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Extremism in defense of Gilded Age privilege (WaPo)

Katrina vanden Heuvel writes that staring down a hurricane has proved to be enough to make even hardened anti-government Republicans blink, but real-world wisdom need not apply in the right-wing wish list they've adopted as their platform.

Platform's Sharp Turn to Right Has Conservatives Cheering (NYT)

Michael Cooper notes that the 1980 platform conservatives hailed as a major victory reads like a Democratic policy brief compared to this year's, which has something for everyone as long as everyone's a radically conservative, affluent white guy.

Six Ways the GOP Platform is Bad News for Women's Bottom Line (Forbes)

NND Editor Bryce Covert writes that the GOP charm offensive (or is it just offensive?) against women continues with a platform that slashes the safety net, promises to fire more of them, and takes a swipe at single moms just for the heck of it.

GOP Platform Calls for Nuking What's Left of McCain-Feingold Law (MoJo)

Andy Kroll notes that having John McCain leading the GOP in 2008 forced them to grudgingly accept his signature campaign finance reform, but his absence this time around has freed them to ditch that and wave in the truck loads of soft money.

Republican National Convention: The one graph you need to see before watching (WaPo)

Ezra Klein offers a timely reminder that Republican convention speakers harping on America's growing mountain of debt have as much credibility in this area as Ronald McDonald delivering a PSA about the dangers of childhood obesity.

Obama, Romney and the Low-Wage Future of America (Nieman)

Dan Froomkin points out that one of the failures of the political press is that when the candidates discuss their plans to create good jobs in America, no one bothers to ask them to stop and explain what the hell they're even talking about.

A Dismal Outlook for Growth (NYT)

Annie Lowrey writes that while the American economy had reached a point during the late 20th century where our standard of living was doubling in just 20 to 30 years, a new report suggests that we should all buckle in for a long century ahead.

The Cheapest Generation (The Atlantic)

Derek Thompson and Jordan Weissman write that Millennials aren't big on buying cars or houses, possibly because they have no money to spend on anything besides student loans and ramen, but they could wind up putting us on firmer economic footing.

Who really pays taxes? (Salon)

Andrew Leonard notes that despite the conservative myth that most Americans are slacking off and dodging taxes, a greater and greater share of revenue comes from regressive taxes paid by those who work for a living rather than profiting off others.

Mitt Romney's Tax Mysteries: A Reading Guide (ProPublica)

Cora Currier presents a primer on everything you could possibly want to know about Mitt Romney's personal finances and tax avoidance strategies, except for the part where he actually lets anyone see his tax returns and find out for themselves.