MORNING MESSAGE: Even Romney's Scripted Binder Story Was A Lie
OurFuture.org's Dave Johnson: "Turns out that Romney didn't even ask aides to look for qualified women as he said in his prepared statement at the debate, women's groups brought the binders to him. He did not go to a number of women's groups as he claimed. He did not ask for the binders. They came to him, he did not seek them out … Before Romney was elected governor he ran a company called Bain Capital. And what was his record on women there? … All white, only 9 women out of 95 [vice-presidents.]"
Romney Links Tax Plan To Middle Class Tax Hikes
Romney cites study to argue his tax plan will spark growth, but the study presumes elimination of middle class tax benefits. Roll Call: "The Romney campaign is highlighting a 2006 Joint Committee on Taxation analysis of a tax plan that would eliminate most tax breaks while lowering tax rates to bolster its claims that the GOP presidential nominee’s plan would boost economic growth … But the JCT plan was predicated on repealing almost every tax break in the code, including the child tax credit, the employer-provided health care exclusion and nearly every itemized deduction, including deductions for charity, mortgage interest and state and local taxes."
NYT's Paul Krugman rips Romney's non-existent jobs plan: "…when the campaign says that these three studies support its claims about jobs, it is, to use the technical term, lying — just as it is when it says that six independent studies support its claims about taxes (they don’t). What do Mr. Romney’s economic advisers actually believe? As best as I can tell, they’re placing their faith in the confidence fairy, in the belief that their candidate’s victory would inspire an employment boom without the need for any real change in policy. In fact, in his infamous Boca Raton '47 percent' remarks, Mr. Romney himself asserted that he would give a big boost to the economy simply by being elected, 'without actually doing anything.'"
Romney hires JPMorgan Chase lobbyist. ThinkProgress: "While Scranton oversaw JP Morgan’s lobbying, the bank also lobbied against legislation meant to address Chinese trade and currency manipulation."
Dems Hold Early Vote Edge
Dems hold early edge in early voting. CNN: "Early numbers [in Iowa], which are updated daily, show that almost 20% more registered Democrats than registered Republicans have voted so far … In [Ohio's] Hamilton and Franklin counties, two urban centers around Cincinnati and Columbus respectively, early voting shows heavy turnout in the areas that helped secure the state for Obama in 2008…"
Getting out the vote key part of Obama's home-stretch stump speech. NYT: "…at a rally at an Iowa college, he not only asked supporters to vote, but also urged them to do it right after his speech — at a satellite polling place that had been set up in a library across the campus. A similar site was set up near an Obama rally in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday where Bruce Springsteen was the headliner. In Ohio, where early voting has also started, Mr. Obama gave out the street address in Athens where people could go to cast votes."
Latino vote key in several swing states. NYT: "Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, said that while Latino voters were central in a growing number of states — including Iowa, North Carolina and Virginia — nowhere were they more critical than in Colorado, Nevada and Florida."
Senate may be more liberal next year. W. Post's Greg Sargent: "…some of the leading Dem candidates — Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, and Sherrod Brown in Ohio … are considered progressive heroes by the base and its institutions, and they are considered excellent general election candidates by party leaders in Washington … the more moderate candidates — such as Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota and Richard Carmona in Arizona — are also liked by the Dem base. Liberals like Heidi Heitkamp because she’s aggressively defending Obamacare. They like Carmona partly because he has an impressive set of qualifications as a former Surgeon General and Vietnam vet, and because he’ll help make the party more attractive to Latinos long term."
GOP Reconsiders Oil Subsidies
Some Republicans hint they are open to ending oil subsidies in deficit reduction deal. Politico: "At least part of the reason for the new momentum is the election-year positioning by both parties to show they are serious about deficit reduction. And with gasoline prices bumping along near record highs, oil companies might not rate prominently in public sympathy."
Dean Baker eviscerates David Brooks' attack on Obama's green energy investments: "Wow, what a disaster! Prices of solar panels have fallen by three quarters in 4 years. Those people in the Obama administration must feel really stupid. They thought their clean energy program would make alternative energy competitive, but look now, prices of solar panels fell by 75 percent in four years."
Greeks In Streets
40,000 march against austerity in Greece. Reuters: "The strike emptied streets and offices in Athens. Ships stayed in port, Athens public transport was disrupted and hospitals were working with emergency staff, while public offices, ministries, bakeries and other shops were shut. Newspaper kiosk owners, lawyers, taxi drivers and air traffic controllers were among those protesting over the cuts, which include further drastic reductions in welfare and health spending."
EU consolidates bank supervision. Reuters: "European Union leaders agreed on Friday a single supervisor will take responsibility for overseeing euro zone banks from next year … The decision opens the way for the euro zone's rescue fund to inject capital directly into ailing banks during the course of 2013, but whether that will allow Spain to transfer some of its banking liabilities off the government's books will also not be determined until later in the year."
