Under no pressure from the news media, Republican doom and gloom rhetoric winning believers.

This interesting analysis is missing in action when it comes to Democratic campaign ads, and conveniently omitted from the Republican story line.

Huffington Post: If you happen to be a swing voter who's considering the Republican slate next month, you're being tricked. Let's start with "Obamacare,"

1) The health-care-reform bill will help working and middle class Americans to afford quality health insurance via hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies. For example, families of four earning $54,000 will see their insurance premiums reduced by around $10,000 per year. That's a lot. Who in their right mind would turn down a government check for $10,000? Every year. That's a full semester of state university tuition, among other things.

2) Contrary to the "Obama-is-spending-too-much" meme, the bill does not increase
the deficit. According to the nonpartisan CBO, the bill cuts the deficit by $130 billion over ten years. Put another way, all that scaremongering about the cost of the bill is just that: scaremongering.

3) There are no enforcement mechanisms for the super-duper terrifying individual mandate. If you choose not to buy insurance when the mandate takes effect in 2014, and are consequently fined $695, there is no means of actually enforcing the payment of that penalty. Nothing. So, you know, chill out about the mandate.

4) Deficit: Republicans are lying to voters about the Democratic handling of the deficit as well. It turns out the Democrats and the Obama administration cut the deficit this year. Cut it. The 2009 Bush-approved budget was $1.416 trillion and the 2010 Obama-approved budget was $122 billion less.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are admitting to increasing the deficit by $4 trillion by making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Actually, the only spending cuts that appear to be on the table are the Social Security checks, the Medicare reimbursements and the veteran's benefits that will stop when the Republicans gleefully shut down the government. (Any senior citizen who votes Republican is voting for their Social Security and Medicare checks to stop -- indefinitely. Just thought I'd mention that.)

And then factor into the mix that $288 billion out of the $800 billion cost of the
recovery act was composed entirely of tax cuts. Tax cuts! As a matter of history and taken as a lump sum, this was the largest American middle class tax cut ever. So it's not a stretch to suggest that the Republicans are suddenly against the largest middle-class tax cut in American history. The Republicans, meanwhile, are running on some sort of Mobius Loop of backwards logic and flimsy, if not totally destructive, policy positions.

While there is this notion that Obama is destroying the country, over half the states are experiencing a reduction in unemployment.

(AP) - Nearly half of U.S. states reported drops in their unemployment rates last month, the best showing since June. But job creation was weak in most areas of the country. Unemployment fell in 23 states and Washington, D.C., rose in 11 states and was unchanged in 16 during September.

A survey of employers found that payrolls decreased in 34 states and increased in only 16 states and Washington, D.C.

Related articles

• Bob Cesca: The Republican Swindle About "Obamacare and Stimulus" (huffingtonpost.com)
• 5 Campaign Fibs About the Economy (money.usnews.com)
• Campaign rhetoric muddies Social Security reform (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• If You Care About The Deficit, It's The Medicare, Stupid (alan.com)