr: Romney’s white board meme
Until the wholesale rightwing nutjob attack on the President’s religion and birthplace stops influencing the mainstream opinion of average Americans, a discussion of Mitt Romney’s religion and beliefs should not be off limits. In fact, there should be more open discussion of Romney’s religion, since it’s been one of the most important parts of his entire life. Especially now with Romney’s new ad “Be Not Afraid” which questions President Obama’s ‘beliefs’ and the now familiar conservative theme of “us and him” separation — the dog-whistling racist implication of the “otherness” of Obama and how he doesn’t share “our values,” how Obama has declared a “war on religion” with health care reform. And how Mitt Romney believes “that’s wrong.” And that Romney is the one to choose when “religious freedom is threatened.” What. Total. Horseshit.
…
image: theyoungturks: “Obama’s Religion vs Romney’s Religion“
Let’s talk about a couple of things regarding Mitt Romney and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:
The Dark Side of Mitt Romney | Vanity Fair – ”But a dichotomy exists within the Mormon Church, which holds that one is either in or out; there is little or no tolerance for those, like so-called cafeteria Catholics, who pick and choose what doctrines to follow. And in Mormonism, if one is in, a lot is expected, including tithing 10 percent of one’s income, participating regularly in church activities, meeting high moral expectations, and accepting Mormon doctrine—including many concepts, such as the belief that Jesus will rule from Missouri in his Second Coming, that run counter to those of other Christian faiths. That rigidity can be difficult to abide for those who love the faith but chafe at its strictures or question its teachings and cultural habits. For one, Mormonism is male-dominated—women can serve only in certain leadership roles and never as bishops or stake presidents. The church also makes a number of firm value judgments, typically prohibiting single or divorced men from leading wards and stakes, for example, and not looking kindly upon single parenthood.”
Romney served “as bishop of the ward (ecclesiastical and administrative head of his congregation) at Belmont, Massachusetts, from 1981 to 1986.” What’s a Mormon bishop?
“Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement, and is leader of the Aaronic priesthood in a given ward or congregation. It is almost always held by one who already holds the Melchizedek Priesthood office of high priest and who serves as the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations, being in some respects more analogous to a pastor or parish priest. Each bishop serves with two counselors, which together form a bishopric.
“[...] In the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), bishops are called from among the members of a local congregation, known as a ward, and traditionally serve, without pay, for four to seven years (the actual length of service can vary). A bishop must be a married high priest in the Melchizedek priesthood. The bishop acts as the Presiding High Priest of the ward. A bishop simultaneously serves as the president of the Aaronic priesthood and president of the Priests Quorum in the ward. [...] The calling of each bishop must be approved by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles…”
— Bishop (Latter Day Saints) – Wikipedia
The question is: if elected, can Mitt Romney separate his religious beliefs from his secular duties in the office of President? Can he protect our country’s principle of ‘freedom of religion’ — meaning everyone has a right to their beliefs, even if their beliefs are not similar to Romney’s — meaning the government cannot tell you to worship God if you don’t or, if you do, how to worship God. The government cannot mandate you be a Sikh, Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, or Mormon — the government cannot legislate you to believe that Jesus will return to rural Missouri, that you’ll get your own planet in the afterlife, or that wearing underwear marked with freemasonry symbols will protect you from the evils of the world (and the “others”).
If Romney wants to pretend that a mandate in the Affordable Care Act to include birth control in insurance plans (with the caveat that Churches in opposition do not have to pay for the mandate) is a “threat to religious freedom,” then I think it’s fair to wonder if that opinion is based in Republican political ideology or in Romney’s personal religious beliefs. And IF it’s based in his religious beliefs, what else might he impose on the rest of us from the Book of Mormon?
source: liberalsarecool
Think Progress reports “The group behind the Nuns On A Bus tour that highlighted the ill-effects of the House Republican budget in congressional districts across the country is now setting its sights on the party’s presidential candidate, inviting Mitt Romney to spend a day with the nuns to learn about the plight of America’s poorest citizens.”
“Romney has endorsed the House GOP budget plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). It was that plan, which includes deep cuts to food stamps and other safety net programs that benefit the middle class, that NETWORK’s Nuns On A Bus tour targeted, with [Sister Simone] Campbell and other sisters blasting it as “immoral” at the tour’s conclusion in Washington D.C. Romney has also proposed massive tax cuts for the rich that would likely come at the expense of lower- and middle-class families, which would see higher taxes or significant cuts to the programs they depend on.
“Those policies, Campbell told ThinkProgress, show that Romney “doesn’t have clue” about the struggles the poor face. “The fact is, his policies shift wealth to the upper class,” she said. “Yes, it hurts the middle class, but it devastates those at the margins of our society.” If Romney were to accept their invitation, Campbell said she would take him to places like St. Augustine’s in Cleveland, where food programs “provide a hand up” to the community’s neediest members. “He thinks they’re lazy,” Campbell said, in reference to Romney’s misleading welfare reform ad. “It is hard work to keep things together when you’re poor. He doesn’t have a clue. Let him talk to them, and maybe they’ll touch his heart. And his mind too.”
“The Romney campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Campbell said she “lives in hope” that he will accept, even if he spends only an hour with the group. “I’ll take whatever I can get,” Campbell said. “He should accept.””
Unfortunately Mitt, more than most, does need to step outside the gates of his lavish lifestyle to understand exactly how the peasantry lives. But spending time with nuns in service to the poor is something that will never happen. There’s no upside to this kind of PR for a Republican candidate, and especially for Willard Romney — even if it’s very clear that he could benefit from some experience and education on America’s working class and income / poverty:
Flashback (July/2012): Romney completely unaware of what waiters and waitresses earn, calls them “middle class”
source: donna-moss – the west wing meme
Pres. Bartlet: “I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.”
Jenna Jacobs: “I don’t say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.”
Bartlett: “Yes it does. Leviticus.”
Jacobs: “18:22.”
Bartlet: “Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here. I’m interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She’s a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another?”
“My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police?”
“Here’s one that’s really important because we’ve got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?”
“Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side?”
“Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you?”
“One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits… Toby?”
Toby: “Yes, sir?”
Bartlet: “That’s how I beat him.”
(via Imgur)
Are you excited?
“Paul Ryan is the embodiment of the machine our music rages against.”
“I wonder what Ryan’s favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of “Fuck the Police”? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!…..
“Don’t mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta “rage” in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he’s not raging against is the privileged elite he’s groveling in front of for campaign contributions.”
— Tom Morello, in a bemused op-ed in Rolling Stone, about Paul Ryan’s reported love for Rage Against The Machine. (via joaniecash)
