They Own It Now

Republicans finally got their act together and told the country how they really feel about the social contract. SPOILER ALERT: they don’t care too much for it. And how do Americans feel about Paul Ryan’s giant “EFF YOU” to seniors? Take a guess.

Meanwhile, a conversation by President Obama on a hot mic that was supposedly “not meant to be heard” got picked up by CBS. Some choice quotes:

“You want to repeal health care? Go at it. We’ll have that debate. You’re not going to be able to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget. You think we’re stupid? … Put it in a separate bill. We’ll call it up. And if you think you can overturn my veto, try it. But don’t try to sneak this through.’”

Awesome. And another, this one pretty scathing too:

“When Paul Ryan says his priority is to make sure, he’s just being America’s accountant … This is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill — but wasn’t paid for. So it’s not on the level.”

Ha ha, suck it, pretty boy. I was more than a little concerned at the beginning of the year about Obama’s re-election chances but that fear has waned measurably in the past week. Considering Donald Fricking Trump is now leading the pack of GOP hopefuls, the 2012 election season should be fantastically entertaining.

Obama’s Not The One Offering Unicorns and Rainbows

Well, the Republicans finally got their resident budget wunderkind to come up with something to show us. The jockeying over continuing resolutions is ongoing, thought perhaps not past Friday and I’m sure Boehner thinks this makes them look serious and courageous. The problem for them is that actual people have taken a look at it and determined it is more fantasy than Harry Potter (not to mention much, much less entertaining).

On the one hand, Ryan ran the budget by some “analysts” who, coincidentally, just happen to fully back the entire thing. As National Journal reports, the Heritage Foundation, a rabidly free-market think tank, makes some pretty jaw-dropping claims about what the budget would do for the country. Among the most incredible:

“The unemployment rate will plunge by 2.5 percentage points. The still-sinking housing market will roar back in a brand new boom. The federal government will collect $100 billion more in income tax revenues than it otherwise would have. And that’s just in the first year. By 2015, the forecasters say, unemployment will fall to 4 percent. By 2021, it will be a nearly unprecedented 2.8 percent.”

Sure. And if a frog had wings it wouldn’t bump its ass when it jumped. As Political Wire  notes, the unemployment hasn’t been that low since 1953 ( a period that also saw our highest union membership, oddly enough).

Yet what really takes Ryan’s proposal over the line from un-serious governing into magical candyland is the way be which he plans to achieve these numbers: slash federal spending (though he doesn’t explain how), eliminate medicare and medicaid and give every living thing in sight another tax cut.

There’s just no stopping the GOP.