I love Ezra Klein, and have enjoyed his writing and his appearances on various programs. And I think this piece is a good one too (though I think he oversells the "disaster" that the ObamaCare rollout has been), except I can't imagine that a Democrat could invent a Ted Cruz. As with other right-wing heroes like Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Joe the freakin' Plumber, there is nothing appealing about Cruz to a Democrat. We can't fathom his popularity, even when imagining ourselves on the other side of the aisle. He's smarmy. He's creepy looking. He's a show-boater. He has no respect for the government, the President, the Senate or--apparently--much of anything beyond his own narrow views. As hard as Democrats try, I don't believe we could think up someone like Cruz, and that the ruse would be successful.
Part of the difficulty in thinking something like Cruz and his tactics, is that none of it makes a lick of sense. There was no end game. There was no logical connection between the Affordable Care Act law and the budget bill or the debt ceiling. It started as rather blatant extortion, and became. . .a muddled mess. Only a really bad writer or a drug-addled one could have come up with this storyline thinking it would go anywhere.
[Excerpt]
If Ted Cruz didn’t exist, Democrats would have to invent him
A true cynic about American politics would, at this point, be forced to one conclusion: Sen. Ted Cruz is a Democratic sleeper agent. . .
UPDATED: Just to mention. . .is this what Willard wants to be talking about right now? How much taxes people pay? We don't even know what he paid himself. . .
I get irritated when I hear that 47% figure batted around, that same 47% that Mitt Romney has insulted by saying they are people "who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who
believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who
believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to
you-name-it." Usually, the figure is used by people who follow the number by saying those people "don't pay taxes." [Story continues below]
Of course, virtually everyone pays taxes. Not everyone ends up paying federal income tax, but that is often glossed over. But it is even more dishonest than that, when you break down that 47%. Just who are we talking about there? Does anyone really believe that nearly fully half of Americans are lazy layabouts, just waiting for their gubment check? I know that Republicans do not do nuance, but it really isn't that difficult. And if you'll read through the excerpted article below, you will see that this is one more place where Mitt is on both sides of the issue.
[Excerpt] Mitt Romney versus the 47 percent
. . .Let’s set aside the question of whether this is what Mitt Romney really
believes deep down in his heart. Maybe this is what he thinks. Or maybe
he just thought it was a good line to buck up jittery donors. What we can
say is that the last part is wrong. There is no fair accounting in
which 47 percent of Americans take no “personal responsibility and care
for their lives.” Take this simple breakdown from the Tax Policy Center of what households paid in taxes in 2011. . .
