Reading and Righting Romney

This time Obama had Romney's number.  Given the vagaries of Romney 'rithmetic, numbers matter.  Romney has artfully moved from the impossible to the meaningless.  At the first debate, and in the VP debate, team Romney claimed that elimination of deductions and loopholes, would make tax cuts for the wealthy revenue neutral.  Studies have shown that even eliminating all deductions for the upper income tax payers is not enough to offset the cuts. 

If this could be revenue neutral, what would be the point?  Romney claims the cuts will spur small businesses to grow and create jobs.  But if loss of deductions results in no tax reduction what is the spur to growth?  Also given historically low rates, diminishing returns would blunt the impact of any slight reductions.

But impossible is better than absurd.  In the second debate Romney portentously proclaimed that the top 5% would continue to pay 60% of all taxes.  Of course, if everyone gets the same 20% reduction, the ratio would not change.  But someone making ten million a year and paying three million in taxes, would save $600,000.  Someone making $50,000 and paying $10,000 would save $2000. 

If voters are paying attention, Romney's political days are numbered.

A Very Romney Christmas

A presidential campaign is like a Christmas tree.  It is decorated and enhanced through the months leading up to the election, but the tree is a constant.  Obama's focus is the middle class.

The Romney campaign has been more like a series of small bushes, a new one for each news cycle.  But the one constant is his across the board tax cut plan.  It is a pale white artificial tree, at a time when the public clamors for natural.  No matter how you dress it up, it looks fake.

Rich candidates win when their gifts are going to nascar fans, not nascar owners.  Obama has two weaknesses,  an anemic economy and  robust debt growth.  Tax cuts are no longer credible to cure the former, and worsen the latter.  Romney's message should have been focused on the debt crisis.  The issue plays to the base and independents.  He could argue that  24 million jobs were created during the Clinton presidency because of a balanced budget.  Economists probably would disagree, but it would have been a coherent campaign.

Instead of a glimmering Christmas tree, the Romney campaign is a turkey.  Obama is giving thanks.

Romney: Cold and Fuzzy

Romney's focus group flexibility on issues is balanced by his consistency in campaign tactics.  He eschews the normal pattern of starting with positive biographical ads.  He pounds the opponent with negative ads.  But strikingly his attacks make hypocrisy an art form.

In his gubernatorial race he attacked Shannon O'Brien, who released ten years of tax returns, for not releasing her husband's returns.  These attack ads fuzzed up the issue of Romney not releasing returns.  He attacked Kennedy on the same grounds when he ran for Senate.  But being unable to use the issue this time, he claims release of tax returns are of no consequence.

Romney attacked Obama on Medicare.  Yet his running mate's budget has the same 716 billion in cuts in  future Medicare costs.  His claim of taking steps ts save Medicare is false.  His plan shortens the life of the trust by 8 years.

His tax plan is no different.  For months Obama has been attacked for lack of leadership for not presenting a detailed plan to Congress, but only guidlines.  But the Romney/Ryan explanation for not detailing the deductions necessary to fund his tax plan, is that the matter is best left to open debate in Congress

Duplicity is not a singular sin.  It is multiplied by the disdain for the electorate that it represents.