memeorandum: Grim Dems await huge House losses (Alex Isenstadt/The Politico)

10:20 PM ET, October 31, 2010

Top Items:

CBS affiliate: Palin, Miller charge ‘absurd’ — Big Government today posted a snippet of recorded conversation from the newsroom of Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA, which features staff talking and laughing about the prospect of finding a child molester at a Joe Miller rally.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, theblogprof, Mediaite, Media Matters for America, Raw Story, Verum Serum, Progressive Alaska and Liberty Pundits Blog

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Alaska station says Breitbart Web site audio attack is bogus — Is another Andrew Breitbart Web site production about to be unmasked as bogus? — Breitbart's Big Journalism site is making an incendiary accusation: That reporters at the Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA were caught conspiring …

Discussion: Big Government, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, Biased BBC, Media Matters for America and Progressive Alaska

The Note:

Republicans Counting on Write-In Lisa Murkowski Over Joe Miller in Alaska — ABC's Jonathan Karl reports: A high-level GOP source tells me that party leaders have essentially given up on Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller and are now banking on a victory by write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski …

Discussion: Power Line, The Politico, Hot Air, The Democratic Daily, The Reaction, Don Surber, Washington Monthly, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Firedoglake, TPMDC, Fox News, Daily Kos, Salon, National Review, Riehl World View and The Eye

P.J. Salvatore / Big Journalism:

Anchorage CBS Affiliate Caught on Voicemail Conspiring Against Alaska's GOP Senate Candidate — UPDATE: — From the Miller Campaign: … The following voice mail message was inadvertently left on the cell phone of Joe Miller campaign spokesperson Randy DeSoto.

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:

Media Matters ' Brock challenges Palin to release tapes — The following is the transcript of Sarah Palin's accusations against CBS affiliate reporters in Alaska made this morning on Fox News Sunday: … Statement by David Brock, CEO of Media Matters: … Sarah Palin has endorsed Joe Miller in the Alaska Senate race.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Mediaite and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ann Althouse / Althouse: Brian Beutler takes a cheap shot at Sarah Palin: “Sarah Palin …

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
KTVA: Yeah, that was us, but it's not what you think

Discussion: Bookworm Room and Conservatives4Palin.com

Scott / Power Line: Plot still thickening in Alaska, cont'd

Dan / Riehl World View:
KTVA-CBS 11 Compounds Scandal After Caught Targeting Miller's Senate Campaign

Discussion: Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Progressive Alaska, Left Coast Rebel, Gateway Pundit, Organize4Palin, KTVA-TV, protein wisdom, Scared Monkeys, theblogprof and Doug Ross

The Daily Caller:
Palin calls Alaska media ‘corrupt bastards’ over leaked voicemail

Discussion: Mediaite and Weasel Zippers

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Sarah Palin Calls Joe Miller A Lost Cause, Quotes Scopes Monkey Trial Attorney

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin.com and Taylor Marsh

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:
Caught on Tape: Reporters Overheard Plotting Smear Against Joe Miller

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and The Right Scoop

Glynnis MacNicol / Mediaite:

Keith Olbermann Thinks Jon Stewart Jumped The Shark Yesterday — While most of the mainstream media went into overdrive yesterday to cover Jon Stewart's much-anticipated Rally to Restore Sanity MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was less than impressed. Apparently Stewart's criticism of the cablesphere …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, JustOneMinute and POWIP

Aaron Worthing / Patterico's Pontifications:

Charles Johnson Shreds the Last of his Credibility Discussing the Stewart Rally (Update: Charles Responds) — [Guest post by Aaron Worthing; send your tips here.] — Update: Johnson responds. Basically he doubles down, saying I was lying about the Bush Bow and as far as crowd size is concerned it's Science!

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Magazine, NewsReal Blog, Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, Scared Monkeys, Swampland, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, The Impolitic and American Power

Hit & Run:
What We Saw at The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Moonbattery, USA Today and Guardian

Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:

Thousands of empty seats for last Dem voter rally by Obama, Biden — CLEVELAND — The arena where President Obama and Vice President Biden are making their final appeal to Democrats to get out and vote in Tuesday's midterm elections was far from capacity Sunday afternoon.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Wake up America

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / The Caucus:

Thin Crowd for Cleveland Campaign Rally — CLEVELAND - President Obama wrapped up a weekend of last-minute campaigning here on Sunday, addressing Democrats in an indoor arena that, in a sign of the “enthusiasm gap” that the president is working so hard to close, was little more than half full.

Discussion: HazZzMat and The Daily Caller

Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:
Obama implores base to get to polls, defeat ‘cocky’ Republicans

Discussion: The Politico, Liberty Pundits Blog and The Hill

Tim Weiner / New York Times:

Theodore C. Sorensen, 82, Kennedy Counselor, Dies — Theodore C. Sorensen, one of the last links to John F. Kennedy's administration, a writer and counselor who did much to shape the president's narrative, image and legacy, died Sunday in Manhattan. He was 82. — Multimedia

Discussion: Politics Daily, The BLT, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite and Gawker

Jwalsh / Boston Globe:
Ted Sorensen, speechwriter for JFK, dead at age 82

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

The war recovery? — When the midterm election cycle began, the prevailing opinion was that Barack Obama was cleverer and more inspirational than anyone else on the scene. As it ends, nothing appears to have changed. — OH, YES, I know that Democrats have fallen into a peck of trouble and may lose control of Congress.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Mahablog, Hullabaloo, LewRockwell.com Blog, ThinkProgress, The Daily Dish, JustOneMinute, Outside the Beltway, FP Passport, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Washington Monthly and ECHIDNE of the snakes

CEPR:
David Broder Calls for War With Iran to Boost the Economy

Discussion: Yglesias, Grasping Reality …, Economist's View and SpeakEasy

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:

Grim Dems await huge House losses — The last TV ads have been cut. The final polls have been conducted. The end-of-campaign expenditures are being made. — Now, for Democratic consultants and campaign officials who have plotted and strategized for months to preserve the embattled House majority …

Discussion: Capitol Hill Blue, RedState and The Page

Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun:

Atmospherics are terrible for Reid, but he will hold on — Harry Reid or Sharron Angle is dead, last in an occasional series: — It just feels as if Reid is going to lose. — Forget the enthusiasm gap — that word is too mild. There is a passion gap in this race that is palpable.

Discussion: The Politico, The Reaction, Doug Ross, The Atlantic Online, The Plum Line, The Moderate Voice and The Maddow Blog

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Paul headed for easy victory — Rand Paul has expanded his lead in the Kentucky Senate race even further over the last week and is headed for a blowout win. His margin over Jack Conway is 55-40. — Kentucky is obviously a conservative state. Conway's ability to win was always …

Discussion: Election Law and Outside the Beltway