Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are in a rut, a Republican Rut first identified by George W. Bush in March 2000 when he arrived on the scene with a $150 million campaign fund after, I assume, he promised donors he would return their contributions tenfold by lowering taxes.

Romney and Ryan continue in the rut by promising to cut taxes and regulations. The walls of the rut are evidently high enough to rebuff the declarations of the 99 percent.