Washington has been so obsessed with austerity for so long that many politicians seem to have actually convince themselves that the country is full of masochists looking for a daddy to inflict that pain which feels so good. Politicians seem to have forget that democracy should be about making people’s lives better.

Candidates should offer plans on how to improve the country. The electorate normally votes for the candidate they think has the best ideas to improve their lives, the lives of their families and their communities.

Given the landscape of the Sunday morning talk shows and the obvious awkwardness of the moment, it is a bit chuckle-inducing that the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre chose, of all people, that journalistic pit bull David Gregory from the liberal NBC for his “exclusive interview,” rather than, say, Chris Wallace on Fox. Gregory, naturally, isn’t the least bit embarrassed, but instead has taken to twitter like a schoolgirl, asking hither and yon, “What should I ask him?” Too bad he doesn’t try this novel approach each week; the results could hardly be worse.

But you really have to set your drink down when LaPierre says, in advance, that he wants to focus on “mental health,” which is kind of like Saddam Hussein saying he wants to share decorating tips. No sentient being on earth would give a rat’s ass what either of these two have to say on their chosen topics except, well, David Gregory.

Mitt Romney surrogate Ed Gillespie was batted around by the unlikely source of Chris Wallace yesterday, when discussing the Romney tax plan. The talking point the Romney team has been throwing around is that “six studies” validate the claim that you can lower tax rates by 20%, remain revenue neutral, and not lower the share of the tax burden on the rich. “Share of the tax burden” is a weasel phrase that has more to do with the overall share of compensation going to the rich, but in some contexts Romney has said that he wouldn’t lower taxes for the rich, so we can read it that way.

This is all mathematically impossible, actual “studies” prove. But Gillespie and the surrogates have relied on the big-sounding “six studies” for their proof.

The Occupy movement has spread from Wall Street, to D.C. to other areas throughout the country and even internationally.

Who could have anticipated FoxNews saying it is getting too much coverage?

Michele Bachmann is making the Republican establishment very, very nervous.

It appears that Carly Fiorina is Christine O’Donnell with less Jesus and more work history.

Welcome to your Hoyer era in Democratic politics, should it come to pass. It will feature pathetic, knee-jerk cutting off of the legs of any remotely liberal-sounding policy. It will feature a rhetorical agenda designed to please Fox News. It will feature the kind of “liberals” America hates, because they sense they have no principles or values.

Joe LIEberman (Insurance-CON) went on Fox News Sunday this morning and in addition to promising to block the public option, he announced that he was finally planning to hold hearings in the Homeland Security Committee. Recall that LIEberman steadfastly refused to hold oversight hearings on the Bush failures in Katrina, but was still allowed to continue chairing the committee even after campaigning for John McCain (Old-GetOffMyYard) in the 2008 presidential election. What will be the topic for the hearings? Nothing other than a big round of “booga booga there’s Mooslums in the military!”