Why Perry went there  —  The Texas governor went into Tuesday night's debate looking for a reaction — and he got one.

Real World: Occupy Wall Street?  MTV Issues Casting Call for Protesters  —  Is Occupy Wall Street ready to start being real?  Bunim/Murray Productions, the agency casting for MTV's Real World 27, appears to think the show Real World needs some real world drama: an ad appeared …

NBC Poll: Cain leads in S.C.; tight Fla. race with Romney  —  ‘The road to the convention is going to go through these two states’  —  Below:  —  Deputy political director  —  updated 2011-10-19T10:19:11  —  Former businessman Herman Cain holds a narrow lead in South Carolina's Republican primary …

President Obama's strategy on jobs is working — even if Americans aren't  —  It's certainly not pretty, but darn if it doesn't appear to be working.  —  President Obama's newfound message discipline on jobs and his two-pronged attack on the GOP are providing the beleaguered president …

TPC Does Herman Cain  —  The Tax Policy Center has the distributional analysis of 9-9-9.  It's awesome:  —  Howard Gleckman summarizes:

The Question That Needs Asking  —  I only caught a little of the GOP debate last night, but I came away with two thoughts: first, the distinct impression that New Gingrich's “it's-so-crazy-it-just-might- work” strategy for this race is looking a little less crazy with every debate.

Occupy Wall St. pepper-spray cop Anthony Bologna loses 10 vacation days for violating NYPD rules  —  NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna was disciplined Tuesday for pepper-spraying two female protesters in the notorious YouTube video seen around the world.

David Brooks Does Not Get the Moral Norm of Being Broke  —  It's Tuesday, and David Brooks is happy — nay, ecstatic — that all of you out there are using your encroaching poverty to rediscover your moral compass.  He calls it — and I am not kidding here — The Great Restoration …

Student loan debt hits record levels  —  Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal loan programs, potentially putting a huge burden on the backs of young people looking for jobs and trying to start careers.

Reid looks to move Obama's $35 billion teacher, first-responder jobs measure  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled on Tuesday that he and other Senate Democrats are looking to advance President Obama's proposal to spend $35 billion to shore up jobs for teachers, police and firefighters in the coming weeks.

Are You Smarter Than a Wall Street Occupier?  —  Over the past month, the crusaders at Zuccotti Park have braved the elements, tussled with police, and stood their ground against Mayor Bloomberg.  But how much do the protesters actually know about the economic system that they're fighting to change?

Protest mob is enjoying rich diet  —  They may sleep in the park, but they eat like kings.  —  Hundreds of grimy protesters laying siege to Wall Street and stuffed into the now-smelly Zuccotti Park dine each night on gourmet meals prepared by a former hotel chef using only the finest organic ingredients.

Western Republican Leadership Conference (WRLC)/CNN Debate at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino  —  The following is a transcript of the Western Republican Leadership Conference (WRLC)/CNN Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, Nev., as provided by Federal News Service.

‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio (CBS Cleveland) - An “Occupy Cleveland” protester tells police she was raped in her tent over the weekend.  —  Cleveland police are investigating an alleged sexual assault incident Saturday at the “Occupy Cleveland” …

U.S. Capital Now Richer Than Silicon Valley  —  Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation's greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, government data show.