Romney Releases Another False Ad, Revives Claim That Obama ‘Gutted’ Welfare Reform

Romney Releases Another False Ad, Revives Claim That Obama ‘Gutted’ Welfare Reform: After releasing false radio and television ads about the auto bailout, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign unveiled a new commercial that highlights another one of the candidate’s favorite false claims. This ad, first flagged by the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, revives Romney’s claim that President Obama has “gutted the welfare work requirement” through a waiver program [...]/p

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams

Yes, Romney's a Liar, But This Is Getting Ridiculous | Common Dreams
"It is no secret that political candidates are capable of doing awful things when they are reach the desperate final days of an election campaign."

Chrysler CEO smacks down Romney's Jeep-to-China lies

Chrysler CEO smacks down Romney's Jeep-to-China lies
"No wonder Marchionne felt the need to write this: Romney is trying to convince Jeep workers that they are in danger of losing their jobs, pouring money into ads claiming just that. Trying to use lies to frighten people into voting for you goes beyond cynicism to being incredibly callous—something that's in line with everything we know about Mitt Romney's approach to working people. As far as he's concerned, they're backdrops or pawns or easy cuts to make. It's how he's running, and it's how he'd govern."

Christie Praises Obama, Doesn't 'Give a Damn' About Romney Photo Op

Christie Praises Obama, Doesn't 'Give a Damn' About Romney Photo Op
""The president was great last night," Christie continued. "He said he would get it done. At 2 a.m., I got a call from FEMA to answer a couple of final questions and then he signed the declaration this morning. So I have to give the president great credit. He's been on the phone with me three times in the last 24 hours. He's been very attentive, and anything that I've asked for, he's gotten to me. So, I thank the president publicly for that. He's done -- as far as I'm concerned -- a great job for New Jersey"."

Where Did Paul Ryan Find Inspiration for 'Reforming' Social Security? A Brutal Military Dictatorship, Naturally | Alternet

Where Did Paul Ryan Find Inspiration for 'Reforming' Social Security? A Brutal Military Dictatorship, Naturally | Alternet
"While the Republican Party and its wealthy plutocrat backers have been accused of waging an elitist virtual war against the American majority, both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have financial and ideological ties to rich Latin American elites who have waged real wars against average citizens in their countries."

Is The Voter Vigilante Group True The Vote Violating Ohio Law to Intimidate Voters at the Polls? | Alternet

Is The Voter Vigilante Group True The Vote Violating Ohio Law to Intimidate Voters at the Polls? | Alternet
"A right-wing voter vigilante group, TrueTheVote, may be pushing their anti-democratic agenda into illegal territory in Ohio by interfering with that state’s official poll worker training regimen one week before the 2012 presidential election."

Early Voting Scorecard: Obama Ahead in Iowa and Nevada | Alternet

Early Voting Scorecard: Obama Ahead in Iowa and Nevada | Alternet
"With more than 10 million people already casting a ballot, early voting is on pace likely to exceed the 41 million cast in 2008. Next week will be crunch time as millions of people across the country cast ballots."

How Mitt Romney Wants to Make America Like China | Alternet

How Mitt Romney Wants to Make America Like China | Alternet
"China’s a semi-communist authoritarian gerontocracy with a horrendous human rights record, but man, look at those low wages and lack of regulation!"

Romney Returns to His 'Obama Made the Economy Worse' Lie

Romney Returns to His 'Obama Made the Economy Worse' Lie
"That simply isn't true. And neither is Mitt Romney's two year-old slander that President Obama "made the economy worse." Romney's closing argument to voters, like his opening statement, is a Big Lie. And his ceaseless repetition hasn't made it any made it any truer."

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney's Auto Neurotic Prevarication

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney's Auto Neurotic Prevarication
"Gripped by an irresistible obsession to become President of the United States, Romney will lie to voters on almost any issue, large or small. And on no point is Romney's compulsion to fabricate more pathological than on President Obama's successful rescue of the American auto industry. As his new ad designed to dupe voters in Ohio and across the industrial Midwest makes clear, the same Mitt Romney who was content to "let Detroit go bankrupt" now pretends to be its savior."

Medicare's 'death spiral' under Romney/Ryan voucher plan confirmed in new study

Medicare's 'death spiral' under Romney/Ryan voucher plan confirmed in new study
"Another study finds that the voucher system Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan envision for Medicare will cause the program's demise."

PERRspectives: Romney 's Closing Argument is "Obama Made Economy Worse" Lie

PERRspectives: Romney 's Closing Argument is "Obama Made Economy Worse" Lie
"Unfortunately for Romney, the facts and the overwhelming consensus of economists - including the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and John McCain's 2008 brain trust - flatly contradict Mitt's closing argument. Instead, the numbers show and the experts confirm that President Obama saved the American free-enterprise system from the abyss and averted Great Depression 2.0."

Conservatives tested which anti-Obama conspiracy films to send to voters

Conservatives tested which anti-Obama conspiracy films to send to voters
"Translation: They knew it was a rancid pile of conspiratorial, lying dung—but they still wanted to know if showing it to people would work. The conservative movement is now focus grouping its conspiracy theories to see which ones to promote to voters."

Meet 8 Romney-Backed Senate Candidates Who Would Force Victims to Have Their Rapists' Babies | Alternet

Meet 8 Romney-Backed Senate Candidates Who Would Force Victims to Have Their Rapists' Babies | Alternet
"What they’ve missed is the fact that, in today's Republican Party, Mourdock’s position is the new normal. Among the handful of Republican senatorial candidates who echo Mourdock's contention that even a rape-induced pregancy is sacred are several who, like Tim Smith in Pennsylvania, are polliing well against their Democratic opponents."

Democratic Rep. Explains Why Now Is The ‘Absolute Right Time’ To Invest In Crumbling Infrastructure

Democratic Rep. Explains Why Now Is The ‘Absolute Right Time’ To Invest In Crumbling Infrastructure: LOUISVILLE — There is no better time than now to invest in America’s crumbling infrastructure, Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth (D) told ThinkProgress in an interview this week. With the nation facing high unemployment and in need of a massive upgrade to its roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects, the government should take advantage of historically [...]/p

Mitt Romney stays silent on Sensata as he lies about Jeep jobs going to China

Mitt Romney stays silent on Sensata as he lies about Jeep jobs going to China
"Let's untangle the levels of nerve here. Romney is claiming that the way to keep Chrysler from moving Jeep production to China is to elect Mitt Romney. In fact, not only is Chrysler not moving Jeep production to China, it's expanding Jeep production in Michigan and Ohio. But don't worry, if you vote for Romney, he'll fight for every one of those jobs to be kept right here in America."

‘Anti-Business’ Obama Is Best President For Corporate Profits Since 1900

‘Anti-Business’ Obama Is Best President For Corporate Profits Since 1900: Since he came into office, Republicans have consistently attacked President Obama for supposedly being anti-business. As ThinkProgress noted last week, the data shows that this charge is nonsense. In fact, as the financial website Motley Fool noted today, President Obama is far and away the best president for corporate profits since 1900: Even if corporate [...]/p

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before
If you live in one of the states that might be affected, and can vote early, get out there vote now.

Six Important Things To Know Before Romney’s ‘Closing Argument’ On The Economy

Six Important Things To Know Before Romney’s ‘Closing Argument’ On The Economy: Mitt Romney will deliver what’s being billed as his “closing argument” in Ames, Iowa today, focusing his speech on the economy. Here are six important things to know before Romney takes the stage. 1) ROMNEY’S BOGUS 12 MILLION JOBS: Romney consistently promises that his policies will create 12 million jobs over his first term. But [...]/p

How the Wealthy Have Turned State Elections All Over America Into Their Own Personal Playgrounds | Alternet

How the Wealthy Have Turned State Elections All Over America Into Their Own Personal Playgrounds | Alternet
"The 2012 election has become a political extreme sport for wealthy individuals and corporate America, as they have blown off whatever’s left in campaign finance laws and have strutted on the electoral field as the rest of us watch like spectators from the cheap seats. But what’s not fully appreciated is how the plutocrats’ stampede doesn’t stop with the presidency, but is playing an outsized role in many down-ballot and state races."

Todd Akin: Warrior for the Right

Todd Akin: Warrior for the Right
"In recent days, it's become clear that the Republican Senate candidate in Missouri doesn't just spew anti-abortion rhetoric: He's acted on it."

Republicans' Shocking Positions on Rape and Pregnancy Aren't Outliers -- They're Central to the GOP Agenda | Alternet

Republicans' Shocking Positions on Rape and Pregnancy Aren't Outliers -- They're Central to the GOP Agenda | Alternet
"With the takeover of the G.O.P by the religious right, Mourdock's position on abortion, rape and incest is in line with the party platform -- and echoed by top party leaders, including Paul Ryan."

Where Did the Debt Come From?

Romney Campaign on Mourdock's Rape Comments: We 'Still Support Him'

Romney Campaign on Mourdock's Rape Comments: We 'Still Support Him'
"Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign said on Wednesday that they disagreed with Indiana GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's statement that pregnancy from rape "is something that God intended to happen," but the former Massachusetts governor still supports him."

Electoral math makes a comeback

Electoral math makes a comeback
"he president starts off with undisputed leads in 16 states and the District of Columbia with 237 electoral votes, 33 short of the 270 needed to win. Romney begins with equally clear leads in 23 states with 191 electoral votes, 79 short of a victory."

Ohio Senate Nominee Defends Mourdock After Rape Comments: ‘He’s A Class Act’

Ohio Senate Nominee Defends Mourdock After Rape Comments: ‘He’s A Class Act’: Ohio Senate nominee Josh Mandel (R) defended neighboring Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock (R) for his comments that pregnancies resulting from rape are a “gift from God,” calling Mourdock a “gentleman” and a “class act.” Mandel was initially asked on Wednesday whether he agreed with Mourdock that “God intended” for pregnancies from rape, but the [...]/p

5 Voter Misinformation Campaigns To Watch Out For

5 Voter Misinformation Campaigns To Watch Out For: Though most voter ID laws and voter purges have been thrown out or delayed by judges, voter suppression efforts are still alive and well. With two weeks to Election Day, voters in critical swing states are being inundated with false information and intimidating messages meant to discourage them from voting. While shenanigans have been reported [...]/p

Top 6 Lies Romney Has Told Women in an Election Season Full of Whoppers | Alternet

Top 6 Lies Romney Has Told Women in an Election Season Full of Whoppers | Alternet
"In the last weeks before the election, Romney has shown himself ready to get down on bended knee to woo the female vote. Which would be cute, if he didn’t have a record of denying women their basic human rights. Unbeknownst to Mitt, women, in addition to making handy office workers, are also fully capable of seeing through all the manipulations, mansplaining and malarkey that have been spread around this campaign season. "

GOP Rep. Calls For Tax Cuts For The Wealthy, Tax Hikes For Everyone Else, And A Hit To The Economy

GOP Rep. Calls For Tax Cuts For The Wealthy, Tax Hikes For Everyone Else, And A Hit To The Economy: Tea Party Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) went on CNBC today and within the course of about two minutes managed to call for extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, while also hiking taxes on lower-income and working Americans. When asked by the host what he thought should be done about the upcoming “fiscal cliff,” [...]/p

Armed forces overwhelmingly support Obama in donations

Armed forces overwhelmingly support Obama in donations
"Ahead of the foreign policy debate, Open Secrets shows that those with real skin in the game, members of the military and civilian employees of the military, are overwhelmingly supporting President Obama."

Lyin' Ryan Has No Plan to Cut the Deficit - and if He Did, Romney Would Oppose It | Alternet

Lyin' Ryan Has No Plan to Cut the Deficit - and if He Did, Romney Would Oppose It | Alternet
"GOP candidates can't get their stories straight on the deficit. Maybe because they're both full of baloney."

14 Most Extreme Candidates | Alternet

14 Most Extreme Candidates | Alternet
"It’s well known that in recent years, this country has seen its electoral politics polarized to an extent that has only rarely been paralleled in American history. But that polarization in many cases goes far beyond anything resembling mainstream discourse, extending to men and women who are linked to hate groups and racial, ethnic, religious, anti-gay and antigovernment extremism, or who promote extremist propaganda."

After Attending Stimulus Funded Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, Tea Party Rep. Dismisses Stimulus Money

After Attending Stimulus Funded Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, Tea Party Rep. Dismisses Stimulus Money: CONWAY, New Hampshire — Less than a year after attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new stimulus funded infrastructure project in New Hampshire, Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) derided the Recovery Act, telling constituents at a debate to ask “if that stimulus helped them.” The freshman congressman attended and spoke at a dedication of a new [...]/p

Paul Ryan Is an Ayn-Rand Loving "Satanist" and Romney Is in a "Cult?" The GOP's Religion Woes | Alternet

Paul Ryan Is an Ayn-Rand Loving "Satanist" and Romney Is in a "Cult?" The GOP's Religion Woes | Alternet
"There are major conflicts roiling the depths of American religious conservatism, and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are caught in the middle."

Add the auto bailout to the list of things Romney opposed but profited from

Add the auto bailout to the list of things Romney opposed but profited from
"Apparently there's nothing that Romney opposes so much he won't try to make a profit off of it. Which, actually, we already knew, thanks to his role in Bain investments in a medical-waste firm that disposed of aborted fetuses. And don't forget how Romney invested in a company founded to make profits on the aftermath of 9/11. Never mind all that profit from exactly the kind of Chinese trade practices he's campaigning against."

How The Model Tax Plan Romney Cited Could Raise One Middle-Class Woman’s Taxes By $6,000

How The Model Tax Plan Romney Cited Could Raise One Middle-Class Woman’s Taxes By $6,000:  Throughout the campaign, Mitt Romney has refused to give details when asked how he plans to pay for his nearly $4.8 trillion in tax cuts. In Tuesday night’s debate, audience member Mary Follano asked Romney how his [...]/p

Just Study It Out Buddy: Annals of Right-Wing Idiocy | Common Dreams

Just Study It Out Buddy: Annals of Right-Wing Idiocy | Common Dreams
"llinois Tea Partier Joe Walsh is the latest, among many like-minded morons, to confirm Ellsberg, Chomsky et al are right: There are not as many differences as there should be between the major parties/candidates, but there are enough to matter. To wit: Walsh's latest drivel, after telling employers they should harass employees into voting Republican, saying he opposes abortion with no exceptions because "modern technology and science" ensure "you can't find one instance" of a woman's health or life endangered by a pregnancy."

Meet Romney’s Economic Hit Man | Common Dreams

Meet Romney’s Economic Hit Man | Common Dreams
"Hubbard is the ideological hit man instrumental in justifying the mortgage derivatives bubble that caused the Great Recession during the George W. Bush years. He now serves as Romney’s key economic adviser and is the front-runner to be the next Treasury secretary should the Republican win."

Neoconservative Jingoism Plus Mormon Delusion Equals Perpetual War | Alternet

Neoconservative Jingoism Plus Mormon Delusion Equals Perpetual War | Alternet
"You see unlike Romney's sons my military-aged son volunteered to serve our country."

Billy Graham's Romney Endorsement Backfires -- 'Mormonism Is a Cult' Meme Could Reach Millions | Alternet

Billy Graham's Romney Endorsement Backfires -- 'Mormonism Is a Cult' Meme Could Reach Millions | Alternet
"Romney is counting on evangelicals. The irony is that this is a shotgun marriage between two very different religions but they are completely dependent upon one another for victory."

Republican Congressman Says Hospitals Should Be Allowed To Turn Away Patients Who Don’t Have Insurance

Republican Congressman Says Hospitals Should Be Allowed To Turn Away Patients Who Don’t Have Insurance: CONWAY, New Hampshire — Finding bipartisan agreement on any policy is a rarity these days, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have supported treating people who show up in the hospital, regardless of their ability to pay. Now, one Tea Party congressman is taking issue with that requirement. Giving literal meaning to his [...]/p

New Proposal Doesn’t Stop Romney’s Plan From Giving A Huge Tax Cut To The Rich

New Proposal Doesn’t Stop Romney’s Plan From Giving A Huge Tax Cut To The Rich: During Tuesday’s second presidential debate, Republican nominee Mitt Romney floated a new idea to pay for his tax plan, which provides nearly $5 trillion in tax cuts. Romney introduced this proposal after analysts showed that Romney can’t mathematically achieve his goals of reducing income tax rates by 20 percent while not increasing middle class taxes [...]/p

Virginia GOP Caught Throwing Away Voter Registrations

Virginia GOP Caught Throwing Away Voter Registrations
"You know how every time they're in control, Republicans grow the government and run into the ground to prove that government is inefficient and bloated? Well, I think it's time to realize that the GOP is now determined to prove that their cries of voter fraud are true...because they're the ones committing it."

What Billy Koehler's Death Reveals About Romney's Frightening Agenda | Alternet

What Billy Koehler's Death Reveals About Romney's Frightening Agenda | Alternet
Romney, a quarter-billionaire born with a silver foot in his mouth, has shielded himself from the world in which America’s many Billy Koehlers exist. Their paths don’t naturally cross. Billy Koehlers don’t hang out with Romney’s NASCAR owner pals. Billy Koehlers don’t disparage the nation’s elderly and impoverished at fundraisers in the homes of private equity moguls . FDR and JFK made an effort to understand the joys and hardships of the non-rich. But Romney hasn’t. And that’s why he so carelessly called America’s Billy Koehlers a deliberately dependent underclass, albeit one comprising 47 percent of all citizens. Because Romney knows nothing of the lives of the nation’s Billy Koehlers, the Republican nominee can dismiss their medical predicaments as nonexistent and assure wealthy donors he won’t “worry about those people.”

Does the Romney Family Now Own Your E-Vote?

Does the Romney Family Now Own Your E-Vote?
"But these Hart machines are deeply flawed and widely know to be open to a troubling variety of attacks and breakdowns ( http://www.bradblog.com/... ).  There is no legal or other means to definitively monitor and re-check a tally compiled on Hart or other electronic voting machines.  Ohio's current governor and secretary of state are both Republicans."

Mitt Romney's Heartless Advice to a Woman Whose Pregnancy Might Have Killed Her | Alternet

Mitt Romney's Heartless Advice to a Woman Whose Pregnancy Might Have Killed Her | Alternet
"Romney's fellow Mormon, Glenn Beck, the controversial right-wing talk radio host, speculated about a Romney victory at the polls by noting, "I think God is trying to make this so clear to us that, if it happens, it's His finger"."

Blue States Are From Scandinavia, Red States Are From Guatemala | The New Republic

Blue States Are From Scandinavia, Red States Are From Guatemala | The New Republic
"Advocates for the red-state approach to government invoke lofty principles: By resisting federal programs and defying federal laws, they say, they are standing up for liberty. These were the same arguments that the original red-staters made in the 1800s, before the Civil War, and in the 1900s, before the Civil Rights movement. Now, as then, the liberty the red states seek is the liberty to let a whole class of citizens suffer. That’s not something the rest of us should tolerate. This country has room for different approaches to policy. It doesn’t have room for different standards of human decency."

Romney Told 31 Myths In 41 Minutes During Last Night's Debate | Alternet

Romney Told 31 Myths In 41 Minutes During Last Night's Debate | Alternet
"During the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado Romney managed to tell  27 myths in his 38 minutes  of speaking time. But at his second encounter with Obama in New York, the GOP presidential candidate — who has run  a post-truth campaign  from day one — outdid himself and crammed 31 myths in 41 minutes:"

Romney's Bain Capital Is Sending a Bunch of High-Tech Jobs to China on the Day Before the Election | Alternet

Romney's Bain Capital Is Sending a Bunch of High-Tech Jobs to China on the Day Before the Election | Alternet
"On the day before an election that's supposed to hinge on jobs, taxes and the middle class, Bain Capital, the company Mitt Romney founded, will close the doors of a factory in Freeport, Illinois, and ship 170 good, high-tech jobs to China."

Romney’s Seven Biggest Debate Lies | Common Dreams

Romney’s Seven Biggest Debate Lies | Common Dreams
"Here are the seven biggest lies Romney told:"

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney is "Sticking It to Seniors"

PERRspectives: Mitt Romney is "Sticking It to Seniors"
"As it turns out, what we know for sure about Mitt Romney's assault on senior citizens may pale compared to what we don't. Romney, after all, has promised to magically offset $5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in new defense spending over the next decade by closing as yet unnamed tax credits, deductions and deductions. But among Uncle Sam's $1.1 trillion in annual tax expenditures are a host of tax breaks for the elderly. That figure is forecast to hit almost $1.4 trillion by 2015. While the home mortgage and health expense deductions top that list, untaxed Social Security benefits will reach $44 billion annually in three years. And that's just one example. Mitt Romney has called for raising the retirement age to 67 for those now 55 and under. (In his 2008 campaign, Romney supported President Bush's proposal to privatize the retiree pension system.)"

Reagan Advisor: History Shows Romney’s Tax Plan Won’t Boost Job Growth

Reagan Advisor: History Shows Romney’s Tax Plan Won’t Boost Job Growth: Both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his running-mate Paul Ryan claim that their campaign’s jobs plan is essentially its tax plan. In an ad, Romney states that “my tax reform plan to lower rates for the middle class and for small business creates seven million [jobs]” out of the twelve million total he says his [...]/p

5 Facts You Should Commit To Memory Before Watching Tonight’s Debate

5 Facts You Should Commit To Memory Before Watching Tonight’s Debate: Debates move quickly. The candidates toss out facts at breakneck speeds, trying to get across their entire plans in just 90 minutes. Tonight, Obama and Romney will square off in a debate that’s been billed as high-stakes — Obama will seek to regain the momentum, while Romney hopes to sustain his. So as the candidates [...]/p

Tea Party Leader In Mississippi Suggests ‘Our Country Might Have Been Better Off’ If Women Still Couldn’t Vote

Tea Party Leader In Mississippi Suggests ‘Our Country Might Have Been Better Off’ If Women Still Couldn’t Vote: The President of the Central Mississippi Tea Party, a woman named Janis Lane, believes that women are too “mean, hateful” and “diabolical” to vote, and likely should not have been given the right. In an interview with the Jackson Free Press, Lane told the interviewer, “I’m really going to set you back here. Probably the [...]/p

5 Disturbing Stories About Mitt Romney That Expose His Private Worldview | Alternet

5 Disturbing Stories About Mitt Romney That Expose His Private Worldview | Alternet
"A close look at Romney's past reveals many warning signs -- some even worse than driving with his dog on the roof."

How The GOP Destroyed Its Moderates | The New Republic

How The GOP Destroyed Its Moderates | The New Republic
"MITT ROMNEY HAS BEEN running for president as the Republican nominee, de facto or de jure, for eight months now, and the grand historical joke of it has not yet worn off. A party that has set itself to frantically, fanatically expunge its moderates, quasi-moderates, suspected moderates, and fellow travelers of moderates chose as its standard bearer the lineal heir, biographically and genealogically, to its moderate tradition. It entrusted its holy crusade to repeal Barack Obama’s hated health-care law to the man who had inspired it and run, four years before, promising to do the same for the rest of America."

Paul Ryan's Misconceived Rugged Individualism

Paul Ryan's Misconceived Rugged Individualism
"In The Fountainhead, novelist Ayn Rand - Ryan's inspiration - extolled unbridled individualism by depicting an ambitious architect vying to succeed on his own. But could a real-world architect fulfill his aspirations if beset by health problems and exorbitant bills? Medical expenses are a leading cause behind the majority of US bankruptcies. Most of the bankrupted are not even poor, but middle-class. Further, approximately 45,000 Americans die every year due to inadequate health insurance. In other words, access to health care empowers people to live their lives."

Romney and Ryan Have Resorted to Lying as a Form of Debating | Alternet

Romney and Ryan Have Resorted to Lying as a Form of Debating | Alternet
"The major problem, however, is that all of this lazy thinking leaves Republicans ill-equipped to govern – as seen in the problems encountered by the Gingrich Congress, the George W. Bush administration and now the Boehner/Ryan House. And that matters a lot."

Moody’s Chief Economist On Romney’s Tax Plan: ‘The Arithmetic Doesn’t Work’

Moody’s Chief Economist On Romney’s Tax Plan: ‘The Arithmetic Doesn’t Work’: The fact that Mitt Romney’s tax plan is mathematically impossible was reinforced again on Friday, when Mark Zandi, a former John McCain campaign adviser and Chief Economist at Moody’s Economy, admitted as much. Speaking on CNN’s “Starting Point,” Zandi acknowledged a study by the Tax Policy Center that shows Romney’s plan to lower taxes by [...]/p

The 6 Studies Paul Ryan Cited Prove Mitt Romney's Tax Plan Is Impossible - The Atlantic

The 6 Studies Paul Ryan Cited Prove Mitt Romney's Tax Plan Is Impossible - The Atlantic
"Paul Ryan finally had enough time to go through the math of the Romney tax plan during the vice-presidential debate. He didn't use it. Ryan filibustered instead. About the most specific he got was citing "six studies" he said vindicate the plan's mathematical plausibility. Except they don't."

GOP Consultant Under Investigation For Voter Registration Fraud Quietly Restarts Registration Efforts

GOP Consultant Under Investigation For Voter Registration Fraud Quietly Restarts Registration Efforts: The Republican National Committee hastily cut ties with Strategic Allied Consulting in late September, when Florida opened a criminal investigation into the GOP-funded voter registration firm for turning in hundreds of fraudulent registration forms in Florida counties. Once Palm Beach County raised the alarm, other states discovered fraudulent registrations, including North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada and [...]/p

Jon Stewart Takes on the Craziest Rape-Denying, Conspiracy-Spouting GOP Candidates

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In a segment titled "You Magnificent Bastards" Jon Stewart introduced his viewers last night to GOP characters like Todd Akin, Joe Walsh, Paul Broun and of course Allen West. These guys aren't just running for office, he noted, many of them hold plum committee seats already, don't you know--including the Committee on Science and Technology.

10 Conservatives Who Have Praised American Slavery | Alternet

10 Conservatives Who Have Praised American Slavery | Alternet
"For obvious reasons, the American conservative movement has long been dogged by accusations of racism and racial insensitivity. From their famed Southern strategy to their determined efforts to suppress minority voting via phony voter ID initiatives to their race-baiting Obama attacks, conservatives have made clear their opposition to a tolerant, multicultural America. In fact, much of their electoral strategy relies on scaring older, white voters about blacks and Hispanics taking over "their" country."

Paul Ryan: No Specifics, Just a Secret Plan | Common Dreams

Paul Ryan: No Specifics, Just a Secret Plan | Common Dreams
"Richard Milhous Nixon said in 1968 that the war in Vietnam was the critical concern of that year's presidential contest, the one issue that had to be addressed by the candidates.  And he addressed it with a “secret plan” to end the war. No details during the campaign, the Republican nominee for president explained; voters just needed to trust him and he would cut the right deals once elected."

At The Vice Presidential Debate: Ryan Told 24 Myths In 40 Minutes

At The Vice Presidential Debate: Ryan Told 24 Myths In 40 Minutes: 1) “It took the president two weeks to acknowledge that [the Libya attack] was a terrorist attack.” Obama used the word “terrorism” to describe the killing of Americans the very next day at the Rose Garden. “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the [...]/p

Biden v. Ryan: The Old Pro Takes On the Lying Kid | Alternet

Biden v. Ryan: The Old Pro Takes On the Lying Kid | Alternet
""That's a lot of malarkey," Biden said of Ryan's lies -- and then went on to slice and dice, smiling all the while."

Walkergate Trials Heating Up, Plea Deal Has State Buzzing

Walkergate Trials Heating Up, Plea Deal Has State Buzzing
"Kelly Rindfleisch served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. She wascharged (PDF) with 4 felonies relating to political fundraising while on the county payroll. Her trial was set to begin next week in Milwaukee County Court. On Monday, October 8, Rindfleisch’s lawyers subpoenaed the Governor to testify in her trial."

Ever Wonder Where the Extreme Right's Conspiracy Theories and Paranoid Rumors Get Started? Meet WorldNetDaily | Alternet

Ever Wonder Where the Extreme Right's Conspiracy Theories and Paranoid Rumors Get Started? Meet WorldNetDaily | Alternet
"WND is the brainchild of Joseph Farah, a self-described “radical” and longtime antigovernment propagandist and apologist for the Confederacy who believes “cultural Marxists” are plotting “to transform our political system, to change the way we think, to attack our values, to demean our faith in God, to reduce that shining city on the hill to the status of a drab public-housing project.”

Together with a coterie of antigovernment “Patriots,” anti-gay activists, white nationalists, Muslim-bashers, conspiracy theorists, end-times prophets and ultraconservative hardliners, Farah has built WND into a modest media empire including a book imprint, an online subscription-only “intelligence resource,” and a glossy, full-color monthly magazine."

Romney Says Insurers Should Be Able To Deny Coverage To Some People

Romney Says Insurers Should Be Able To Deny Coverage To Some People: During an interview with the editorial board of the Columbus Dispatch, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney attempted to sketch out the contours of his health care plan and the policies he would enact to help the millions of Americans who cannot obtain health insurance due to a pre-existing condition. Romney suggested that under his plan, [...]/p

Paul Ryan: The Lyin' King -- 10 of His Worst Campaign Fabrications | Alternet

Paul Ryan: The Lyin' King -- 10 of His Worst Campaign Fabrications | Alternet
"Mitt Romney pollster Neil Newhouse recently said that the Romney campaign is “not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.” If the past few weeks are any indication, Paul Ryan is sticking pretty close to that strategy. Here are his most recent lies, going back to his universally fact-checked Republican National Convention speech."

What Everyone Needs To Know Before Watching The VP Debate

What Everyone Needs To Know Before Watching The VP Debate: 1. Romney and Ryan would eliminate health care for 31 million people who are poor or disabled. Medicaid, which helps poor Americans, some seniors, and children afford health care, is right in the crosshairs of Paul Ryan’s House budget. He proposed cutting $1.4 trillion from the program, a move that would kick about 11 million [...]/p

Outsourced Sensata Worker on Training Her Chinese Replacement

Bain Capital-owned Sensata is outsourcing its plant in Freeport, IL to China. Bonnie Borman is losing her job to outsourcing after working for Sensata for 23 years.

Romney Breaks A Year of Promises To Rightwingers--And They're Cheering | Alternet

Romney Breaks A Year of Promises To Rightwingers--And They're Cheering | Alternet
"He was for repealing Obamacare until he wasn’t. He was forrepealing Dodd-Frank financial reforms until he wasn’t. He was for keeping tax cuts for the top 1 percent until he wasn’t. He was for ‘ self-deportation’ of illegal immigrants until he wasn’t—on the eve of the first presidential debate.

And now Mitt Romney says he won’t pursueany anti-abortion legislation if elected, except he’s said thathe’d sign an executive order barring foreign aid for abortions. And his website says the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade. And he favors a constitutional amendment banning abortion. Mitt Romney is not just tacking to the political center —as many websites are reporting Wednesday, as if this was a time-honored, utterly predictable and therefore politically acceptable shift. It’s not. If Romney took these initial positions under oath in a court and then recanted, he’d be found guilty of perjury. Only in American elections are such shifts considered 'free speech.'

Romney flat-out lying to his own base about abortion

Romney flat-out lying to his own base about abortion
"This of course was a departure from the many promises Romney has made to his party to oppose abortion, support a constitutional amendment banning all abortion, shut down Planned Parenthood, defund health care for women, give employers the right to deny health care to their employees, and appoint activist judges to the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v. Wade."

Clinton Mocks Romney: 'Old Moderate Mitt' Is Back!

Clinton Mocks Romney: 'Old Moderate Mitt' Is Back!

"I thought, 'Wow, here's old moderate Mitt. Where ya been, boy? I missed ya all these last two years,'" the former president quipped.

"Now, the problem with this deal is the deal was made by severe conservative Mitt," Clinton continued. "That was how he described himself for two whole years, until three or four days before the debate -- they all got together and said, 'Hey, man, this ship is sinking faster than the Titanic... so just show up with a sunny face and say, I didn't say all that stuff I said in the last two years. You gonna believe me or your lying eyes here? Come on.'"

Romney Praises National Health Care Mandate As A ‘Bipartisan Proposal’

Romney Praises National Health Care Mandate As A ‘Bipartisan Proposal’: Mitt Romney seemed to embrace a proposal that includes a national mandate to purchase health care insurance, during an interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, criticizing President Obama for failing to accept a reform plan offered by former Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). That plan, [...]/p

Mother Of Navy SEAL Killed In Libya Demands Romney Stop Talking About Him In Stump Speech

Mother Of Navy SEAL Killed In Libya Demands Romney Stop Talking About Him In Stump Speech: The mother of a former Navy SEAL who was killed in the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya last month has asked Mitt Romney to stop recounting a story about meeting the former SEAL, Glen Doherty, at a holiday party a few years ago. Romney first relayed the story yesterday during a [...]/p

Koch front group seeks revenge against Florida Justices

There's something even more disturbing than voter suppression going on in Florida - and yes - Gov. Rick Scott has his hands all over it. So what is the king of voter suppression up to now?

Rewriting Republican's take on Slavery

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell asks where is the outcry over a candidate who used the Bible to justify slavery?

Mitt Romney Etch-a-Sketches His Stance on Abortion. Again.

Mitt Romney Etch-a-Sketches His Stance on Abortion. Again.
"So, if you're a one issue, "pro-life" voter -- Romney just told you that there's absolutely no reason to vote for him at all."

Mitt Romney reveals his magical tax plan math. And it looks just like Bush's.

Mitt Romney reveals his magical tax plan math. And it looks just like Bush's.
"So, yes, Romney sounds just like Bush. And yes, Romney's plan is rooted in magical tax plan math, just like Bush's plan. And it would be just as big a disaster—if not even worse."

As Governor, Romney Disapproved of Funding Multiple Sclerosis Services

As Governor, Romney Disapproved of Funding Multiple Sclerosis Services
"As heartless as this sounds, trying to defund MS spending is a drop in Mitt's "The Governor disapproved this item" bucket list.  Governor Romney disapproved of funding for The Special Olympics, for VETS, for The Blind, and many programs to help the disabled, food for kids, and services for the elderly."

Congress to Investigate True The Vote For Vote Suppression

Congress to Investigate True The Vote For Vote Suppression
"Yes, the same kind of people who got themselves worked into an angry froth about two members of the New Black Panther Party standing in front of a polling place in Philadelphia have decided to show the Dems how it's really done -- with Tea Party thuggery!"

Rep. Allen West running on personal attacks, amassing huge war chest

Rep. Allen West running on personal attacks, amassing huge war chest
"Think on that a moment. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is courting the same voters, at the same event, as the guy who has called his fellow members of Congress communists. And that's one of his more mild comments. There's your GOP in 2012."

Arkansas State Rep: ‘If Slavery Were So God-Awful, Why Didn’t Jesus Or Paul Condemn It?’

Arkansas State Rep: ‘If Slavery Were So God-Awful, Why Didn’t Jesus Or Paul Condemn It?’: After Arkansas Republicans disavowed a book by state representative Jon Hubbard (R-AR) claiming slavery was “a blessing in disguise” for African Americans, Hubbard’s colleague, state Rep. Loy Mauch (R-AR) has been outed by the Arkansas Times for his pro-slavery, pro-Confederacy letters to the editor over the past decade. Mauch’s run for reelection this year is [...]/p

Republican Candidate In Arkansas Says Parents Should Seek Death Penalty Against ‘Rebellious Children’

Republican Candidate In Arkansas Says Parents Should Seek Death Penalty Against ‘Rebellious Children’: A candidate for the Arkansas legislature, Charlie Fuqua, says children who don’t demonstrate “respect for parents” should be put to death, the Arkansas Times reports. Fuqua is a former member of the Arkansas legislature and has received support from the Arkansas Republican Party and two sitting members of Congress. Here’s the key passage from Fuqua’s [...]/p

Sorry, Mitt: GM to add 2,000 jobs in Michigan

Sorry, Mitt: GM to add 2,000 jobs in Michigan
"General Motors is announcing it will be adding 2,000 jobs in Michigan, starting with 1,500 information technology jobs. Gosh, aren't you glad President Obama didn't "let Detroit go bankrupt" like some Republican presidential nominees wanted?"

Gingrich Slams Romney's Debate Honesty: 'It's Clear He Changed' on Tax Cuts

Gingrich Slams Romney's Debate Honesty: 'It's Clear He Changed' on Tax Cuts
"Former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Sunday admitted that GOP hopeful Mitt Romney had "changed" positions during last week's debate when he claimed that he had not proposed a $5 trillion tax cut."

Mitt Romney Sings Different Tune On Middle East With Key Donors

Mitt Romney Sings Different Tune On Middle East With Key Donors
"Here's Mitt Romney a few short months ago telling donors all about how the only real strategy in the Middle East is...hope."

Romney’s Major Reversal On Foreign Aid

Romney’s Major Reversal On Foreign Aid: In a Columbus Day speech to the Virginia Military Institute, Governor Mitt Romney backed away from his controversial position of requiring foreign assistance to be “zeroed out” each year. The speech, billed as a “major foreign policy address” as the Romney campaign seeks to highlight the candidate’s policy positions in the run-up to the election, [...]/p

Why Romney’s Mormonism Matters » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Why Romney’s Mormonism Matters » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormons), with its history of religious severity, appears to be a perfect fit for the über-orthodoxy of the Tea Party-controlled GOP. Despite misgivings that many non-Mormon Republicans may have (most Christian groups don’t consider the Mormons to be Christians), the history and doctrine of the Mormon faith seem to go hand in hand with the kind of derelict bigotry and racism that the current GOP espouses."

Mitt Romney's win is conservatism's loss

Mitt Romney's win is conservatism's loss
"But none of this changes one simple fact: Romney's last-minute wholesale reinvention tour is nothing more than the last, desperate gasp of a candidate who knows that the conservatism he had to adopt to win the primary will get him absolutely nowhere this November. It is his last, greatest, Etch-a-Sketch: starting off the last month of the campaign by pretending on national television that none of the rest of the campaign ever happened, and hoping that the public is only paying attention just now and is too stupid to realize the difference."

CHART: Comparing Bush And Obama’s Records On Job Creation

CHART: Comparing Bush And Obama’s Records On Job Creation: Today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the American economy added 114,000 jobs in September. BLS also revised the job gains for July and August up by a total of 86,000, and the report contained several other good signs for the economy. The private sector has now added jobs for 31 [...]/p

Top 10 Excuses Conservatives Are Already Making For Losing The Election | Alternet

Top 10 Excuses Conservatives Are Already Making For Losing The Election | Alternet
"All the current polling has President Obama beating Mitt Romney and Republicans failing to take over the Senate . There is an obvious reason for this:  the public likes how progressive Democratic policies have worked in the past four years more than how conservative Republican policies worked in the past eight.

Accepting the obvious is proving difficult for conservative leaders. Instead of taking responsibility for past policy mistakes and proposing changes, conservatives are frantically coming up with various excuses why they are about to take a ballot box beating. The list is impressive. Let it not be said conservatives are not creative."

Tea Party Voter Suppression Group Under Investigation For Possible ‘Criminal Conspiracy’

Tea Party Voter Suppression Group Under Investigation For Possible ‘Criminal Conspiracy’: The Tea Party organization launching a multi-pronged voter suppression effort this election is under investigation by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for a possible “criminal conspiracy to deny legitimate voters their constitutional rights.” Cummings sent a letter to True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht warning her that the Ohio branch of the group, in suing to [...]/p

Foreign-owned subsidiary's million-dollar contribution to Romney Super PAC raises red flags

Foreign-owned subsidiary's million-dollar contribution to Romney Super PAC raises red flags
"The law is straightforward regarding foreign nationals. They may not indirectly or directly contribute money to influence U.S. elections. Period."

Romney Has ‘No Idea’ About Outsourcing Tax Breaks, But His Economic Plan Makes Them Worse

Romney Has ‘No Idea’ About Outsourcing Tax Breaks, But His Economic Plan Makes Them Worse: "But even Fox News acknowledges that “companies can claim a deduction for the costs associated with moving jobs overseas.” The idea that former Bain CEO Romney wouldn’t know this is simply not believable. Instead, his advisers have argued that this isn’t a “special” tax break for outsourcing — it’s just a deduction like any other cost of doing business."

Etch-A-Sketch Romney Tries to Rewrite 47 Percent Remarks

Etch-A-Sketch Romney Tries to Rewrite 47 Percent Remarks
"In the mean time, since he didn't get a chance to try to sanitize his remarks during the debate, he ran to Sean's loving arms at Fox to have them "Hannitized" instead."

Romney Disavows '47%' Remarks, Makes Fools of Right-Wingers Who Defended Him

Romney Disavows '47%' Remarks, Makes Fools of Right-Wingers Who Defended Him
"This is what happens when you just reflexively defend everything your candidate says, no matter how offensive and stupid."

10 Most Shameless Romney Debate Lies -- Debunked | Alternet

10 Most Shameless Romney Debate Lies -- Debunked | Alternet
"Romney’s debate performance was chock full of lies, recalling his running mate’s address to the GOP convention, which was also chock full of lies. Hopefully, just as Ryan’s address was dissected and debunked by some media outlets, Romney’s claims are as well, so the debate can move to substantive issues instead of stylistic ones.

Here are ten of Romney’s fact-challenged claims from last night:"

Romney's big Medicare lie takes center stage in debate

Romney's big Medicare lie takes center stage in debate
"There is still the truth here: the cuts to Medicare in the President's plans don't hurtbeneficiaries. The cuts will extend the solvency of the Medicare trust fund because they save the program money in the long term. Romney's plan would make Medicare insolvent by 2016, the end of his first presidential term, if he wins. And that does some serious damage to current retirees."