Down Time

I'll be on vacation for a week and I hope that my blogging colleagues can stop by and water the plants while I'm away. I may stop in for a quick post or two, but I'm not making any promises.

In the meantime, please keep a list of the Romney/Ryan lies for me while I'm away. That should keep you extremely busy for the next seven days.

Must Reads

Charles P. Pierce: The America Paul Ryan Forgot: A Vision of Freedom, by Way of Free Government, by Way of the Morrill Act

Imani Gandy: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Want You People to STFU and Just Trust Them

Bob Cesca: Romney to Cut PBS Funding While Ryan and GOP Protect Big Oil

The Rude Pundit: Mitt Romney's Cringe-Inducing Desperation

Mark Morford: Mitt Romney vs. dead potted plant

President Obama's Weekly Address - August 18, 2012

Congress Should Back Plan to Hire Teachers

Paul Ryan Forgets Stimulus Requests

Seriously, dude?! Now you're just fucking with me.

Paul Ryan spent the last three years railing against the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad stimulus in front of the cameras and microphones, while asking for stimulus money behind the scenes to help his district create jobs and stimulate the economy. That's a goddamn fact.

And still, after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar, with video and audio proof and letters requesting stimulus funds with his fucking signature on them, he still tries to push the bullshit that it "did nothing to stimulate the economy." That the stimulus was a complete failure.

Unfuckingbelievable.

Rachel Maddow wipes up the studio floor with this punk, jackass. Must. See.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(Cross-posted at ABLC)

Fact Check: Enough of the GOP Medicare BS

The new lie from the Romney camp and its hatchet men is that the Affordable Care Act cuts $716 billion from Medicare. Mitt Romney himself says that President Obama "stole $716 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare" and that current seniors are seeing a reduction in their benefits and their service. All of it is absolute horse shit.

And thank you, Soledad O'Brien for giving us a concise look at the facts.

 


This has to be shouted from the mountaintops. I don't give a shit that Paul Ryan's plan which Mitt Romney embraces, cuts the same amount of money out of the Medicare program. This is a bad argument for the mere fact that it'll get convoluted in a "both sides are the same" meme.

The argument is that ACA reduces Medicare increases by $716 billion over 10 years by reducing payments and streamlining the system and pumps that savings back into the healthcare system. Romney and Ryan would have that $716 billion come from the pockets of those who can least afford it, namely seniors on a fixed income, by restructuring Medicare into a voucher system that will never keep up with the rising cost of healthcare, especially if they plan on "repealing ALL of Obamacare" as Romney continues to threat.

And here's a great catch from Bob Cesca on the latest Romney ad flat out lying about the CBO report that I didn't catch the first time I saw it:

...the CBO’s director Doug Elmendorf wrote that if the House Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act, the repeal would increase federal spending on Medicare by $716 billion. There’s nothing about cutting Medicare in there. NOTHING. Romney and his campaign are lying. Again. And they’ll keep on doing it.

(Cross-posted on ABLC)

Paul Ryan's First "Homina Homina" Interview

Say what you will about Brit Hume (I certainly have), but this is one solid interview. Hume for the most part, doesn't let Ryan get away with vague, softball answers and tries to get concrete answers from Ryan on the GOP ticket's philosophy and how they plan to implement their vision.

You really should watch the whole interview and try to stomach some of the bullshit talking points.



There were a few things that struck me during this interview.

The $716 billion "raided" from Medicare to pay for Obamacare bullshit talking point not withstanding, Ryan insisted that under a Romney presidency, they would repeal ALL of Obamacare. Not keep the things that work or expressing concern for those who are enjoying some of the benefits of Obamacare already, but ENTIRELY repeal it.

That means those who have been able to obtain insurance now despite being previously refused due to preexisting conditions are out of luck. Seniors who've been able to save money by the Medicare Part D donut hole being closed? Sorry, you'll have to start paying for those meds again. Children who can stay on their parents insurance plan until 26 years of age, especially during this time of high unemployment and college graduates having trouble finding a job? That's a shame. It's the Henry Hill "Fuck you, pay me" Goodfellas style of health care policy.

If you noticed, it seems that the Romney campaign has basically forced Paul Ryan to abandon his own budget, causing Ryan to repeatedly refer to Romney's vision and that he signed on to the Romney campaign. Nevermind Ryan's philosophy and the budget he worked tirelessly on. That was apparently just an exercise to "start the conversation."

Hume also asked about Ryan's affinity for Ayn Rand, to which Ryan responded that he loved her books but not her philosophy. That same philosophy she espouses in her books that causes Ryan to insist his staffers read Rand?

All of this is can only get much more interesting if this is just Day Three of the Dynamic Duo's rollout. What does Ryan now stand for? All of Romney's ideas... or lack of.