The question now however is does it really matter? After all, the good news today is that even as Tea Party and Right Wing Republicans have been holding the economy hostage with their non-action on the President’s work programs, the unemployment rate has fallen to 7.8%. Had these policies been instituted the rates would be lower by one or two points.
It should be noted that our “patriotic corporations” are sitting on trillions of dollars that could have been invested in creating jobs in America and thus creating demand and economics activity. One might wonder if it is not only the Right Wing holding the middle class hostage but our Plutocracy who is attempting to get one of their own, Mitt Romney in office.
PS: Many have asked me why I thought the President did not force Mitt Romney to address the 47% derogatory statement he made on the middle class. Yesterday Mitt Romney on Fox News proved why. After holding his ground on the issue with his base for a long time, he finally said he was wrong. The President was wise not to give him that opportunity of false contrition with a 67 million audience.
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We watched the debate, heard the pundits react, and read the fact-checkers. Here’s what’s next.
THE PERFORMANCES
What happened last night? Just what we expected:
- The incumbent president, who’s been busy governing the country, faced a challenger who has nothing else to do other than try to unseat his opponent.
- Romney practiced for this particular debate all summer, after years of running for president and squaring off against his primary opponents in 23 debates this year alone.
- True to his campaign’s declaration that they do not care what the fact checkers say, Romney kept repeating the same falsehoods he has used throughout his campaign.
- If a politician is willing to say anything, it’s not hard to win. If Romney won last night, then the truth lost.
TAXES
Romney’s tax plan really does raise taxes on the middle class to cut them for millionaires.
- Do we want a country where everybody pays their fair share — or a country where working families pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires?
- Do we want a country where "we’re all in it together," with citizens lifting up and taking responsibility for one another and for themselves — or "I’ve got mine, you’re on your own"?
- Let’s remember what Romney said behind closed doors about half of America, including working families, students, and retired seniors: they’re irresponsible dependents who aren’t paying taxes.
- No wonder his tax plan would make you pay more so the richest few can pay less. It’s as if Romney thinks that struggling people aren’t struggling enough and our middle class isn’t already bearing enough of the burden.
FACT: Romney’s $5 trillion tax plan would cut taxes for a wealthy and raise them for working families — making a middle class family pay $2,000 more so a multimillionaire can pay $250,000 less.
FACT: Independent think tanks and fact checkers have clearly established that what Romney is claiming about his tax plan — cut middle class taxes, keep them the same for the wealthy, and not add to the deficit — is mathematically impossible.
FACT: The five studies that Romney cited to back up his claims, as well as criticisms of the Tax Policy Center’s findings, don’t exist or contradict Romney’s claims.
MEDICARE
Romney’s plan really is to replace guaranteed Medicare with little vouchers and make seniors go fight the insurance companies.
- Americans pay into Medicare with each paycheck, expecting that Medicare will be there for them so they can retire in dignity.
- After a lifetime of working hard and playing by the rules, our seniors deserve to expect that Medicare will continue to guarantee their health coverage for life.
- True to the idea that we’re in this together and we’re stronger for it, Medicare uses the massive negotiating clout of the nearly 50 million Americans with Medicare now to keep costs down for all.
- But Romney would end Medicare as we know it. He wants to give seniors a little coupon and make them go fight with the big insurance companies to get coverage.
FACT: Obamacare preserves every dime of Medicare benefits and guarantees your Medicare coverage for life. Romney-Ryan does not.
FACT: Romney is attacking Obamacare for the same $700 billion savings from cutting waste out of Medicare — which he supported. Except now he’d put that waste back into Medicare, shortening the life of its trust fund.
DEFICIT
The best way to deal with the deficit is to put Americans back to work — not fire Big Bird.
- The best way to deal with the deficit is to put Americans back to work.
- Romney’s plan to deal with the deficit? Fire Big Bird.
- When your family needs money to repair the roof, you stop handing out gifts to your millionaire uncle instead of raiding your child’s college savings.
FACT: Under President Obama, the private sector has created five million jobs over the past 30 months. Romney’s "jobs plan" would mean massive layoffs — two million jobs lost in the next two years alone.
FACT: Actually, contrary to Romney’s lie about doubling the deficit, President Obama cut the deficit. Whether you’re comparing the deficit now to its size when Obama took office or as a share of the economy, the deficit is lower.
FACT: Romney’s own party pushed for the Bush policies behind today’s deficits — including the wasteful Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% and the recession that threw taxpayers off their jobs.