memeorandum: Memo warned of drug cartels targeting rivals with assassins (Dennis Wagner/Arizona Republic)

11:00 PM ET, October 15, 2010

Top Items:

Reid My Lips: Last Night Was a Disaster — The Senate majority leader should've stayed home. — Why Harry Reid agreed to have a debate with Sharron Angle is a bit of a mystery to me. If your campaign is based on portraying your opponent as loony, then why give that opponent a chance to look reasonable?

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, American Power, Donklephant, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Swampland and Ballot Box

Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun:

Reid lost the debate to Angle — Let's get the easy part out of the way first: — Sharron Angle won The Big Debate. — Angle won because she looked relatively credible, appearing not to be the Wicked Witch of the West (Christine O'Donnell is the good witch of the Tea Party) and scoring many more rhetorical points.

Ballot Box:

Angle burns through much of her staggering $14 million haul — Nevada Republican Sharron Angle announced earlier this week she raised a staggering $14 million between the start of July and the end of September. Observers seized on the impressive total as a sign her challenge …

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

Michelle Malkin:

“Man up!:” Doddering Reid wilts in debate with Angle — In style and substance, Lady in Red Sharron Angle trounced the four-term Democrat Senate incumbent and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at tonight's Las Vegas debate. — He preposterously called George W. Bush “his friend” …

Discussion: Washington Wire, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Firedoglake, Real Clear Politics, Nice Deb, Gateway Pundit, RedState, Liberty Pundits Blog and Weasel Zippers

Tunku Varadarajan / The Daily Beast:
Why I'm Rooting for Sharron Angle

Discussion: Hit & Run, alicublog, The Agitator and Balloon Juice

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
‘Man Up?’ What if Harry Reid Told Sharron Angle to ‘Act Like a Lady?’

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
The New Normal — I didn't see last night's debate between Harry Reid …

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Politico, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite and The Page

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Analyzing the Angle-Reid debate

Discussion: Club for Growth, The Daily Caller, National Review and The Page

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Treasury Defends HAMP Again - I Can't Stop Laughing — I see nothing. (photo: sirtwitchalot2000 on Flickr) — So Ezra stepped out and pretty sharply criticized HAMP. To him I say welcome. But because he has a Beltway audience, the Treasury Department got right angry and dialed him up and pleaded their case.

Discussion: Eschaton

Ezra Klein:

The Treasury's defense of HAMP — My column this morning was not kind toward the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP. When officials from Treasury called to press their case, I suggested a Q&A format so that you all could hear their argument. The participants were Phyllis Caldwell …

Ezra Klein:
Column: Four ways the foreclosure mess could be used to help homeowners

Discussion: Congress Blog, New York Times, Firedoglake, Grasping Reality … and CEPR

Associated Press:

Feds oppose Calif. Prop 19 to legalize marijuana — SAN FRANCISCO — Attorney General Eric Holder says the federal government will enforce its marijuana laws in California even if voters next month make the state the first in the nation to legalize the drug.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Gawker, Outside the Beltway, Indecision Forever, The Hill, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine

Kimi Yoshino / L.A. NOW:
Even if Prop. 19 passes, federal drug laws will be 'vigorously …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Speakeasy and Firedoglake

The Huffington Post:

Tides Foundation CEO To Fox News Advertisers: Drop Glenn Beck Or Have Blood On Your Hands — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — In an extraordinary move to nip the inflammatory commentary coming from Glenn Beck, the founder and CEO of the Tides Foundation (a frequent Beck target) …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, What\'s Possible, Washington Monthly and SFGate

Los Angeles Times:

Raese's Wife Loses W.Va. Voter Status — In an escalating residency controversy between West Virginia's Senate contenders, the wife of Republican businessman John Raese is being purged from the state's voter rolls because she is also registered to vote in Florida.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Jessica Taylor / The Politico:
Poll: Joe Manchin ahead by 10 points

Discussion: RedState, Don Surber, TPMDC, Daily Kos and National Review

Sabato's Crystal Ball:
The Outlook for November 2nd

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Wake up America and MyDD

Reuters:

California Democrats cling to leads: Reuters/Ipsos — (Reuters) - Democratic candidates are clinging to narrow leads over their Republican rivals in two key California races with less than three weeks to go until November 2 elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Friday.

Discussion: CarlyForCA.com, American Power, Washington Wire, Hot Air, GayPatriot, SFGate, TPMDC and National Review

Ezra Klein:

Do the polls back up the attacks on the Chamber of Commerce? — From one “Beltway inside-game commentator” to another: No, the attacks on the Chamber of Commerce aren't helping Democrats in the election. A MoveOn.org poll showing that voters respond negatively when asked …

Discussion: The Washington Independent, The Other McCain and The Plum Line

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Barack Obama and the Chamber of Secrets

Discussion: Swampland

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Republican ‘Contender’ Dons Duckie Pajamas, Parties With Scantily Clad Women — Who among us hasn't donned duckie pajamas for a night out with scantily clad women, then run for Congress? — Well, in the event that you haven't, consider the case of NRCC's latest big “contender,” …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Poll: GOP has edge in most competitive Democratic seats — Republicans maintain an edge over Democrats in some of the most highly contested congressional districts, a new poll found Friday. — GOP candidates have a four-point edge among likely voters in the 53 most competitive congressional districts held …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Libertarian Republican

Mara Liasson / NPR:
NPR Poll Offers Sliver Of Hope For Democrats

Discussion: Public Opinion Strategies, The Note and National Review

Tom Odula / Associated Press:

Obama's half brother in Kenya says he married teen — NAIROBI, Kenya - President Barack Obama's polygamist half brother in Kenya has married a woman who is more than 30 years younger than him. — The 19-year-old's mother told The Associated Press on Friday she is furious …

Discussion: HillBuzz, Atlas Shrugs, iOwnTheWorld.com, Gateway Pundit and Gawker

DutchNews.nl:

Wilders not guilty on all counts - Update — The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims. Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Jihad Watch, National Review, Atlas Shrugs, Weasel Zippers, JOSHUAPUNDIT and The Jawa Report

Dennis Wagner / Arizona Republic:

Memo warned of drug cartels targeting rivals with assassins — Mexican cartels planned to send armed assassins into Arizona this spring to eradicate bandits who were stealing drugs from smugglers, according to a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report disclosed Friday by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Pat Dollard

The Daily Caller:

O'Donnell says poll shows she's closing gap; still down 11-points — Christine O'Donnell says a new poll shows she's closing the gap on her Democratic opponent, but the Tea Party-backed Republican is still down 11-points in the Delaware Senate race. — O'Donnell trails New Castle County …

action.sierraclub.org:

Victory for Appalachians as a Determined EPA Recommends No More Mining at Biggest Proposed Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine — Statement from Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune — Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took courageous action today …

Discussion: New York Times, The Huffington Post, Grist, Speakeasy and Gateway Pundit

Phil Rosenthal / Chicago Breaking Business:

Lee Abrams resigns from Tribune Co. — Lee Abrams. (Handout) — Tribune Co. Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, who began the work week by sending a companywide e-mail that contained content deemed inappropriate, resigned Friday. — The e-mail, the latest in a weekly series …

Discussion: Romenesko and The Informer, more at Mediagazer »

James Hohmann / The Politico:

Mitch Daniels open to VAT, oil tax hike — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels opened the door Thursday to supporting both a value added tax and a tariff on imported oil, bold proposals that could cause trouble for him with conservatives as he flirts with a long-shot bid for the presidency.

Discussion: Brookings Institute, Hot Air, Big Government, Liberty Pundits Blog, National Review, The Page and The Hill

Jess Bravin / Washington Wire:

Michelle Obama and Illinois Election Law — Did Michelle Obama violate Illinois election law? — The question arose after the first lady, who voted early at her Chicago precinct Thursday, responded to voters who voiced support for her husband. It's unlawful in the state to have a …

Myglesias / Yglesias:

Rand Paul vs The Department of Education — Rand Paul's stated rationale for wanting to abolish the Department of Education is revealing of his ignorance of the relevant issues: … Igor Volsky points out that “[c]urrently, there is a legislative prohibition on the federal government getting involved …

Discussion: WonkRoom, Salon, ThinkProgress and Washington Monthly

ssa.gov:

Under the Law No Social Security COLA for 2011 — Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 58 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2011, the Social Security Administration announced today. — The Social Security Act provides …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Opinion L.A., The Foundry, Politics Daily and Washington Post

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:

Dem State Senator: My Redneck Constituents Don't Want Free Health Care for Illegals — This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

Discussion: Mediaite