Mr. Romney Under Attack on Jobs Plan, Washington Post Fact Checker Gets on Mr. Obama, Michigan’s War on the Poor Gets Going

And More Comments on the News

Mitt Romney’s economic plan consists of 59 proposals.  The plan is already coming under attack, from Republicans who like to pay more attention to these things than the rest of the nation.  A Wall Street Journal editorial says this

“the 160 pages and 59 proposals also strike us as surprisingly timid and tactical considering our economic predicament”

But it does like a number of the proposals.  It concludes though

“The biggest rap on Mr. Romney as a potential President is that it's hard to discern any core beliefs beyond faith in his own managerial expertise. For all of its good points, yesterday's policy potpourri won't change that perception.”

But don’t worry Mr. Romney, if you get the nomination you will suddenly find the WSJ editorial written head over heels in love with you.  You just have to get the nomination.

The Fact Checker for the Washington Post, like any fact checker is going to have far more complaints against Republicans than anyone else because Republicans do not believe in letting facts get in the way of a good argument.  So in order to give an appearance of fairness the fact checker will have to reach to find fault with non Republicans.  The Fact Checker for the WP finds fault with this statement by Mr. Obama.

“We said working folks deserved a break, so within one month of me taking office, we signed into law the biggest middle-class tax cut in history, putting more money into your pockets.”

The context that the White House says the statement was made in is that this covered 95% of all taxpayers, or basically 100% of all middle class taxpayers.  Instead of accepting that explanation the Fact Checker inserted his own and ended up calling the President’s statement a “whopper” and giving him four Pinocchio’s.

Now it is true that the President should not have said this in the way he said it, and maybe one Pinocchio was appropriate, but Conservatives have put such fear into anyone who would write objectively about them that the WP feels it must overreact to appease its right wing critics.  That may be good politics for the WP, it is just not good journalism.

The New York Times puts a face on the people who are bearing the brunt of cuts in state spending to help the poor, the low income adults and the unemployed.  The cuts have been enacted in both Republican and Democratic control states, but more so in the Republican states.  The article focuses on Michigan with Republicans newly in charge.

“Here in Michigan, more than 11,000 families received letters last week notifying them that in October they will lose the cash assistance they have been provided for years. Next year, people who lose their jobs here will receive fewer weeks of state unemployment benefits, and those making little enough to qualify for the state’s earned income tax credit will see a far smaller benefit from it.”

 Michigan has an earned income tax credit, which benefits people who are working but making very little money

“in Michigan, a proposal to throw out the earned income tax credit entirely was dropped, but lawmakers shrank the benefit — to an average of $138 a year for a Michigan family, advocates say, from $432 last year.”

But there is another side to the story

“In Michigan — where 23 percent of children were living in poverty by 2009 (compared with 14 percent in 2000) and with an unemployment rate, at 10.9 percent, worse than the nation’s — state leaders defended their changes.

Sara Wurfel, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican in his first term, said his efforts had focused on creating an economic climate in the state for more and better jobs, while also protecting and even enhancing core safety-net services like Medicaid, she said.”

Let’s see, the years 2000 to 2009 huge increase in children in poverty, who was President then?  Anyone remember?  And finally we have the mind boggling statement that always comes from some Republican

“In this state, we are losing hard-working families and taxpayers and gaining people who were moving here for our entitlement programs,” said Ken Horn, a Republican state representative”

Ok Mr. Washington Post Fact Checker, if you are really looking for a “Whopper” here you go.