Astounding Greek Debt Ratings Downgrade, Heritage Foundation Bribes Its Way onto Talk Radio, No Explanation for Fall in Gingrich Support,

And Other News That Needs Commenting On

Standard and Poor’s has downgraded the Greek sovereign debt.  This was astounding news to The Dismal Political Economist, who had no idea there was any ratings left to Greek sovereign debt to downgrade.

The Heritage Foundation, the one that keeps coming up with the questionable economic results of various Republican fiscal plans is mentioned a lot on talk radio.  Is this because their publications and research are so clear, concise and intellectually cohesive?  Well no.  Apparently it is because they pay to be mentioned.  They just don’t believe in the “market place of idea” where in a free and open exchange the best and most defensible policy will prevail. 

Memo to Heritage Foundation (and others):  If your work is so good, why to you have to pay to have it discussed on the public airways?

A Wall Street Journal/NBC New Poll shows a dramatic drop in Republican support for Newt Gingrich’s candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination.  The Dismal Political Economist is astounded (that is happening a lot these days, see above), and has no explanation as to why this would be happening.

Rudy Giuliani is considering entering the race for the Republican Nomination.  In 2008 Giuliani was the front runner, then decided not to contest the Iowa Caucuses, the New Hampshire Primary, the South Carolina Primary and various other state contests.  He aggressively campaigned later in the Florida Primary, and lost decisively.

Rudy now says he has learned from that experience and that he would do things differently, and now thinks the optimal time to jump into the race would be one week after the Republican Convention nominates the 2012 ticket.  He said that he expects that at that time a lot of Republicans will be unhappy and looking for a different set of nominees, and that would be the optimal time for him to seek the nomination.  The Dismal Political Economist thinks he has something there.

Things keep getting worse for Mitt Romney, as The Dismal Political Economist reported on earlier.  First he rises in the polls to become the clear number one target, and now Al Gore has endorsed his position on climate change.  One more blow, like Jimmy Carter praising him on human rights and his candidacy will be in serious trouble.

When a campaign ad is so offensive even a conservative Republican candidate denounces it, well, you know it is bad.  The campaign of Democratic candidate Janice Hahn called on her Republican opponents to condemn a third party ad that may well be one of the most offensive ever produced.   That the Republican candidate did just that is a credit to him and his campaign. The ad itself is evidence that over-reach by hard right Conservatives can be more damaging to Republican campaigns than anything Democrats can do.

Politico reports that

The ad's producer, Ladd Ehlinger, tweeted that he will appear on CNN Wednesday night to discuss "my latest crazy viral ad."

We do not know if that is true, but if it is it represents just another stage of the decline and fall of a once great news network.