Wednesday Open Thread [8.8.12]
Politico has a story on how some in the GOP are now panicking that Romney might choose Paul Ryan:
“As Mitt Romney’s vice presidential selection nears and buzz about Rep. Paul Ryan’s prospects builds, a split is emerging among Republicans about whether the choice of the House Budget chairman and architect of the party’s controversial tax and spending plan would be a daring plus for the ticket or a miscalculation that would turn a close election into a referendum on Medicare.”
“Ryan advocates… believe Romney will lose if he doesn’t make a more assertive case for his candidacy and that selecting the 42-year-old wonky golden boy would sound a clarion call to the electorate about the sort of reforms the presumptive GOP nominee wants to bring to Washington…”
“Their opposites, pragmatic-minded Republican strategists and elected officials, believe that to select Ryan is to hand President Obama’s campaign a twin-edged blade, letting the incumbent slash Romney on the Wisconsin congressman’s Medicare proposal and carve in the challenger a scarlet ‘C’ for the unpopular Congress.”
Um, GOP, we are going to tie Romney to the Ryan budget no matter who he picks, because Romney has said he supports the Ryan budget. So he owns it now. And GOP, your members in Congress voted for the Ryan budget. You own it now. The Ryan budget is the GOP budget plan. All Republicans support it. So stop being cowards about it.
Meanwhile, Claire McCaskill gets the Teabagger nutjob she wanted to face off with. She just might be reelected now.
While Garrett Reid has focused attention on the tragedy of addiction, another individual who fought those demons for years died 2 days prior. DeAndre McCullough, the inspiration for “The Corner,” David Simon’s excellent book on life in an inner-city neighborhood, was found dead in a house in suburban Baltimore, likely from an overdose.
That book, and the HBO miniseries that followed a few years later, changed the way I think about addiction and urban life in America. I’m not saying what happens on city drug corners is right, only that I have a perspective I did not have before.
DeAndre’s mother was able to pull herself out of her illness and from that corner, along with most of her family, but unfortunately he followed in the footsteps of his father.
davidsimon.com/deandre-mccullough-1977-2012/
Thank you, Another Mike, for posting that. If you haven’t read Simon’s book or seen the mini-series, you should do yourself a favor.
What is wrong with pediatricians in Sussex County?
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120808/NEWS01/308080055/Pediatrician-charged-endangering-his-children?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CHome&nclick_check=1
Frank Rizzo’s daughter along with others indicted around bookmaking charges.
Who knew these things were swimming around in the Brandywine?
(story)
Our antiquated laws about sports gambling are utterly ridiculous. I’m glad we are wasting federal dollars on going after these people.
Yesterday, DD linked to a very tough ad the Obama Team is airing showing the effects of a plant closed by Romney and Bain.
Today, one of Romney’s spokespeople pushes back on that ad by noting that if Mr. Soptic’s family lived in Massachusetts, they would have been all covered by the universal plan in that state.
Right?
Very funny, so put down any liquids first — What if Every Olympic Sport Was Photographed Like Beach Volleyball?
Oh Sher, just stop please. Unemployment is upwards of 30% for veterans. Maybe if you attracted more customers you could hire more employees and that has absolutely nothing to do with government. That is how the free market works.
http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/news/story/manufactured-homeowners-challenge-candidates/879809?cid=2210824
Republican Sher Valenzuela, a candidate for lieutenant governor, took issue with the Veteran’s Opportunity Credit, signed into law by Gov. Jack Markell, July 31. The legislation awards employers a $1,500 annual tax credit for each recent veteran they hire.
Valenzuela said the bill was a smack in the face to every veteran and small business in Delaware.
As vice president of First State Manufacturing in Milford, Valenzuela said she would love to hire a veteran, but the government needs to create an environment that makes it easy for businesses to thrive so they are able to hire more employees.
J Marie: fail.
How Mitt Romney tried to concoct a phony tax shelter out of thin air for Marriott:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/opinion/canellos-kleinbard-romney-taxes/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
This guy’s entire reason for being is tax avoidance. And the Mormon Church.
This is the FAIL, right here:
The only thing that businesses really need is customers. Maybe she should refuse some of her government contracts to see how that works.
Cassandra,
Not sure what argument you are implying by saying she should refuse her government contracts. Upholstery is a field where the government should be a customer. They need uniforms, covers for machinery and the like. Should we call a conservative paper company a hypocrite because their main consumer of paper is government? Please explain.
But to your first statement that all a business needs is customers:
I believe you are interchanging the idea of free markets with consumerism. If all we need are jobs and customers then we could pay people to dig holes and pass a law under the taxation clause (joke) mandating that everyone must buy a hole. Those wouldn’t be productive jobs the same way that government subsidizing certain jobs wouldn’t create somethig productive. Productivity is the machine behind the economy that raises our standard of living.
Should we call a conservative paper company a hypocrite because their main consumer of paper is government?
If the conservative paper company is demonizing government and demonizing other people’s government contracts the way the Sher has done, then, yeah, we’d call that person a hypocrite. We’ve already been over this.
I believe you are interchanging the idea of free markets with consumerism.
I’m doing no such thing. No business exists without customers. Period. If you have more than enough customers to cover your costs with some leftover, you can consider yourself a success. If you have alot of customers and need to add capacity to meet that demand, you have the circumstances to expand your business, hire, add equipment, etc.
The rest of your post is the kind of gibberish one might expect from someone who doesn’t have any business experience. As in the kind of people Sher V and her crew are talking to.
Actually the point I was trying to make was this: First State Manufacturing receives government funds as a Veteran Owned Business. It is extremely hypocritical to come out against tax breaks for hiring veterans while taking government money for having a veteran as one of your owners. Naturally one would assume that her idea of government helping business thrive is just giving them unlimited grant money.
Well thank you for clearing that up, she is definitely going to have to explain that. Although, most people do take money offered to them even if it conflicts with their ideals.
Wait what? So are you saying beliefs matter more than behaviors? And so its ok for her to be a hypocrite because she repeats the republicon talking points without actually following them. Call me naive, but I still do believe that our leaders should have some damn integrity. I guess it is a good thing she is running against Matt Denn- she may learn something.
Conservative makes the case that conservatives should not vote for Rmoney. The should vote third party like Virgil Goode or Ron Paul.
Ron Paul isn’t on any third party ballots, is he?
Beliefs Influence behavior. Matt Dennis is a poor example of integrity. Other than that I don’t disagree with what you’re saying except your implication that my previous statement contradicts itself.
Cassandra I will not be voting for Romney. Just because he would be less of a collectivist than obama doesn’t mean that I will vote for him. Many Americans are tired of choosing the better of two evils. Many of your readers probably feel the same way. So yes, I will vote third party so that my conscience and principles are not compromised.