Romney's secret plan

This is pretty funny, don't you think? Why don't we just trust Mitt Romney to do what he says he'll do? After all, why would he lie to us, just to get elected President of the United States?

I mean, just because Etch-A-Sketch Romney has flip-flopped on everything else in his political life, is that any reason not to trust him now? Just because Paul Ryan stood up before the nation, looked us right in the eye, and lied repeatedly, is that any reason to think they're also lying this time?

And just because George W. Bush also promised us the Moon - claiming that cutting taxes on the rich would cause a booming economy, jobs for everyone, and a deficit that would disappear like magic - is that any reason not to trust the Republicans now, when they make the exact same claims?

It really is pretty funny. The Republicans have a plan,... which involves cutting taxes even more on the wealthiest Americans - just as in the last Republican administration. And they promise, just like George W. Bush did, that this won't balloon the budget deficit, even though they also plan to increase military spending. That's because they'll close tax loopholes. Which loopholes? Oh, that's a secret.

Honestly, how gullible would you have to be to buy that - especially after our experiences with the Bush administration? How does that old Texas saying go? "Fool me once, shame on,... shame on you. Fool me,... you can't get fooled again." I guess Republicans don't actually believe that, huh?

But as crazy as this is, Paul Ryan must have completely lost his mind when he suggested that Congress would figure these things out, as he and Romney waited on the sidelines. Congress? Really? So what makes him think that Congress will no longer be completely deadlocked after the election?

Is it because Paul Ryan will no longer be in Congress, if they win the election? Is that why things will improve? Or is it just because Republicans will stop dragging their feet, once there's a Republican in the White House? (Of course, they might have a point, since, in that case, most Democrats will continue trying to do what's best for America, rather than what's best for their political ambition.)

Hmm,... I'm wondering if Ryan was accidentally being honest there. Certainly, if he was, that was entirely an accident. More likely, he just knows that their numbers don't add up, he just knows that everything they've said is a lie, and this is the only way he can pretend otherwise. But either way, it sure sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Even some conservatives aren't particularly happy about this (although I think many of them would prefer a blatant lie merely because it's a better political tactic):

On ABC’s “This Week” roundtable, prominent conservative columnist George Will hinted at why Romney may not want to reveal his cards: his tax math doesn’t add up.

“There is uncertainty surrounding the Romney-Ryan tax cut plan, because they have not specified the deductions that will be closed,” he said. “And we know where the big money is: mortgage interest deductions, charitable deductions … employer-provided health insurance, and state and local taxes. All of those, you either hit only the rich, in which case you don’t get much money, or you hit the middle class.”

Will implicitly endorsed the conclusion of a study by the Tax Policy Center, which said Romney won’t be able to recover revenues on the scale he needs to via tax loopholes unless he also targets incomes under $200,000.

Generally speaking, conservatives were hugely supportive of the Romney/Ryan tactics during the Republican National Convention - their flat-out lies, told with a straight face and a deep pretense of sincerity. I sure didn't see any ethical concerns about that. It's just that this weaselly kind of stuff doesn't sell. That's the problem.

And note that this is far from Mitt Romney's only secret plan. Well, his tax returns remain a secret, too. And I suppose that lying works better when there's no way to fact-check, huh?