“Binders full of women”

The media consensus seems to be that Barack Obama had a good night and Mitt Romney not so much, roughly in line with my own impressions.

But as often happens, things that I gave only a passing attention to in the debate turn out to grab a lot of attention in the media world. In this case it was Mitt Romney’s claim, in making the case that he was sensitive to women’s issues, that when he was elected governor of Massachusetts, he was given “binders full of women” that he could use to select women for high posts. [Read more…]

Review of the second presidential debate

The second debate proved to be lively, with sharp exchanges between the candidates, dispelling the myth that the town hall format required candidates to tread gingerly, since being aggressive might turn off voters. I never bought that argument, which infantilizes voters and sees them as delicate flowers who wilt at seeing spirited debate. People who tune in to a political debate when they have so many other options are people who don’t need smelling salts at the first sign of disagreement. [Read more…]

Clever

Are you curious about how the Romney-Ryan tax plan is able to achieve the seemingly impossible goal of cutting tax rates that reduce revenues by $5 trillion without raising taxes on the middle class or increasing the deficit? Then see here.