Editors’ Blog - 2012
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08.03.12 | 6:28 am
History Repeats … Sorta

The civil rights movement and the space program always shared a strange juxtaposition of 19th century agrarianism and 20th century technological achievement. So maybe it should be no surprise that we’re currently confronting our civil rights demons in the parking lots of fried chicken joints while one of our spacecraft makes its final approach to Mars. But still … what the hell, America?

08.03.12 | 9:22 am
Genius

Romney has Reid right where he wants him, pinned down in an argument over whether Romney should release his tax returns … D’oh!

08.03.12 | 9:30 am
Right Where You Want Him

Mitt Romney’ new demand that Harry Reid needs to “put up or shut up” is pretty rich. Let’s stipulate that Reid’s bald, unsubstantiated claim that Mitt went 10 years without having to pay taxes is, well, bald and unsubstantiated. Still, in the spectrum of vicious political attacks, this doesn’t rank. It’s not the unprovable, unknowable, can’t-wash-off-the-stink, scurrilous savagery that any candidate is defenseless against. Read More

08.03.12 | 9:34 am
The New Jobs Numbers … In 100 Seconds

It happens the first Friday of every month, but the cable nets never let that stop them from going craaazy. Watch.

08.03.12 | 9:59 am
Inside the Romney Boom (36,000!)

Has anyone noticed that the Romney advisor behind the ‘Romney Economic Boom’ is the guy responsible for one of the most spectacularly wrong and wildly optimistic economic predictions of the 1990s?

This week the Romney campaign was knocked on its heels by a study which suggested that Romney’s tax plan would — in addition to giving a windfall to the wealthiest Americans — increase taxes on 95% of Americans. So the guy who’s running for President to turn back President Obama’s supposedly high-taxing and deficit creating ways would actually raise taxes on virtually everyone and also explode the deficit. Read More

08.03.12 | 10:56 am
Long Live Laffer?

There’s a flipside to the point Josh makes below.

After flirting briefly with the outrageous notion that he could bring unemployment down to four percent, Romney’s taken to claiming that under his leadership unemployment will fall to about six percent in his first term, give or take a few tenths of a percent.

That’s fairly consistent with the “Romney boom” his advisers are promising. But here’s the thing: it’s also basically what most economic models say predict will happen no matter what, given safe assumptions. Read More

08.04.12 | 1:22 pm
Romney Outraged by Expanded Voting

Mitt Romney is attacking the Obama campaign for suing the state of Ohio to restore the right to vote early, as was the case in the 2008 election.

The Romney campaign is arguing that the Obama camp is actually trying to limit military voting. And his supporters are eating the claim up on Facebook, where Romney posted the claim. But as the day goes by even rightwing commentators seem to be realizing that this is simply a lie.

The whole episode is tailor made to expose how corrupted the press corps is. The entire thing is a demonstrable lie, and all in the service of keeping vote participation as low as possible. In other words, a Fehrnstrom Special. Very curious to see whether the biggs report it as such.

08.05.12 | 5:05 pm
Tattoos

From the LAT

Tattoos on the body of the slain Sikh temple gunman and certain biographical details led the FBI to treat the attack at a Milwaukee-area temple as an act of domestic terrorism, officials said Sunday.

08.06.12 | 4:39 am
Live From The Red Planet

NASA: “Everybody should be sticking their chests out and saying ‘that’s my rover on Mars

08.06.12 | 5:07 am
Harry Reid, Hatchet Man

The Senate Majority Leader, relishing his new role as big thorn in Mitt Romney’s side.