Scott Brown Reveals His True Priorities
Tax Day is almost here, which means another opportunity for Scott Brown to trot out stale Republican talking points and reveal where his true priorities are. In his recent radio report, Brown tries to tell us, "Americans pay more today in taxes than they spend on groceries, clothing, and shelter combined." The statement, taken from an RNC email sent around this time last year, may be technically true in the aggregate, but the fact that Brown cites the statistic indicates a deeply distorted set of principles guiding his legislative priorities. The numbers are distorted by the super wealthy, who though they might not pay their fair share in taxes, still can spend only so much on groceries or their designer clothes.
Journal Sentinel: Romney Gets Flak Over Wisconsin Anecdote From Long Ago
On March 28, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Talking by conference call with thousands of Wisconsin voters Wednesday, Mitt Romney told them he had a humorous connection to their state. But it didn’t take long for “funny anecdote” to become “campaign fodder.” Romney’s story involved the time more than 50 years ago that his father, George, an American Motors executive, shut down a factory in Michigan and moved the work to Wisconsin.
Mitt Romney's Hidden Agenda
WASHINGTON, DC -- Admittedly afraid of how voters will react to his ideas, Mitt Romney has a bad habit of teasing his policy proposals before refusing to show voters the details. First, Romney told told the Washington Examiner that he had an immigration plan that he hadn't unveiled -- that was over 100 days ago. Next, he gave a widely panned "major" policy address at Ford Field in Detroit to unveil his new tax plan, only he never actually released the details of the plan in question. And finally, while speaking with the Weekly Standard, Romney flat-out admitted he was keeping secrets from voters because he was afraid his ideas would be unpopular. The Standard wrote: "But Romney, ever cautious, is reluctant to get specific about the programs he would like to kill. He did this in his bid for the Senate 18 years ago and remembers the political ramifications."
Read more after the jump.
MEMO To Tea Party Express: Have You Actually Seen Sarah Steelman’s Record?
Today the national tea party group, Tea Party Express, announced their support for former Missouri state Treasurer Sarah Steelman. The one thing that this announcement makes clear is that the Tea Party Express has no idea about Steelman’s record. While we think she is certainly the wrong choice for Missouri, we would have thought a number of positions she has taken would immediately disqualify her from consideration by the Tea Party Express as well. Since the Tea Party Express is obviously too busy shopping for tricorn hats to do their due diligence, American Bridge 21st Century decided to do the research for them.
[UPDATED] Which Is It, Mitt? Romney Website Promotes Two Contradictory Tax Policies.
We all expected Mitt Romney would flip-flop on many issues during the course of a long campaign in which he's desperate to appease the GOP base. We just thought he'd be better at covering his tracks. On one page of his website, Mitt Romney promotes an economic plan that stresses how important it is to maintain marginal tax rates at the current level. [Screenshot available here.] Yet just a few clicks away, the website promote a different tax plan that seeks to reduce marginal tax rates across the board. [Screenshot available here.] Which is it, Mitt? We knew that Mitt Romney doesn't agree with the Mitt Romney of 10 years ago, but apparently he can't even agree with the Mitt Romney of today.
Romney Boldly Abandons His Own Economic Plan
Mitt Romney released a new economic plan a mere five months after he rolled out his 59-point, 87-page (available in e-book!) "Believe In America" economic plan. Why the policy reboot? Just another desperate attempt to win over the conservative base of the Republican Party. Point 1 of 59 in Romney's last plan was to maintain current tax rates on personal income. This proposal was heavily criticized by conservatives. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board noted, “But on other taxes, Mr. Romney shrinks from a fight. He says he favors tax reform with lower individual tax rates but only 'in the long run.'" So what does Romney do? What he has done for 17 years: he shifts positions to try and win over voters. The conservative base wanted bold? He went bold, proclaiming that his plan was “a bold, pro-growth proposal to cut taxes." But will this be enough to convince the base that Romney is authentically conservative? Doubtful. Will it show primary voters, and voters across the country, that Romney will say anything to get elected? Absolutely.
Miami Herald: Connie Mack Preaches Penny-Pinching, But Has A Court-Record Past Of Debt And Liens (And Fights)
On February 17, the Miami Herald reported:
Congressman Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show. Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn’t have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale. His finances aside, the records also show that Mack in his youth got into four confrontations — from an arrest at a nightclub to a bar brawl with a pro baseball player. Later, while in Congress, his estranged wife accused him of not living in his Fort Myers district and of using his influence to strong-arm her during their divorce.
NY Times: Members Of The House Face Uphill Battles For Senate
On February 15, 2012, the New York Times reported:
Republicans, who need a net gain of only four seats to guarantee control of the Senate, have long been optimistic that they could capture the majority because they are defending just 10 of the 33 seats up for grabs. But their task is complicated by the fact that many of their candidates are sitting or recent members of the House, which polls show to be deeply unpopular.
Huffington Post: Mitt Romney, 'Son Of Detroit,' Tools Around Michigan In Car Manufactured In Canada
On February 15, the Huffington Post reported:
Having seen Mitt Romney tool around the Greater Detroit area in two campaign ads in which he nostalgically recalls his childhood and his love of cars, you might be wondering, "What sort of car is he driving?" As it turns out, he's behind the wheel of a cherry Chrysler 300, the pride of Detroit. Oh, wait! Did I say "Detroit?" Sorry, ha ha, I meant "Canada." Yes, as the sleuths at Blue Mass Group report, Romney's whip is a foreign-born Chrysler, manufactured in Brampton, Ontario and imported to Detroit so that it can be imported "from" Detroit.
POLITICO: Romney As Cartoon Millionaire
On February 8, 2012, POLITICO reported:
Meet Mitt Romney, the parody. He’s really rich, worth between $150 million and “$200-odd million,” as he memorably put it. He thinks “corporations are people,” but doesn’t much worry about real people if they’re “very poor.” Homes? Three. Tax returns? None of your business. He invests in the same exotic places a James Bond villain might, the Cayman Islands and a Swiss bank account.