Generally Dreadful

Are you all maintaining maximum enthusiasm for this general election in which USians will reelect a Democratic president who is more corporatey and less progressive than any of us would ideally like him to be, especially when it comes to foreign policy, where he is continuing many of the same grossly illiberal policies practiced by the previous administration; or in which USians will elect a Republican president who is a total garbage nightmare in every conceivable way? I HOPE SO! If you are still maintaining MAX ENTHUSIASM, please check this box: □

This Guy:

Ashley Killough for CNN—Obama: I Bear 'Full Responsibility for Everything':

President Barack Obama discussed his frustration with gridlock in Washington, saying his "biggest disappointment" in his nearly four years in office has been the failure to oversee change in the nation's political climate.

"My biggest disappointment is that we haven't changed the tone in Washington as much as I would have liked," Obama said in a CBS News interview that aired Sunday.

Asked if he bears any blame for the stalemate, Obama said the buck stops at his desk.

"I think that, you know, as president I bear responsibility for everything, to some degree," he said on CBS' "60 Minutes."

As you may have heard, this comment, along with his comment about having realized that Washington can't be changed from the inside, has been criticized by both conservatives and liberals alike, with conservatives crowing that Obama has "admitted defeat" and liberals wondering why the eff President Obama would take responsibility for Republicans' obstructionism and calling his "can't change Washington" comment a huge gaffe.

I will only say this: One of my major criticisms of President Bush was that he rejected accountability and could never admit mistakes, and one of my major criticisms of President Obama when he ran for president in '08 was that I felt like he was tremendously naïve/arrogant about his capacity to change Washington by sheer force of will. So, frankly, I like what the President said, and I respect him for saying it. The end.

That Guy:

Holly Bailey for The Ticket—Romney Says His Campaign Doesn't Need a 'Turnaround':

Mitt Romney insisted his campaign is not in need of a "turnaround" in spite of polls showing President Barack Obama expanding his lead in battleground states.

In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," the Republican presidential nominee rejected criticism from conservative pundits who have called his campaign incompetent.

"It doesn't need a turnaround," Romney insisted, pointing to national polls that have him "tied" with Obama. "I've got a very effective campaign. It's doing a very good job."

Asked about GOP worries over a hidden video that caught him dismissing Obama supporters—which he estimated to be 47 percent of the country—as having a victim mentality and being too dependent on the government, Romney said he was responsible for those comments, not his campaign.

"That's not the campaign," Romney said. "That was me, right?"

HA HA WHUT. Oof, this guy. Does Mitt Romney understand that his "campaign" isn't running for president? Somebody tell Mitt Romney that his campaign isn't running for president.

I'll concede he's right about one thing: His campaign doesn't need a turnaround. It needs a one-way ticket to Yikesville.

Polls!

Gallup: Swing-State Voters Trust Obama More to Address Medicare.

Reuters/Ipsos: For Romney, Some Troubling Signs Among Older Voters.

And in related news...

Paul Krugman for the NYT—The Optimism Cure: "Mitt Romney is optimistic about optimism. In fact, it's pretty much all he's got. And that fact should make you very pessimistic about his chances of leading an economic recovery. As many people have noticed, Mr. Romney's five-point 'economic plan' is very nearly substance-free."

Patricia Zengerle for Reuters—Voting Laws May Disenfranchise 10 million Hispanic US Citizens: "New voting laws in 23 of the 50 states could keep more than 10 million Hispanic US citizens from registering and voting, a new study said on Sunday, a number so large it could affect the outcome of the November 6 election. The Latino community accounts for more than 10 percent of eligible voters nationally. But the share in some states is high enough that keeping Hispanic voters away from the polls could shift some hard-fought states from support for Democratic President Barack Obama and help his Republican rival, Mitt Romney. The new laws include purges of people suspected of not being citizens in 16 states that unfairly target Latinos, the civil rights group Advancement Project said in the study to be formally released on Monday."

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.