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Mitt Romney's 20th-century worldview (WaPo)

Katrina vanden Heuvel argues that in addition to his retrograde domestic policies, Romney's gaffetastic world tour shows that, like George W. Bush, he's of the mindset that America can be judged not just by the quality but the quantity of its enemies.

Obama: Not Like You or Me (TAP)

Paul Waldman writes that directly emphasizing race would be far too uncouth for Romney, but basing his campaign around "you didn't build that" allows him to imply that Obama is some sort of foreign infiltrator without hissing the name "Hussein."

Leaders Reach Tentative Deal on Spending to Avoid Fight Before Election Day (NYT)

Not wanting to let a budget showdown interfere with an election that's mostly been about out-of-context quotes, leaders have struck a deal to keep the government running through March. But that doesn't mean the GOP won't vote against it anyway.

Why is Ed DeMarco stopping mortgage refinancing? (WaPo)

In light of the news that the Acting Director of FHFA has rejected the administration's plan to let Fannie and Freddie borrowers take part in HAMP, Dylan Matthews explains how a civil servant got quite so big for his britches and why it's tough to get him out of them.

Hopeless Unemployment (Project Syndicate)

Brad DeLong warns that if we don't learn from the Great Depression, in which the economy entered a suicidal demand-side spiral that led to major structural unemployment, the long-term unemployed will take all the hints they're getting and give up.

How Our 'Growth' Obsession Drives Inequity, and May Kill Us All (ColorLines)

Imara Jones writes that basing our vision of prosperity on Gross Domestic Product leads us to treat natural and human resources as endless and therefore disposible. But sooner rather than later, we're going to run out of planet and people to exploit.

Feel the Burn: Making the 2012 Heat Wave Matter (The Nation)

Mark Hertsgaard argues that although both presidential candidates have been silent on the issue of climate change, little issues like the fact that 97 percent of Greenland just melted should motivate us to declare that it is, in fact, hot enough for us.

The Fed Should Stop Paying Banks Not to Lend (NYT)

Bruce Bartlett writes that as the Fed debates yet another round of quantitative easing, it should consider more inventive approaches, like giving banks a penalty rather than a bonus for sitting on $1.5 trillion in reserves like it's an egg that's going to hatch.

Companies With Women on Their Boards Perform Better (Slate)

Matthew Yglesias notes that while there's no clear definition of what makes for an effective corporate board, it's traditionally been assumed that a gentleman's frat party is the way to go. As in most cases, the available evidence suggests otherwise.

The Larger Question About Romney's Taxes: Why? (TNR)

As new rumors emerge about Romney's dodgy tax history, Alec MacGillis writes that one question that confounds liberals is why he didn't cover his tracks better. But the answer may be staring us in the face: this guy really, really likes making money.

With additional research by Danielle Bella Ellison.