I think the ad needs some work to become an effective message to those not following the details of the drive to cut Social Security. First, it casts Alan Simpson as the evil villain pushing the cuts. Unless you live in Wyoming or are a politic junkie, you’d probably say “Alan who???” And to that effect, so what that he’s been pushing this message?

The changes to social security are being sold as a technical fix to improve the longevity. My father is a pretty smart cookie who retired and starting drawing social security checks in 2011, so you’d think he’d be one to recognize the con in switching to chained CPI. But no, he thinks its a tweak to keep the benefits flowing and doesn’t realize that he’ll be getting 10% less very shortly.

To be effective in casting Simpson as the villain, you’ve got to tie him to Obama. Use clips of Obama praising the Simpson/Bowls report. Everybody knows Obama (duh), people generally approve of his performance, but that approval probably drops dramatically when you ask Obama why he keeps singing the praises of someone desperate to cut Social Security. So there’s risk to Obama if people know that he’s the BFF of the cut Social Security crowd.

One graphical note is that the text throughout the ad doesn’t fit on the screen. Was that done on purpose?

The Ryan pick made me wonder if Romney felt that this formal nomination at the Republican convention was threatened by his sinking polls. Prior to selecting Ryan, there were a number of events (but mainly the tax rate problem) that showed a growing distance between Obama and Romney, and these events were accompanied by an increasing number of anonymous complaints against Romney by Republicans about his candidacy. With Ryan positioned far to the right of Romney both economically and socially, I viewed Romney’s choice as an effort to shore up his base and secure the nomination. But in gaining the short-term victory, he now is facing a long-game loss, in that the general public hates the Ryan plan. I figured the rule of the thumb for picking VP candidates was they needed to bring a moderate appeal that could win independents and the electoral center. What do you think Obama’s chances of winning the election would be if he replaced Biden with the likes of Dennis Kucinich or Ralph Nader?

Has the employee at the 7-11 given a statement to the police or media about his perception of Martin? I think his/her opinion would develop a more comprehensive picture of what happened that night. My suspicion is that the employee would say that Martin was not seen as a threat.

I also disagree with the assumption that the drop in benefits will result in higher taxable wages. If companies are positioned to offer higher wages to keep or attract more employees, they’ll do it. But if the company needs the savings gained by dropping health care to maintain profitability, I wouldn’t expect them to pass those savings on to the employees through higher wages. Just not gonna happen.

Aw, crap. Mary’s comments were always a treat, as they revealed a sharp analytical mind and gentleness of soul. I’m saddened to hear of her passing.

Damn, we sure need to work on the ethereal WiFi, so we can hear from her and Tanta (Calculated Risk) again.

So he just tipped his hand again to the conservative position again, instead of staking out hard left. And then he’ll “compromise” off that position. As predictable as the sun rising in the east.

No commitment from Peter Welch yet.

The “Tea Party” has served as the populist name for the John Birch Society and Libertarian groups that form the base of the Republican Party. It is not surprising to me in the least bit that the American public has a negative view, as it’s probably very consistent with the general view on the extreme positions that those groups hold. The American people, mostly due to the favorable reporting by the media, were scammed into believing the Tea Party was a new movement by people of all stripes shouting “No More!”. Instead, it was a large scale Brooks Brothers Riot aided in great by Rick Santelli’s rant heard around the world.

And if it doesn’t work, they have to contend with a host of issues, including annual re-certification to a membership that knows it’s legally barred from advocating on their behalf.

Wouldn’t this be in violation of the Citizens United decision?

Call your congressional representatives and demand that they take action to stop the torture of an American citizen, who has only been accused of a crime.

This isn’t the first time that BCBS has gifted its departing executive with an outlandish retirement package.

In 2009, BCBS of Vermont CEO William Milnes was given a retirement of 6.3 million dollars. In June 2010, the state of Vermont forced BCBS to refund 3 million dollars to its customers.

http://7d.blogs.com/blurt/2010/06/blue-cross-blue-shield-ordered-to-repay-3-million-in-executive-payout.html.

I really hate that our distrust of criminal allegations related to terrorism is so warranted. It’s downright criminal in itself to use the Justice Department to help scare our representatives into supporting the PA extension. Frack.

This is brilliant, Jane. These numbers should be repeated over and over again until they sink in. Thanks for compiling them.