WaPo’s Greg Sargent calls it the “scoop of the morning,” from Bloomberg:
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to tone down his statements heralding improvements in the state’s economy because they clash with the presumptive Republican nominee’s message that the nation is suffering under President Barack Obama, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Scott, a Republican, was asked to say that the state’s jobless rate could improve faster under a Romney presidency, according to the people, who asked not to be named.
It’s pretty hilarious if you think about it. Scott’s taking credit for a trend he’s had almost nothing to do with, and Romney wants him to shut up about the trend itself. It’s an attempted lie chasing the tail of an actual lie. And truth be told, neither of these gents has reflected much abiding interest in the actual state of the economy, which serves simply as the backdrop for their pursuit of ideological hobbyhorses and their own careers.
