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The Secret of Our Non-Success (NYT)

Paul Krugman argues that the evidence shows our prolonged economic slump has been the typical result of a severe financial crisis, but the Romney camp favors the explanation that Obama is an evil sorceror whose curse only Mitt's purification spell can break.

Obama's not-so-hidden second-term agenda (WaPo)

E.J. Dionne writes that while Obama's critics claim he hasn't been clear about his future plans, the truth is he just lacks a good sound bite like Romney's five-point plan. But that shouldn't be too big a problem for those of us who can count without using our fingers.

Bushonomics on Steroids: Romney's Tax Plan Is Still Severely Impossible (The Atlantic)

Matthew O'Brien notes that Romney's attempt to make his tax plan add up by proposing a cap on deductions still doesn't pass the math test, and it never will unless he abandons his promises or finds the votes to repeal the laws of arithmetic through reconciliation.

Beware of Romneycare (New Yorker)

James Surowiecki writes that if there's one thing Romney's been consistent about, it's his desire to repeal Obamacare and let the free market bring costs down through consumer choice. And that could work, assuming he pays everyone to go to med school first.

Greece Austerity Diet Risks 1930s-Style Depression (Bloomberg)

John Glover and Radoslav Tomek report that thanks to austerity measures, the Greek economy is projected to shrink almost as much as the U.S. economy did at the start of the Great Depression. Does confidence of doom still count as market confidence?

The Mysterious Economic Collapse in the Northeast (FDL)

David Dayen notes that there's been an unusual spike in unemployment in the Northeast in recent months, with states like New York getting close to their recessionary peak. But no one in the media capital of the country seems very interested in finding out why.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Poverty (The Nation)

Greg Kaufmann writes that in the last debate, Romney spoke about poverty, but his only solution was to recommend marriage (hopefully to someone rich). Meanwhile, Obama spoke about more realistic solutions but avoided mentioning what he was trying to solve.

Your Fees, Their Bank (NYT)

Nancy Folbre argues that as banks layer on fees to recoup lost profits from credit card regulations, they might just begin to convince more consumers to take their money to institutions whose business plans don't rely on punishing them for using their services.

Koch to Workers: Vote Mitt or Else! (Salon)

Josh Eidelson writes that recent stories of employers coercing workers to support the Romney campaign reflect the post-Citizens United legal reality in which corporations get free speech while their employees get to be the puppets in their ventriloquist act.

Mitt Romney: '95% of Life is Set Up for You If You're Born in This Country' (HuffPo)

Ryan Grim and Arthur Delaney highlight part of Romney's 47 percent video in which he busts out yet another questionable claim about spoiled Americans. Look, just... no more percentages, okay? People like fractions. Maybe throw in a derivative function or two.