This US downgrade, it seems to me, has the potential to be a huge political advanatge if one . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

. . . were inclined to take it.

I expect, based solely on past performance, the repubicans will take advantage and the Dems will bobble it.

America's low information masses have little or no clue who S&P are and what a rating is. They just know that three As are better than two. They could also understand the concept that someone dissed the USofA. Beyond that, few of the details will sink in before eyes glaze over.

S&P is fundamentally full of shit here, so it can be treated, pretty safely, as a strawman. The team (yes, today's political landscape is all a game of team combat anymore) that spins this best will win.

How easy would it be to pin John Cantor, Mitch Boner, and Eric McConnell to this mess? Show Michele Bachmann yammering her special brand of stupid. Talk about the austerity. The "let it default" calls from the House Freshman crazies. Show Mittens all flummoxed while he was for/against/for/not sure about the debt seal.

Spin this motherfucker. It is a golden goose who is just now laying a great Ova d'Or.

Or just sit by and watch the turd as it orbits the porcelain bowl.

[FarLeftFist]

1. So true. There is plenty of blame to go around. It's all about message right now.

[jaxx]

2. S&P pinned it on the pubs directly:

<..> Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now
assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012,
remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority
of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise
revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act.

http://www.standardandpoors.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobheadername3=MDT-Type&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3DUS_Downgraded_AA%2B.pdf&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobheadername1=content-type&blobwhere=1243942957443&blobheadervalue3=UTF-8

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Sparkly: Make an ad that shows Boner saying he got 98% of what he wanted. Then show tell story.

"Boner got what he wanted - a US credit downgrade."