What a costume. As a champion for americas underprivileged ryan will likely attempt to hide the fact that 62 of the spending cuts he proposed in his 2013 house budget come from programs that help the poor. According to the center on budget policy priorities and while romney will say that every american should have the ability to rise to escape from poverty his budget would bring the cleaver down on programs that give the disenfranchised a shot including job dwrantss and pell grants. Under ryans plan, pell grants for 1 Million Students would be eliminated. Ryan will say in todays speech that, quote it is unclear whether that compassion includes steep cuts to food stamps as part of ryans budget plan 8 to 10 million americans will be kicked off the program that helps them feed themselves and their families. And finally, a new report from the urban institute finds the ryan budget would slash funding for medicaid by 1. 7 trillion and cut the number of people enrolled by 50 . Given this, dressing up as a champion for societys most vulnerable will be quite the costume drama. Lets not forget how romney and ryan characterized those in need of government assistance or in ryans words the takers. Right now about 60 of the American People get more benefits benefit s in dollar value than they pay back in taxes. Were going to takers versus makers in america. Theyll be dependent on the government for the livelihoods. This halloween is shaping up to be downright terrifying. Jared bernstein as someone who knows about numbers and budgets and economics, the case that the romney ryan ticket i think will probably make over the course of the next two weeks will be some version of that which theyve spun for the last few months which is this notion that supply side economics trickle down economics benefits the country in terms of economic growth. There is a chart that david leanhart published in the new york tiles i love charts. They are based on facts. And if you look at it, the more you cut taxes the less the countrys economy grows. How do they keep making this argument at this point is this. Thats a good question because what we have found is that supply side tax cuts this trickle down notion, really results in two things, far less revenue for the federal government so a larger budget deficit and exactly what you would expect, higher incomes at the very top of the scale based on the very large tax cuts that leaves you with. If you look at the romney ryan plan trickle down double down. Not just making the bush tax cuts permanent adding 5 trillion on that. The theory of the case when it comes to poverty is drawn from this trickle down idea. The thing thats holding back poor people is not the fact that they dont have enough jobs at living wages, not that they cant afford health care, theyre discriminated against from an equal educational opportunity, they have too many government benefits, food stamps. If you take those cuts way i, which i find wrenching that you think about the market failure that poor people have experienced, emotionally wrenching, society wrenching, bad politics in economics they look at those and say thats the way to go if you want to reduce poverty, force people to pull themselves up against the boot straps. The evidence goes the other way. Over the Business Cycle expansion over the 2,000s, poverty rates did not go down, they went up. Chairman. Yes. I ask you, in terms look, there is an argument to be made here. Jared makes an eloquent argument. We had stats we used. What is the point of introducing a policy speech like this late in the Campaign Season . I dont know what the specifics are behind doing the policy speech at this point but i do know that it is consistent from the paul ryan perspective with his relationship with jack kemp who was an advocate and really the father for a form of empowerment that goes to some of the core roots of what the Republican Party and this economic philosophy has been about. It has been sort of that boot strap argument. But the thing that i always appreciated about jack kemp he had sort of Thurgood Marshall approach as well. Sometimes the government actually or someone else has to reach down and help bend down and help you up. Well see. I want to wait to see the whole speech. I understand taking the piece out. I dont know exactly how theyre going to frame this argument at this stage. I like the power of it. Ill tell you why. Its about time that this campaign, this president and this nominee for president on the republican side, talk about the poor in this country and bring this into the light of day. My biggest concern has always been whether its the Obama Administration or future administration, all of this growth in the economy and all this, you know, rising tide lifts all boats, lets talk about people having a boat first. When the tide comes in, they can actually take advantage of all the trickle down, all of the programs, all of the things that are supposedly going to be put in place. I want to wait to see what theyre going to say, to spell out their agenda for addressing poverty. Im glad its about time were talking about it. I think its a little late in the game to be honest because ive said over a year ago, this should have been a leadoff discussion for the party. But were here, so lets see what happens. Heather, the poverty never came up in any of the president ial debates. We have 48 according to the Census Bureau 48 of this country is on is in poverty or on the verge of poverty. Poverty is considered to be 23,000 for a family of four, which is a very, very low bar, and with 11,170 for a Single Person and yet the National Discussion has been largely silent on in terms of this president ial cycle. I wonder is addressing it enough . Can paul ryan go out there we know some of the verbiage hes going to use we believe americans are better off in a dynamic Free Enterprise based economy that fosters economic growth, opportunity and upward mobility and keep reading these bells of the American Dream, upward mobility, is there going to be scrutiny as far as the actual prescriptions . I think this is showing actually that the Campaign Sees this as a vulnerability and, of course they should. Mu mitt romney said hes not concerned about the very poor. The problem is this dont take personal responsibility for themselves. Two out of three dollars in the ryan budget cuts come from these programs. So we know this is a serious vulnerability when Many Americans are seeing themselves and their situations reflected in the face of what weve also always talked about as the poor as if this is some sort of natural state of being for some people as opposed to something that could happen to any of us, particularly in an economy like this. Whats so frustrating about it is that the conversation im sure that romney is going to have today is not going to mention any of the things that government, that are outside of the government. For example, allowing unions to actually allow people in a free market, you know, ban together and collectively bargain for, you know, better some dignity on the jobs. Those kind of things are outside of taxes and government and spending, but are a lot of the reason why weve seen the economic insecurity grow. Michael eric dyson, i want to call your attention to an interview the president gave to the des moines, it was off the record. Ill have to read you his best. Summon my best obama. His counter argument basically to romney and ryans argument about supply side economics and freeing, unshackling the American Economy and taxpayer. He says is that enough of a forceful rejoineder . Probably not. But in these times of bold gestures, looks like a calm reasonable retort that president is offering. We know both sides are not speaking in a structural manner as the chairman indicated and as both mr. Bernstein and miss magee indicated theyre not speaking seriously about issues of poverty. What is paul ryans plan . To hack at the social person, whack the poor and take away the American Dream. Thats why we call you the golden throat. On the other hand the anemic policies being offered as a counter measure, dont seem to adequately address the fact that 23 million 23,000 for a family of four is pretty ludicrous. You not only have the poor but the working people. People who work 60, 70, 80 hours a week make it above the poverty level. Then they have latch key effects. You cant stay at home and watch your kid, cant go with them to the school system. All the things with their kind of virtue want to support as the basis of democracy, that is to say you take personal responsibility for your kids. They dont acknowledge how the economic forces impoverished people so very fundamentally and then they want the personal responsibility to kick in while the government doesnt take its role. Let me end, obama says this, the reason knows the government is not the enemy because he come from a people that were owned and it was a government sponsored program. If the government sponsored your ownership the government has to step in. Thats 100 years ago, 200 years ago, but we seen the legacy of slavery, economic inequality, jim crow law all of that stuff operates. Certain systemic failure within American Society and yet theres been im flagger gasted at the notion, like 40 huge percentage of this country is living at sort of an economic line where a medical bill sends them into poverty. Lets be clear about that. The fact is, the medical bill shouldnt send them into poverty because we recognize decades ago that we need some social insurance prevent precisely that. If you look at the magnitude of our poverty programs, theyre really fairly marginal as michael was saying. Now when governor romney made that gaffe or whatever it was that heather mentioned what he said was i dont worry about the poor because we have a safety net. The safety net as they just mentioned is very porous and barely there. But secondly these guys whack the heck whack and sack out of the safety net. Whatever holes were there, medicaid, they cut the romney budget cuts 800 billion for medicate. You are talking about the obama budget and the ryan budget as if they are actually the current law of the land. But you got to listen to what theyre saying. The bottom line is ryan did a budget. He put it on the table. It has been a discussion for almost two years. Thats a good thing. Lets see what a Romney Ryan Administration actually does when they get in there and do doesnt matter what they put in the budget . Look, its a framework. I agree with that. Its a framework. Yeah. I dont like the framework. You start at the edges and bring it to a point youre going need to get democrats to pass it in the senate. Framework says a lot. Heres what we do know, paul ryan you guys dont like the framework. I get that. At least its something that we can begin to have the discussion. I agree, there are elements of this budget that are not good, that are problematic. But at least it brings the parties to the table. If Congress Wants to be serious about addressing the poor and that safety net youre going to begin somewhere, at least youve got something you can look down and go we dont like that so here is a better plan. The table is great but if the wolf comes to the table the metaphors are flying. Gentlemen and lady, we know that mitt romney is also giving a speech tomorrow according to the New York Times going to give a major jobs and debt speech on thursday. Theres going to be all sorts of policy floating around for us to discuss. We have to go to break. Afterwards which battlegrounds are making the campaigns nervous . If you ask them not a single one. We will climb back on the swing set next on now. [ horn honks ] [ male announcer ] you start your day. Love you, too. Thinking about whats important to you your family. The mortgage. The kids college tuition. [ cellphone ringing ] but Life Insurance . [ horn honking ] life is unpredictable. 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Thats a nutty conspiracy theorist dressed up as a real estate mogulist for halloween. Donald trump trying to launch an october surprise. What do you make of that, my friend . Its a little baffling what exactly i understand the birther b. S. Hes trying tos press but i dont understand what hes trying to press with the idea we need to see the president s College Records and application as if one keeps one, except this really really ugly idea that the president didnt deserve to go to the universities that he went to in some way. I actually dont know what the theory of the case is hes trying to do except get more attention for donald trump incorporated. Whats insane is that he doesnt have any grounds to launch this latest conspiracy theory. Hes kind of out there putting money out in the either effectively, a bounty. The thing thats interesting about it, i would love to take 5 million from donald trump and give it to a good cause as opposed to donald trump and the question is, the only reason not to do if youre the president is because that was nuts. This is also true. And wont be the end. But what it does speak to and what is perhaps or definitely more of a substantive conversation is that, you know, its game time and this race is tight and, you know, i talked to Michael Steele before this Program Began and said your party has a race and you pointed to me and said your party has a race. Its tight and important to note that the president is going to log 5300 miles in the next 24 hours. Hes going basically everywhere. Going to iowa, colorado, l. A. , las vegas, to florida, to tampa tomorrow. Mitt romney no more stationary going to everyone is going to ohio. Romney will be in nevada, in iowa. Everybody is making basically a lastminute dash. I think we have a photo of the two, the romney plane and air force one in the same hangars. These guys will meet at various battleground states. The question is, Michael Steele, you know, is there how much of the romney lead is a i wont say a fabrication, but how much of this is selffulfilling prophecy. The more you talk about the lead the more he will actually can i interrupt hes not leading, actually. The president is still leading and hes got hes been gaining but that hes not leading. Its so funny because i think we as, you know, progressives you know, we tend to think because hes got momentum and he shouldnt. Gallup polls say romney is leading. Thats just one poll. The averages of a lot of poll. It wasnt an outliar. Look deniability, you can live in that world all you want. Two weeks out from a president ial election in which two things you need to consider. One, either one of these men should be running away with this thing and theyre not and theres a reason for that. The country is largely still making up its mind in one sense. I think theyre going to come down in the voting booth. Thats why youve seen 47, 48, 49. But this is the reality. Ohio. The president has his firewall, ohio, iowa wisconsin and hes going to hes building his whole Campaign Around making sure that firewall stays in place. Romneys got to find a way to crack that firewall. This is chuck todd i thought put it perfectly. The president has the map. The obama team, theyve got the map in place to kind of pull together those pieces. The romney ryan team have the momentum. The question is does momentum overtake the map or the map suffocate the momentum . Thats going to be the next couple of weeks be here that are in play right now. This thing is close. The president is behind. He is behind. Thats why you have chicago concerned about reinforcing those firewalls, the president on the plane the way he is. This thing is going to boil down to hard ground games. Let me Say Something about the lead. Whether or not he is up or down, we know the thing is really close. Jonathan writing in new York Magazine obamas lead is narrow, he says its a lead. He is leading and his lead not declining and the perception that romney is pulling ahead ed years. I actually heather what did you think of that . Because on one hand i thought thats good because everybodys been saying you got to put some vision out there. Do you think thats an effective tool. I think its great. I hope that people get to read it. This is something we did when i was on the Edwards Campaign in 2008 when we were trying to make sure that in all of the sort of Campaign Spending and all the advertisements, debate talking points, you actually respect the American Voter and say hey, this is what i would do with the parts of the economy, our democracy, womens right to choose all of that. This is what i would do. Here it is in print. See it for yourself. I think americans are actually hungry for that kind of detail because theyre sick of, you know, this. I wish this was a country that was attracted to, you know, haifa lieu tent movies but