FROM THE WEEKEND…. We covered a fair amount of ground over the weekend. Here’s a quick overview of what you may have missed.
On Sunday, we talked about:
* For all of his faults, Alan Simpson gets it right on taxes and Reagan’s actual record (as compared to the one Republicans like to pretend is true).
* The results of a fascinating new survey should be of great interest to the Democratic Party: Americans are generally inclined to like Paul Ryan’s House GOP budget plan, until they learn what’s in it.
* I don’t expect much from House Republicans, but I do expect them to know who was president in 2008.
* Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is optimistic about Congress and the debt ceiling. He really doesn’t have much of a choice.
* President Obama issued a signing statement on Friday. Is that inconsistent with his campaign rhetoric from a few years ago? The answer requires a little nuance.
* Donald Trump is stuck in a Beck-like vicious circle — if he expects to stay on his present course, he has to keep coming up with new ways to be even crazier.
* A certain former half-term governor headlined a right-wing event in Madison over the weekend. It didn’t go especially well.
And on Saturday, we talked about:
* The RNC would still like Americans to believe that any tax increase, on anyone, by any amount is beyond the pale. I’m hoping the RNC is wrong.
* A proposed spending-cap idea is one of the worst ideas in the history of bad ideas.
* Fox News thinks Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) approval ratings are going up. It’s hard to overstate how wrong this is.
* Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman sent a hand-written note to President Obama, calling him a “remarkable leader.” He underlined “remarkable” for emphasis.
* In “This Week in God,” we discussed, among other things, the Catholic League’s latest defense of the Roman Catholic Church’s international scandal surrounding the sexual abuse of children.
* The Sunday shows sure do love to book conservative guests.
* One of the most common responses from Republicans to the president’s speech: he hurt the GOP’s feelings. That’s kind of pathetic.
