For anyone who's been paying attention, it's long been obvious that Paul Ryan is a political fraud.

The fact that virtually no one actually thinks reaching the fiscal cliff is a good thing when push comes to shove tells you everything you need to know about how absurd and besides the point our debates about deficit issues have been.

With all due warnings about nostalgia about a golden age of American democracy that never existed, here are four especially disturbing and depressing signs that our political institutions are doing a worse and worse job of reflecting meaningful the interests of "We, The People."

Mitt Romney's comments on disaster relief, a week after the Joplin disaster, and his refusal today to answer any questions about FEMA and federal efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by Sandy, are useful bookends -- providing as clear a window into the man's conscience as we're likely to have.