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 …

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 …

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 …

FIRST LADY CAMPAIGNS INSIDE POLLING PLACE  —  First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law — when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!  —  The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

GLENN BECK CALLS FOR ‘LARGEST DAY OF FUNDRAISING’ FOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE  —  Fed up with unsubstantiated accusations claiming the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is funneling foreign money into political campaigns, Glenn Beck is encouraging his listeners to shower the Chamber with “record-breaking” support.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Limbaugh would be weak against Nelson  —  Rush Limbaugh's one of the most influential figures in American politics who's never run for office...but what if he did run for office?  His home state of Florida has an incumbent Democratic Senator up for reelection next cycle in Bill Nelson …

Republicans plan January takedowns of Obama's ‘czars’  —  Republicans will have President Barack Obama's czars and his use of regulatory powers to circumvent congressional inaction on issues such as cap and trade in GOP crosshairs if the party takes control in January.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

‘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 …

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.

Push-Polling in Illinois?  —  Democratic operatives have apparently begun “push polling” in Illinois, trying to drive a wedge between conservative voters and Rep. Mark Kirk, the centrist Republican seeking the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.

Mystery shiny objects floating over Manhattan spark UFO frenzy  —  A mysterious shiny object floating high over Manhattan's West Side set off a flurry of reports and wild speculation Wednesday that a UFO was flying over the city.  —  Police and the FAA said they began getting flooded …

Arnold Schwarzenegger hits Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman  —  California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took to Twitter on Thursday to blast Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown for the way they have conducted their campaigns to replace him.  —  With approval ratings hanging …