POLL: Voters more likely to see Democrats as dominated by extremists  —  Likely voters in battleground districts see extremists as having a more dominant influence over the Democratic Party than they do over the GOP.  —  This result comes from The Hill 2010 Midterm Election Poll …

Judge lets states' healthcare suit go forward  —  (Reuters) - U.S. states can proceed with a lawsuit seeking to overturn President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law, a Florida judge ruled on Thursday.  —  U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson had already indicated at a hearing …

Whitney is ‘Whitey’ on some ballots  —  SPRINGFIELD — The last name of Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney is misspelled as “Whitey” on electronic-voting machines in nearly two dozen wards — about half in predominantly African-American areas — and election officials said Wednesday …

Why don't the markets care about the foreclosure crisis?  —  The foreclosure mess really looks pretty bad.  Here's one vision of the worst-case, bad-case and even not-so-bad scenarios.  They're all grim.  Here's a “doomsday scenario.”  The words “TARP” and “two” are getting thrown around a lot …

Why Christine O'Donnell Could Be More Dangerous Than Sarah Palin  —  Because she has the idiot bravado of the talk show regular.  —  I write this 2/3rds of the way into her “debate” with Chris Coons in Newark, Delaware.  Sarah Palin was wounded by Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson …

Since Dick Cheney shot him, Harry Whittington's aim has been to move on  —  AUSTIN — Nearly five years on, Harry Whittington still speaks with a slight flutter in his voice — a “warble,” he calls it, inadvertently choosing a bird metaphor.  His easy East Texas drawl changed forever …

Why Can't NPR Staff Go To ‘Rally To Restore Sanity’ Or ‘March To Keep Fear Alive’?  —  The answer is they can - if they are assigned to cover the events.  —  But news staff and others covered by NPR's ethics policy should not go.  —  We've received enormous attention from media …

Murkowski backers worry about spoilers  —  As Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) makes her write-in bid for Senate official, filing paperwork with state elections officials Wednesday, she faces a new concern—some backers worry that opponents are searching for a way to torpedo her campaign …

Why the Reid-Angle debate matters so much  —  Debates, like newspaper endorsements, tend to be a slightly overrated commodity in politics.  —  Typically, debates are mundane affairs watched closely by small groups of partisans on each side — factors that virtually ensure they are not …

Justice Dept. seeks stay on injunction of military gay ban  —  The Department of Justice has asked the the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to grant an emergency stay against a federal judge's injunction that stops the military's ban on openly gay people serving in the armed forces.

Pamela Geller and the bloggers of hate  —  My site gave Geller her ‘break’ on the web.  These days, I work hard to stop such extremists drowning out the moderate majority  —  If you happened to read the Sunday New York Times last weekend, you might have seen Anne Barnard and Alan Feuer's profile …

Bankers Ignored Signs of Trouble on Foreclosures  —  At JPMorgan Chase & Company, they were derided as “Burger King kids” — walk-in hires who were so inexperienced they barely knew what a mortgage was.  —  At Citigroup and GMAC, dotting the i's and crossing the t's on home foreclosures …

Beck calls on his listeners to donate to Chamber of Commerce, says he's in for $10K  —  From the October 14 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:  —  Please upgrade your flash player.  The video for this item requires a newer version of Flash Player.

GOP pollster warns candidates on ‘repeal and replace’  —  As the November elections approach, House Republican leaders are trying to capitalize on public dislike of the new health-care law - about half of voters oppose it - by vowing to “repeal and replace” it.

Few signs at tea party rally expressed racially charged anti-Obama themes  —  A new analysis of political signs displayed at a tea party rally in Washington last month reveals that the vast majority of activists expressed narrow concerns about the government's economic and spending policies …

After O'Reilly's Rants About How ‘Muslims Killed Us On 9/11!’  Goldberg And Behar Storm Off Set  —  This morning, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly appeared on The View and chatted with the hosts about a variety of the day's issues.  At one point, the discussion turned to the topic of Park 51 …

Yes, voters do care about secret cash funding elections!  —  It has become an article of faith among certain Beltway inside-game commentators that there's no way the Dem attack on secret money funding elections could ever have a prayer of working.  Surely the issue is too esoteric …

Capitalism Saved the Miners  —  The profit = innovation dynamic was everywhere at the mine rescue site.  —  It needs to be said.  The rescue of the Chilean miners is a smashing victory for free-market capitalism.  —  Amid the boundless human joy of the miners' liberation, it may seem churlish to make such a claim.

MTV wants ‘light’ questions for Obama at today's youth townhall.  Why?  —  At 4pm ET today, President Obama is participating in a “youth town hall” with MTV, CMT and BET.  Last week I submitted my name to be a participant and was called back for the second round of “casting” (their word …

‘Nonpolitical’ Groups Target Democrats In Ad Blitz … This election season, more money than ever is flowing from supposedly nonpolitical groups into TV ad campaigns.  —  Americans for Job Security ad targeting Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA)  —  Most of the ads are negative …

The Pink House  —  The White House is going pink.  At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the White House will be bathed in pink light as President Obama honors National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  —  White House spokesman Bill Burton tweeted the news Thursday morning:

Valerie Jarret apologizes for remark about gay teen  —  White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett apologized this morning for referring to a gay teen who committed suicide as having made a “lifestyle choice.”  —  The comments were made to Washington Post reporter John Capehart in an interview …

India's richest man Mukesh Ambani moves into £630m home  —  The richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani, has moved into his new home in Mumbai which is 27 storeys high and worth £630m.  —  Ambani, his wife and three children have moved into the building which is named Antilia, after a mythical Island.