Month: October 2012

Even Fox News Calls B.S. on Six ‘Studies’ Cited by Romney-Ryan to Bolster Their $5 Trillion Tax Cut Scheme

Jon Ponder

In the first presidential debate, Mitt Romney falsely claimed there were six studies that proved his $5 trillion tax cut that mostly benefits the wealthy would not lead to increased taxes on the middle class and/or blow a bigger hole in the deficit. “I will not, under any circumstances, raise taxes on middle-income families,” Romney said. “I will lower taxes on middle-income families. Now, you cite a study. There are six other studies that looked at the study you describe and say it’s completely wrong.” In the vice presidential debate, Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan mentioned the six studies twice.

Talking Points Memo reports that “of the six studies, two are blog posts by the conservative American Enterprise Institute; one is a report by the Republican-friendly Heritage Foundation; one is a paper by Princeton professor and former George W. Bush adviser Harvey Rosen; the fifth and sixth are a Wall Street Journal op-ed and blog post by Harvard economist Martin Feldstein, an adviser to the Romney campaign.”

These “studies” are so bogus that even Fox News found that it could no longer carry water for its own party’s candidates. On their Sunday show, host Chris Wallace took down Ed Gillespie, Karl Rove’s embed in the Romney campaign, on the issue:

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Advertisers Continue to Exit Right-Wing Radio

Jon Ponder

This story needs much more exposure:

At the New Media Seminar held last week in Los Angeles, Norm Pattiz, CEO of Courtside Entertainment, had some harsh words for conservative talk radio hosts nationwide: “Those who do not adapt will be swallowed up.”

The cause for such a dire remark? The continuing fleeing of national advertisers from the right-wing radio spectrum. And he said this in front of a large crowd including notable conservative hosts.

What has happened without the major backers having realized it is that the new era of social media has rendered the marketing advantage of these right-wing hosts moot. Now advertisers can no longer sit securely thinking that only the hosts audience would pay attention to what was being said, and to which companies were advertising with them. Now a host says something out of line, the advertisers take a direct hit. And the strength of social media is only growing.

Ohio Photo Op Flop: Paul Ryan Pretends to Wash Already Clean Pot in Empty Homeless Shelter

Jon Ponder

The Romney-Ryan campaign sent Paul Ryan and his family to a homeless shelter in Ohio yesterday so that the press could take photos of them serving a meal to the needy. When the Ryan entourage arrived at the shelter, the meal service was over, the diners had left the hall and the volunteer staff had cleaned the room and washed the dishes.

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Romney Was an Absentee Governor of Massachusetts

Buck Banks

417 days

Amount of time Mitt Romney spent — cumulatively more than a year — during his four-year term as governor of Massachusetts. More than 70 percent of that time was spent on personal or political trips unrelated to his job,” according to the New York Times. “Mr. Romney, now the Republican presidential nominee, took lengthy vacations and weekend getaways. But much of his travel was to lay the groundwork for the presidential ambitions he would pursue in the 2008 election, two years after leaving office.”

Paul Refuses to Endorse Either Candidate on the Grounds There’s No Difference

Buck Banks

I’ve been in this business a long time and believe me there is essentially no difference from one administration to another no matter what the platforms. The foreign policy stays the same, the monetary policy stays the same, there’s no proposal for any real cuts and both parties support it.

— Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), telling CNBC he would not endorse Mitt Romney for president, “arguing that neither he nor President Barack Obama would make necessary cuts to public spending that would avert a fiscal catastrophe.”