Fake pimp from ACORN videos tries to ‘punk’ CNN correspondent  —  Editor's note: CNN takes an unprecedented look inside the young conservative activist movement in the documentary “Right On The Edge,” which airs Oct. 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST.  —  Lusby, Maryland (CNN) …

Meg Whitman's Housekeeper — ‘Explosive’ Allegations  —  UPDATE: Meg Whitman's campaign chairman, former California Governor Pete Wilson, tells TMZ he is unaware of any claim by Whitman's former housekeeper, but, “The timing of this is highly suspect.”  —  The former housekeeper for Meg Whitman …

The Tea Kettle Movement  —  There are actually two Tea Party movements in America today: one you've read about that is not that important and one you've not read about that could become really important if the right politician understood how to tap into it.  —  The Tea Party that has gotten …

Boehner surprise: Dems barely get votes to adjourn after floor speech  —  House Democrats on Wednesday barely won a 210-209 vote to adjourn the House without extending the Bush tax cuts.  —  Thirty-nine House Democrats voted against adjournment after Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) …

Assistant attorney general blogs against gay student body president  —  (CNN) — For nearly six months, Andrew Shirvell, an assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan, has waged an internet campaign against college student Chris Armstrong, the openly gay student assembly president at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Poll: Obama, Dems Poised to Lose Grayson House Seat  —  Republican Dan Webster jumps to a 7-point lead  —  In one of the most closely watched U.S. House races in the nation, Republican Daniel Webster now holds a 7-point lead over Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson in Central Florida's 8th Congressional District …

Meredith Whitney's new target: The states  —  The housing crash not yet realized its full impact on budgets in the most vulnerable states.  It's the banking crisis all over again - and it's time to stop ignoring it.  —  Meredith Whitney, the superstar analyst who famously forecast disaster …

Distrust in U.S. Media Edges Up to Record High  —  Perceptions of liberal bias still far outnumber perceptions of conservative bias  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the fourth straight year, the majority of Americans say they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly.

Being Glenn Beck  —  Glenn Beck was sprawled out on his office couch a couple of weeks ago, taking — as self-helpers like to say ­— an inventory.  “I think what the country is going through right now is, in a way, what I went through with my alcoholism,” he told me.  “You can either live or die.

‘Credible But Not Specific’: Threat of New Terrorist Attack  —  Officials in Europe, US on High Alert for Commando-Style Raids After Capture of Suspected German Terrorist  —  US and European officials said Tuesday they have detected a plot to carry out a major, coordinated series …

Obliterating a generation  —  Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid, the Democratic Party is facing the biggest defeat in midterm elections in the past 110 years, perhaps surpassing the modern record of a 74-seat gain set in 1922.

Rep. Gohmert's Ingenious Welfare Reform Proposal  —  2 hours and 7 minutes ago — Walid Zafar  —  Speaking on the House floor last night, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) offered a Texas-style alternative to some of the most important social safety net programs.  In place of providing unemployment insurance …

White America Has Lost Its Mind  —  The white brain, beset with worries, finally goes haywire in spectacular fashion  —  About 12:01 on the afternoon of January 20, 2009, the white American mind began to unravel.  —  It had been a pretty good run up to that point.

Dems retreat to coasts as GOP rules vast interior  —  Here's an exercise for some evening when you're curious about big nationwide trends in this year's elections.  —  Get an outline map showing the 50 states and take a look at the latest poll averages in pollster.com in each race for senator and governor.

Florida Dems aim death blow at Charlie Crist  —  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is getting the full Arlen Specter treatment as he struggles to hold on to Democratic support in his independent bid for the U.S. Senate.  —  The Florida Democratic Party is throwing money behind a crushing new ad …

Colbert Testimony Used to Attack Manchin  —  Political satirist Stephen Colbert's congressional testimony on migrant farm workers week has already become fodder for an attack ad.  —  The new spot targets West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, who is in a tough fight with GOP businessman John Raese for the Senate.

Christie: Republicans must ‘put up or shut up’  —  Washington (CNN) - The popular Republican governor of a traditionally blue state has a message for GOP candidates: “put up or shut up.”  —  “It's put up or shut up time for the Republican party once we get the opportunity to govern again …

Florida's Foreclosures Nightmare  —  Given that the IMF and others believe a large part of the “structural unemployment” in our country is related to the struggling housing market and underwater and barely-hanging on homeowners, what is to be done?  One option is to allow for options …

GOP senators lash out at DeMint  —  South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint last week accused his Senate Republican colleagues of doing “everything” in their power to help Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's write-in campaign against GOP nominee Joe Miller.  —  And he pounded them in a fundraising solicitation for doing …

Two senators put hold on women's museum  —  WASHINGTON — A letter from two senators is the only thing blocking congressional approval of a decade-long effort to build a women's history museum in the nation's capital.  —  Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Jim DeMint, R-S.C., have placed a …

Liberal bloggers are bringing down Obama, part II: It's NOT the economy, stupid, it's Obama's character  —  My post, How a handful of liberal bloggers are bringing down the Obama presidency, provoked a range of responses and I'd like to address the dominant themes.  Here's an excerpt of the piece for context:

Young People And Minorities Are All The President Has Left  —  Americans between ages 18 and 29 are significantly more likely to be satisfied with the overall state of the country than those who are 65 and older, according to the latest Society for Human Resource Management/National Journal …

The Backstory: How Obama got into the Clubb house  —  By:  —  CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux  —  Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - You ever wonder how families are selected to host President Obama's personal visits?  It might all come down to your backyard.

More on “No Wedding, No Womb.”  —  Today on the Michael Eric Dyson show, bloggers Christelyn Karazin and Jamilah Lemieux talked about the “No Wedding, No Womb” campaign.  Karazin, who is spearheading the effort, started it to “raise awareness” about high rates of out-of-wedlock births among black women.

Another School Says Christine O'Donnell Did Not Attend  —  Claremont Graduate University tells TPM that Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell did not attend the Southern California school despite listing it under education on her LinkedIn profile.  —  Rod Leveque, a spokesman for the school, told TPM tonight:

In Praise of Frozen Vegetables  —  Matthew Yglesias points out that a lot of the rhetoric used to explain why Americans eat so few vegetables—"A pound of kale is not exactly grab and go!"—ignores the existence of frozen produce. … I second the applause.