BREAKING: Former Sen. Arlen Specter, who served Pennsylvania for three decades and notably switched parties in 2009 — paving the way for the Affordable Care Act’s passage by giving Democrats 60 votes in the Senate — has died at the age of 82.
Smart read of the morning: Author Kevin Baker, writing for The New York Times, makes a broad claim that the GOP’s biggest problem is that they’re trying to build their base without the city, despite their growing influence on American culture. “In short,” he writes, “they promise to rip and tear at the immensely complex fabric of city life while sneering at the entire ‘urban vision of dense housing and government transit.’ There is a terrible arrogance here that has ramifications well beyond the Republicans’ electoral prospects.” Now, whether you agree with that sentiment, this article is nonetheless a pretty great read, backed up by decades of historic context (the image above harkening back to “Ford to City: Drop Dead”). Great food for thought.
Mitt Romney Adopts New ‘Ronnie Ferocious’ Persona For Debates
“You know what? I’ll ask the first question,” the former Massachusetts governor said before putting out his cigarette on his forearm and flicking the butt at Lehrer. “What kind of little shit show do we have here this evening, folks? That’s my question. Because from where I’m standing, seems like a big ol’ shit show. And Lehrer, shut your fat mouth when Ronnie Ferocious is talking, or I’ll pound your goddamn face in.”
The first 45 minutes have been Mr Cool versus Mr Angry. Romney is delivering what Republicans hoped he would: a confident, aggressive approach to Obama. He has repeatedly denied outright claims by Obama from the start.
Obama has remained calm. His main line of attack is that Romnney would add $8 trillion in spending through tax cuts for the wealthy, also extend Bush era tax cuts and raising military spending. How then was Romney going to square this with cutting the deficit? Romney denied this outright.
Romney also denied he planned to cut taxes that would add $5 trillion to spending. Good comeback from Obama: Romney has been touting this tax plan for months and now five weeks before the election he has dropped it. Romney’s approach, as well as aggressive, is to patronise the president. At one point saying he has been in business for years and point Obama made no sense for anyone who knew anything about accountancy.
He gives the slight edge to Romney, for topping low expectations.
Seriously, did they get their debate prep from the Micro Machines guy?
Mitt looks like he’s gnashing his teeth listening to Obama, like a young child forced to stay quiet while he’s at church.
Romney coins phrase “the economy tax.”
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) October 4, 2012
ZING!
20 years ago, I became the luckiest man on Earth because Michelle Obama agreed to marry me.Barack Obama • Laying it on thick due to his poorly-timed anniversary.
This is an issue we take extremely seriously. When allegations were brought to our attention we severed all ties to the firm.RNC spokesman Sean Spicer • Speaking on the GOP’s voter registration efforts in Florida. As you may remember, in the aftermath of the 2008 election the Republican Party waged a legislative battle against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), an organization that handled registration drives for primarily low-income citizens, as well as many urban and minority communities. Armed with evidence that street-level workers had filed fraudulent forms (as well as a hasty backlash over a deceptively edited video, for which the group was later exonerated), ACORN was effectively dismantled by Republican lawmakers. Now, however, the GOP faces a similar dilemma, as fraudulent forms filed by Strategic Allied Consulting have affected 10 different counties in Florida. To be clear, as with ACORN, a few bad apples does not necessarily a wholly corrupt enterprise make (though allegations about the firm throwing out forms filled out for Democratic registration are highly troubling), but with the push for aggressive new voter ID laws, as well as past stridency against ACORN, the Republicans are now forced into a zero tolerance posture. source
In her last days, my mother occasionally became confused....
”The reporter...
I can’t add much to what’s already been (and will be) ...
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Mitt Romney tries on a new outfit: Empathy for 100 percent of everyone. Somebody’s trying to flatter us!
Mitt Romney, who has been criticized by members of his party in recent weeks for not campaigning aggressively enough and who trails President Obama in polls in most swing states, placed the blame for his campaign’s struggles squarely on the president himself Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to reporters as his private charter plane flew from Los Angeles to Denver, Mr. Romney blamed his relatively languid campaign schedule — five public events in the past seven days, compared with 11 fund-raisers — on the president’s decision to opt out of the federal campaign finance system four years ago, and criticized Mr. Obama for, he said, “trying to fool people into thinking that I think things I don’t.”
… or perhaps being a better campaigner?
Newton to the rescue: Embattled Missouri Senate Candidate Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin may have been abandoned by the Republican establishment, but he’s not entirely without friends: Akin is getting an assist from failed presidential candidate and “Definer of Civilization“ Newt Gingrich, who will be attending a $500-a-plate fundraiser for Akin’s candidacy this Monday (Photo credit: AP). source
See? It’s official now. HuffPo called it. Wait … didn’t we talk about this yesterday?
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