Perry raises $17 million  —  Siren, as they say: … The $17 million figure, which a Perry spokesman confirms to me, is almost as much as Mitt Romney raised in his first quarter as a declared presidential candidate this year.  —  It's also more than Rudy Giuliani and John McCain raised …

Who are the 99 percent?  —  “I did everything I was supposed to and I have nothing to show for it.”  —  It's not the arrests that convinced me that “Occupy Wall Street” was worth covering seriously.  Nor was it their press strategy, which largely consisted of tweeting journalists to cover …

Senate Democrats rewrite Obama's jobs bill  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are scrambling to rewrite portions of President Barack Obama's jobs bill, even as Obama tries to blame Republicans for Congress' failure to act.  —  Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell moved to call …

Wisconsin Judge Rules No Right to Own a Cow or Drink Its Milk  —  WI Judge to Zinniker, FTCLDF: No “Fundamental Right to Own a Cow, or Consume Its Milk... Am I Making Myself Clear?”  —  ~ David Gumpert  —  FTCLDF  —  In a decision denying basic property rights and even exceeding …

Why Palin could run as an independent  —  There's been some chatter this week about the possibility that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) might run for president next year — as an independent.  —  The consequences for both her and the presidential race couldn't be more profound …

Obama Gains vs. GOP on Jobs as Congress Hits a New Low  —  Barack Obama has jumped to a 15-point lead over the Republicans in Congress in trust to handle job creation, a sign the beleaguered president's $450 billion jobs package has hit its mark in public opinion.

Opposition to Obama grows — strongly  —  Four in 10 Americans “strongly” disapprove of how President Obama is handling job as president in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, the highest that number has risen during his time in office and a sign of the hardening opposition to him as he seeks a second term.

Service sector growth slows, employment mixed  —  (Reuters) - Service sector activity growth slowed in September, but other data on Wednesday showed private employment up modestly for the month, suggesting that overall the economic recovery is sluggish.  —  Service sector activity slowed …

Tomblin wins W.Va. gov race  —  Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin beat back a torrent of late Republican attacks linking him to President Obama to win the West Virginia governorship Tuesday night.  —  Tomblin, a 36-year politician who had served as acting governor since Joe Manchin left the governorship …

Getting It Right: Dean of George Mason Law Sets Excellent Example  —  All too often here at FIRE, we find ourselves up to our necks in campus censorship.  For example, in just the last few weeks, we've seen a professor threatened by campus police for posting a sci-fi quote and a coalition …

War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era  —  5 October 11 As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the longest period of sustained warfare in its history, the overwhelming majority of veterans of the post-9/11 era are proud of their military service.

University of Wisconsin-Stout Statement from Chancellor Sorensen, Provost Julie Furst-Bowe, and Vice Chancellor Ed Nieskes to Students, Faculty, and Staff  —  The following statement was sent today to students, faculty and staff from Chancellor Sorensen, Provost Julie Furst-Bowe …

Sen. John Thune: Tax pledges can be broken  —  Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday that members of Congress shouldn't be “bound by” taxpayer pledges, and suggested that such vows would need to be broken in order to achieve broad-based tax reform.  —  Thune told MSNBC's Chuck Todd that pledges stood in the way of tax reform.