This is a really, deeply ugly ticket

[brazil]

66. It's an experiment

When they throw this particular shit at the wall, will it stick? Or rather, how well will it stick? How much will stick? Some of it will, and that's valuable information for Rove et al to have, to see how far they can push the envelope, even if they don't win this time around. They've pushed it very aggressively so far and they've done amazingly well with that strategy, I bet they're even surprised themselves at how well it's worked (and keeps on working.) So they push harder the next time.

One difference this time is that the Obama team is prepared and willing to get down and dirty too. Going on the offense instead of just defending when the Repubs attack. I was pretty impressed with today's quick response.

The R team might be thinking they can change course if Romney sinks like a stone in the polling, that they can manufacture some excuse or scandal if they need to pull Ryan out. However, by announcing Ryan they've given away their evil plan, the same one that Romney has been so careful up to this point not to disclose the details of (consciously, at least - he oozes it at a subconscious level.)

That whole entitled rich kid, I'm-better-than-you-common-people meme that Romney's been trying so hard to shake - it's carved in stone now. (All the Rs don't help. Rotten by association. Richie Rich, Romney/Ryan, Rolls Royce, Rand, Republican, Reagan...) There's no resetting the Etch-A-Sketch now, not this close to the election. But yeah, the plutocracy wins either way, it's just a matter of how much of their wish list they're gonna get this round. I'd love to see us push back the other way, though. Like the French are with their proposed 75% tax rate for the top income bracket.

In any rational country Romney wouldn't poll above the teens on his best day. Add Ryan and that number should drop to the single digits. But America has more than its fair share of extremists and crazies...