Thursday: Poe Boys
Posted: August 9, 2012 Filed under: just because 67 Comments
Click for source: ImgAce
Morning news junkies… I’m filling in for BostonBoomer this morning so she can get a much-deserved and needed break.
So let’s dig in! Starting with…
Let’s Have a Maximum Income, via Gawker:
Rich people across the Western world are anxiously watching France, where president Francois Hollande is vowing to raise the top tax rate—on earnings over $1.2 million a year—to 75 percent. Tres bien, Mr. Hollande. The problem with this otherwise fine idea is that the very rich can simply pack up and move to a more accommodating Western nation with lower taxes and less concern for income inequality, like America. There is, though, a more elegant solution to this: a maximum income.
Lulz! I like the sound of that. Read on.
Meanwhile, via Ezra Klein (h/t Bostonboomer for e-mailing this story to me)… more mendacity from the Mittens campaign:
On Tuesday, the Romney campaign responded to the fire it’s taking from economic analysts by unleashing some artillery of their own. They released a paper by four decorated economists associated with the campaign — Glenn Hubbard, Greg Mankiw, John Taylor, and Kevin Hassett — that tried to lend some empirical backing to “The Romney Program for Economic Recovery, Growth, and Jobs.”
Hubbard, Mankiw, Taylor and Hassett make three main points: The first is that this recovery has been terribly slow, even by the standards of post-financial crisis recoveries. The second is that the Obama administration made a grievous error by relying on stimulus. And the third is that Romney’s tax and economic plans would usher in an era of rapid growth that would both be good for the country and provide the boost to revenues and employment necessary to make their numbers work out.
Each of these sections include supporting documents from independent economists. And so I contacted some of the named economists to ask what they thought of the Romney campaign’s interpretation of their research. In every case, they responded with a polite version of Marshall McLuhan’s famous riposte. The Romney campaign, they said, knows little of their work. Or of their policy proposals.
If I’m reading Ezra correctly this morning, then… Even Mankiw wants to disown Mittens?! LOL!
In a similar vein, Mike Konzcal posted this piece over at the Roosevelt Institute blog, What is the Economic Policy Uncertainty Index Really Telling Us?
Conservatives have crafted a measurement that uses their own rhetoric as evidence to support their economic talking points.
Do you want to see a magic trick? It doesn’t involves cards, fire, or anyone levitating. Instead I’m going to show you a set of Republican talking points magically turn into an economic index — an index that Republicans then use to argue for their policies.
Mitt Romney’s economics team of Hubbard, Mankiw, Taylor, and Hassett have rapidly turned around an economic policy sheet titled “The Romney Program for Economic Recovery, Growth, and Jobs.” Matt Yglesias has a post on the issue of sluggish growth and Dylan Matthews has one on their review of the stimulus literature. Brad DeLong takes the deep dive through the entire piece here.
I’m interested in something I haven’t seen people critically discuss enough, and that is the “policy uncertainty index.” The Romney plan argues that “uncertainty over policy – particularly over tax and regulatory policy – limited both the recovery and job creation. One recent study by Scott Baker and Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University and Steven Davis of the University of Chicago found that this uncertainty reduced GDP by 1.4 percent in 2011 alone, and that restoring pre-crisis levels of uncertainty would add 2.3 million jobs in 19 months.” This appears to be a new talking point for the candidate’s team, as the same language was in a Wall Street Journal editorial by Hubbard over the weekend.
It gets a touch wonkish from there, replete with nifty graphs, so I’d love to hear Dr. Dakinikat’s take on this!
Also, via the Roosevelt Institute blog’s daily roundup for today:
August Isn’t So Stupid This Year (Slate)
Dave Weigel argues that while talk of welfare waivers and Romney’s tax returns may be tiresome, on some level we’re debating real policy issues rather than such pressing summer 2008 questions as whether Obama was more popular than Paris Hilton.
I don’t know about that. Personally this “Romneyhood” vs. “Obamaloney” dialogue really bores the daylights out of me. All I could think when I first saw that is… “Well ROMNEY FUZULI to you, too, Mittens!”
In all seriousness, the current ESOTUS (Empty Suit of the United States) is no less guilty of Lemon Socialism than ‘Romneyhood’ is… the only difference is Romney is so noxious, he’s an insult to lemons. Poor maligned lemons. 😉
Next up…another headline BB sent to me, via Reuters… Komen founder to leave CEO role but stay on in management:
Komen, in announcing the move on Wednesday, also said that President Liz Thompson would leave the Dallas-based organization in September and board members Brenda Lauderback and Linda Law would step down.
The shakeup comes after the world’s biggest breast cancer charity provoked uproar earlier this year over its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, a provider of birth control, abortion and other women’s health services.
Komen, which supports Planned Parenthood’s efforts to provide access to breast-cancer screening, reversed that decision within days and said it would restore the funding.
Interesting. I guess we’ll have to keep watching to see how effective this damage control is. I know every time I see any pink Komen-related thing now, I think of the PP fiasco.
Ok, well I hope that gives us enough to get y’all going in the comments this morning, Sky Dancers. Have at it!
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Reblogged this on Let Them Listen.
Good round up Mona. So, Komen Foundation finally is getting the word, that us wimmin folks are tired, darn tired of being played for fools and closing our pocket books. Glad to see that the Democrats are finally going to include LGBT on the Democratic Platform after the leaked depo of Howard Dean (which I believe was the catalyst for the major change & the lawsuit) and his testimony of ‘influential individuals’ obstructing progress/ Civil Rights of LGBT Dems… yup, he says Donna Brazile was one of them, and she isn’t even elected as dog catcher yet she is a SUPER DELEGATE who was blocking Civil Rights of LGBT! Those SUPER Delegates need to go!
Progress only comes when people refuse to stay silent. KUDOS to the individual who shall forever remain anonymous who LEAKED the DEPO of the Discrimination Lawsuit against the DNC! To quote a smart lady, “Human Rights are Gay Rights, and Gay Rights are Human Rights!”- Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton.
Sorry, I had to end that so abruptly… I wanted to include a few more links but my allergies are killing me this morning.
Hope you feel better soon, Mona. Thank you for the morning links.
I’m trying to get used to calling you Mona instead of Wonk. I think you will always be Wonk to me. 😉
Aww, Hugz to you Beata 🙂
Me too, my allergies are even affecting my sleep…feel tired now. Get well.
And….Antihistamine Hugz to you woman voter 🙂
Thanks for a great roundup, Mona.
Thanks, bb! And good morning 🙂
Delaware pediatrician and wife arrested for waterboarding their 11-year-old daughter.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/08/pediatrician-accused-of-waterboarding-11-year-old-daughter/1#.UCO2tU1lRCg
Omg, that poor girl
I’m crying after reading this. I hope both parents get maximum sentences and never get to see their children again.
And he is a pediatrician!
That is beyond civilized behavior.
😦
He’s an expert on “near-death experiences in children” Jesus, I hope he hasn’t been using his daughters for research. Who knows what he’s been doing to them.
I had the same thought. Imagine what he did to his research subjects!
I thought the same thing, Seriously – and his picture creeps me out.
Glenn Greenwald on the pathetic political press corps.
Focusing on the “veepstakes” and how it will affect their careers.
I loathe Mitt Romney so much that whoever he chooses has little interest beyond a yawn.
The MSM has proven to be nothing but a bunch of hacks who wine, dine, and whine together and seek nothing more than to be considered “in” with whoever sits in the seat of power at any given time.
So few can be seriously considered as actual “journalists” that you wonder if their parents who paid for their educations aren’t demanding their money back.
Most prefer to be seen as “celebrities” which makes them no different than Paris herself or one of the awful Kardashians.
The MSM has done as much damage to this nation as any corrupt politician in refusing to do their job by demanding more of the system than looking for ways to excuse the behavior of those who do not deserve it.
An example is their continuing to refer to out of office pols by their former titles. Governor this or Congressman that as if that title was a lifetime reward.
I am no longer a Mrs. but a Ms since my divorce because I am no longer married. Why all this genuflecting to people who no longer are serving is something that irks me to no end.
Mr. Mitt Romney, who apparently feels no pleasure in being reminded that he was once the governor of MA, should not be addressed as “governor” IMHO.
And nothing is more offensive than listening to someone address Newt Gingrich as “Mr. Speaker”. Jaysus!
Hell Yeah!
Seconded!
Me four!
The Real Ann Romney
Portrait of a Stepford wife?
I am honestly not paying attention to this election anymore, as the dirt is flying and no one is discussing how to lower health insurance costs, introducing a bill for colleges to educate more nurses/doctors, passing a bill to pay for the wars that are bankrupting us, ring in workers comp cost if employers pay for health premiums…and oh those jobs, jobs, jobs.
When they start discussing the issues I will tune in…
The Ann Romney attacks leave me cold as did the attacks on Michelle Obama. Either way, it is dressing down a woman…we see that every day in the media and in Ann Romney’s case a woman who is has a chronic condition.
OH, and those foreclosures that are about to hit people even harder now with some strange loans that even I can’t figure out…goodness…if we only had elected officials that worked for the people and to protect the people. Profits are higher than ever and still the corps want more, more while people loose their homes, life savings in most cases.
It wasn’t an attack. It was just an article about Ann Romney’s life.
Thanks for the roundup Wonk.
I know this is O/T but I wanted y’all to see how far the NutCase TP wing is willing to go with their ridiculous conspiracy stories. This one from Jim Corsi (of birther fame) and released to the Teabots his TP Organization and World Net Daily accusing Obama of being married to a man because he’s wearing a ban on his ring finger before he was married to Michelle. He accuses Obama of wearing this mysterious ring even while in college in “1971”. I believe Obama was born in 1961, which would have made Obama about 10 years old according to my calculations.
🙂
Corsi has devoted much of his life to layering on the bullshit. I’ve never seen so much hatred in my entire life.
This is a long video, but worth watching if you want a really good laugh.
You cannot begin to measure the amount of sheer stupidity and utter ignorance of the people who are now front and center in the political arena. It’s impossible to believe.
But these are the same people who are currently running for office all over the nation and chances are they could easily capture both Houses come November.
Too frightening to even contemplate but a possible reality.
Insanity rules these days. Especially considering that there are enough nuts out there willing to buy this stuff.
This one is for you Mouse: right from John Smart’s blog and I will let you guess who’s work this is:
“Barry always read as gay to me. I was amazed when he showed up with a wife,especially one who seems to scare him.. She would have to be in on the scam too, or has figured it out by now. Living outside of his truth, must make every day a misery…for both of them. I take comfort in that thought.”
Her name begins with an S.
That blog and the commentors have turned out to be complete ratfucking nitwits, like the clown and crew.
I really miss following them as they live inside of their glorious truth every day.
I never really read that blog unless something was linked to it, but I have to wonder if people ever go back and read the crap they write. I realize the commenter is not a journalist, but this is the yellowest of the yellow for commenters. Cripes!
I always thought the rumor was funny, especially the rumors about Obama and Sinclair and Obama and Rahm. The Hillbuzz blog made it’s living off of catering to those folks with a claim of some sort of “insider” info, which seemed to boil down to “a friend of a friend of a friend told me”.
As a gay person I got a few laughs out of it because I’ve known quite a few heterosexual and bi-sexual people who’ve had a dalliance in the gay world then decided it wasn’t them or it wasn’t for them. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out anyone is gay or bi-sexual and/or had a same gender relationship or experience as a young adult. As usual the RF’ers are making a mountain out of a mole hill concerning the meaning of a ring worn by a college student.
“Her name begins with an S.”
Hmmmmm!! I can’t imagine who it might be. 🙂
I wear a ring on my left hand on the wedding ring finger and I am single and NOT dating anyone…I love rings…. Oh, dear, Corsi is busy at work now with my confession here about wearing a ring….
OH NO, WV….I’m pretty sure you’ll be the headlines at World Nut Daily before the day is over.
LOL
I know jewelry makers who wear rings on every finger — often stacked rings. I have an allergy to rings and can only wear them for a short time.
People who work around electricity often never wear rings. There are different cultures & traditions about wearing rings.
That guy making stuff up is a dick head.
Here is the kicker I have SIX TOE RINGS! People always inform me rings on toes are about sex, funny aye…more gossip for Mr. Tin Foil Corsi there.
Hell, I am not even an Obama supporter but some of their comments are so nuts and one sided you can’t help see the hatred gushing forth.
Very, very little criticism is ever offered up against the GOP, the Tea Party nutcases, or Mitt Romney. One commentator even refers to Obama as “Backtrack” yet I have never seen more “backtracking” than whenever Romney “denies his denial” of the day.
These are all once “I love Hillary” supporters who now find nothing odious surrounding the Right to even bother commenting about.
Take away social security? No problem. Withhold access to women’s healthcare? No problem. Tax the middle and working class in favor of the rich? No problem. Deregulate industries? No problem. Cut funding to education? No problem. Throw grandma out of the nursing home? No problem. Refuse to reveal your tax returns? No problem. Ban abortion rights and contraception? No problem. Disenfranchise gays from holding public service jobs? No problem. Introduce Creationism into the student curriculum? No problem.
Mock science and research? No problem. Rewrite history in textbooks? No problem.
Unbelievable.
Yep, pure nuts!
I think I’m going to have to vote for Obama just on principle. There’s no chance he’ll lose in Mass., but I just need to protest against Willard and the whole ugly Republican Party.
I’m going to vote for Obama because he’s a better person for the job. Screw that less evil stuff, they are the choices we have being realistic about it.
I’m voting downticket. Both choices at the top serve Wall Street. And in the unlikely event that Texas went for Obama, that would mean a colossal landslide win for him anyway.
Oh and. I’m thinking of donating to Liz Warren 🙂
That’s fine Mona but that vote is the only real voice I have and I’m gonna make it heard, no matter what.
🙂
Re: Liz Warren I love that the latest fauxrage is that Massachusetts is abiding by federal law. How dare we! Call me crazy but if federal law isn’t your jam, perhaps the Senate isn’t exactly your natural habitat, regardless of how much slime you ooze from every pore. Scott Brown, Rogue Senator. Yes We Can Make It Up As We Go Along.
Seriously, you crack me up, and about the stuff that is always depressing me most. I should pay you some mental health fees for all the laughs! 🙂
If Romney is emptier than Obama, Scott Brown is emptier than Obama and Romney combined.
True that………..can hear them hissing, just like a snake.
“Very, very little criticism is ever offered up against the GOP, the Tea Party nutcases, or Mitt Romney. One commentator even refers to Obama as “Backtrack” yet I have never seen more “backtracking” than whenever Romney “denies his denial” of the day.”
The only criticism I’ve seen of NitMitt is that he isn’t aggressive enough against Obama. Right!!!
Mitt Romney’s new attack ad is unbelievable! Will the media have conniption fits over this one like they did with the latest Obama superpac ad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMv28sYQzCY&feature=player_embedded
Obama has turned the U.S. into the old Soviet Union!!!!!!!
Wtf?
What an asshole!
By the way, that Obama superpac ad has never aired, anywhere. Talk about getting bang for your buck!
When religious freedom is threatened, I want to stand with the ACLU.
Try again, Romney Fuzuli.
That is just a pathetic, nonsensical reach! I guess a dead pope, reciting the words of a catholic hymn to Walesa is always good for a vote or two.
I’m not sure whether the Young Republicans are oxymorons or just plain morons. From Charles Pierce …
The Young Republican Fantasy Lives On, and On, and On
Feel better! Poe schmoe! Longfellow, Longfellow, Longfellow! 😉
Rofl. Ty Seriously.
Ok, so I knew I was missing a beat reading Ezra this morning. Not Mankiw et al (paper authors), but some other independent econ/authors cited in paper said their research was basically being cherrypicked/twisted.
see what a difference some allergy relief can make… LOL
Since I’ve become an unaffliated voter, June 2008 after Hillary’s campaign suspension, and am outspoken about my dislike for Obama, I too opened the gates for Republican friends to try to finally “make me see the light”, (ha!). I’ve had to squelch any hope their persuasion will work by telling them that I will never vote for a conservative republican. Now, I’d change that to any radical, extremist, rabid republicans, which they’re all turning into. All but one have quieted down and she wants to do battle. Btw, the propaganda I receive from them is by inferior writers, or not the best argument. Is there intelligent life in the Republican Party, or do we have to send a rover to investigate?
Like Anonmouse said above, JWS doesn’t fairly take on Romney and the Republican nut-cases, but continues to write about his Obama-hate and has not seen fit to squelch the ratfuckers his posts have attracted. Take the Republicans at their word and imagine a 2013 Republican Congressional majority, solely, or also with Romney at the helm. And goodby equality!
They’ve become so infested, they need an exterminator my friend!
No, really, you cannot make this shit up
“CBSNews August 9, 2012
Romney says Obama, allies perpetuating lies in ads
NEW YORK — Mitt Romney on Thursday accused President Barack Obama and his allies of launching personal attacks and perpetuating lies about him in TV ads. The Republican also rolled out a new commercial of his own that questioned Obama’s values and accused the president of waging war on religious freedom”
Romney is such a :^o LIAR!
Brghahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha