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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

‘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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …