I don’t know how much of a coincidence this is. But it is interesting to me that just about the same time as we learn the cruelty of Mitt Romney’s adult life was preceded by teenage cruelty, a video surfaces with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker explicitly promising a wealthy donor that he would use a “divide and conquer” strategy to break the state’s unions.

Even if it’s unsurprising at some level, it is still a bit stunning to see how not just cynicism, but brazen malice is such a large factor in our politics. Not even a small shred of pretense remains that the welfare of the public is the ultimate goal.

Faced with having to allow a lesbian couple to attend their high school prom, a town conspires to hold two proms–one for gay and physically handicapped student, and one for everybody else.