So… the status quo we can’t afford is Obama’s being in office, not Obama’s failure to raise taxes, is that what Romney was trying to say?  Maybe he needs to lay off the Ambien and count escaping sheep at night instead.  

(Squirm-inducing, but hilarious )

Has any one else seen the video clip of Mitt saying the president hadn’t raised taxes and Ryan standing behind him looking as though he had just been told to strip down for his caustic soda enema. Funny stuff.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, seeking to emphasize his deficit-cutting ambitions, is warning Americans that his tax-cut plan might not decrease their tax bills as much as they expect.

Amid a push by the campaign to remind voters of high deficits, Mr. Romney on Wednesday told an Ohio crowd that while he would work for lower tax rates on businesses and individuals, they shouldn’t “be expecting a huge cut in taxes because I’m also going to lower deductions and exemptions.”

His campaign also has backed away from statements that its plan would preserve most tax deductions for Americans whose adjusted gross income is less than $200,000 a year. Instead, one staff member said, an alternate scenario would lower that income cutoff to $100,000, thus raising revenue by allowing fewer taxpayers to take deductions…

Anyone who wants to vote for Romney because they imagine their taxes will be lower can just forget it. The only people who would get lower taxes are the extremely wealthy.

Two things that can make them change their minds are fear and anger. These are so powerful, you don’t even need any actual substance behind them. It’s enough to be scary and spooky and to kind of imply there’s something to be mad about. Which is why so much political advertising is negative.

Obama proved in 2008 that idealistic hope can also be a powerful motivation, but it’s a lot harder to maintain — which is why Republicans were able to replace it with substance-free fear and anger in 2010.