And down the rabbit hole we go?

Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein believes most Americans either have no idea what "the deficit" means or simplistically defines it as "bad economic stuff" to be avoided like the flu. Most (including too many politicians) have no clue that it's really about "government revenues and government expenditures." Hammering the point home, Steve Benen adds: "Public ignorance has gotten worse in the 20 years since [1992]. It's fairly common to hear people say, 'People are really struggling out there, so we better get the deficit under control.' They don't realize -- because no one in power has told them -- that tackling the deficit would make matters worse, not better, for those hurting most. And so the polls, the discourse, and the political world slide further down the rabbit hole." I suspect that in the end, wiser politicos (led by Cool Hand Obama) will pull us out of this death spiral. Still, it's scary that it has come to this. And you can thank the Republican fear-mongering machine for creating this unhealthy climate.