How can you forget millions in income???

Mitt Romney’s pick for Vice President, Paul Ryan, appears to have himself quite a memory problem. First, he had to amend two years of tax returns before he was confirmed as the VP pick. Why?

Because he neglected to report income of between $1 million and $5 million.

As Texas governor Rick Perry would say: Oops.

Much, much more after the jump.

This is what happens when you vote Republican

Today, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Democratic legislators and dismissed a case around unconstitutional use by the GOP of the “immediate effect” rule. As has been widely reported, including by Rachel Maddow (video and my previous coverage HERE), Republicans in the House have been implementing “immediate effect” on newly passed bills without a roll call vote. A ridiculous number of bills have been passed with less than two-thirds of the legislators voting for it. However, they go ahead and call for a voice vote and then instantly gavel it as passed, even though they need two-thirds of the lawmakers’ votes for that to happen.

Today, the three members of the Court of Appeals that heard the case voted to send the case back to the lower court with an order that they dismiss it. Their justification is that they can’t tell the Legislature what to do and House rules allow for a voice vote.

You gotta admit, the dude’s got chutzpah

As I wrote about yesterday, disgraced former Republican Congressman Thad McCotter has now been found to have fraudulently falsified nominating petitions not only this year but in 2010, as well. The Detroit Free Press now reveals that the fraud goes back EIGHT YEARS when McCotter filed photocopied and cut-and-paste copied signatures in 2008, too. In fact, if the two-year statute of limitations hadn’t run out, McCotter could be looking at jail time.

Details after the jump.

You’re a freaking LIAR, Governor!

This is what journalism looks like. MSNBC reporter Chuck Todd calls out Iowa Governor and Lying Romney Surrogate Terry E. Branstad on his lying about the ridiculous claim that President Obama has removed the work requirement for welfare recipients.

Video after the jump.

Like we didn’t see THAT coming…

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers today deadlocked on putting the Protect Working Families (formerly Protect Our Jobs) ballot initiative on the November ballot. With help from Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette who recently issued a ruling saying the ballot proposal is unconstitutional, the two Republicans on the elections board refused to certify the petitions.

Details and information on how you can help after the jump.

These guys are out of control

As is becoming increasingly clear to anyone paying attention to the 2012 presidential election, the Ryan/Romney campaign has given up all hope of winning on the issues and on their record and have resorted to unprecedented lying — literally making things up about President Obama and then putting it out as truth in stump speeches, online videos, television ads, appearances by surrogates on news programs and in fundraising emails.

There is a new one this week and it takes the LYING and HYPOCRISY to a new and rather incredible level.

The Ryan/Romney campaign is claiming that President Obama stripped $716 billion out of Medicare benefits “to pay for Obamacare”.

This is a lie.

Also, those same cuts, which I’ll describe in a moment, are in the Ryan budget plan that Mitt Romney has endorsed.

Details and more after the jump.

You wanna schplain that one to us, Mitt?

Mitt Romney made an astonishing promise today: he told a crowd of coal miners that he will have the USA energy independent from sources outside North America by 2021.

It’s particularly astonishing given that he is against subsidizing renewable energy sources.

So, how is he going to get us off foreign energy sources? That’s a fine question and one that Romney hasn’t really answered.

This, of course, surprises exactly nobody.

Much more after the jump.

Taking back control

In the wake of the suspension of Public Act 4, Michigan no longer has “Emergency Managers”. We now have, once again, “Emergency FINANCIAL Managers”, men and women with reduced power and a singular focus on financial matters. Several school districts and municipalities around the state have wasted no time in reasserting their power as elected officials.

Many examples and commentary after the jump.

Who’s really in charge here?

Last year, Vice President Dick Cheney said THIS about Paul Ryan:

“I worship the ground the Paul Ryan walks on. I hope he doesn’t run for president because that would ruin a good man who has a lot of work to do.”

That’s high praise from the man most people think was the real President of the United States between 2000 and 2008.

When you look at how much clout Paul Ryan has gotten over the past few years, particularly as the GOP’s budgetary whiz kid, it makes you wonder who will be the brains of a Romney/Ryan White House.

More after the jump including a new Eclectagraphic suitable for sharing.

You are NOT alone!

As I wrote about back in July, our friends at Working America have launched the “Dear David” campaign where workers, unionized or not, can get answers to their labor and work-related questions.

Well, now you can access the “Dear David” website directly from their widget on Eclectablog. Just click through on the widget at the top of the right sidebar to see answers to questions others have asked or to ask one of your own. The response to their project has been fantastic with nearly 200 questions submitted since it began.

More details after the jump.

Hoo boy…

You have to hand it to Pete Houkstra — the man has gall. He’s running for Senate against Senator Debbie Stabenow and yet he wants to repeal the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that allows for the direct election of Senators.

I wish I were kidding.