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3:30 PM ET, September 4, 2012

Top Items:

Sheldon Alberts / The Hill:

Hill Poll: Voters say second term undeserved, country is worse off — A majority of voters believe the country is worse off today than it was four years ago and that President Obama does not deserve reelection, according to a new poll for The Hill. — Fifty-two percent of likely voters …

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Democrats Say U.S. Is Better Off Than Four Years Ago

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, CBS News, The Week, The Hill, Swampland, News Desk, USA Today, Obama Isn't Working, Washington Post and The Caucus

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
President says Romney camp running against ‘fictional’ Obama

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, USA Today, Ed Driscoll, The Daily Beast, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, CNN and neo-neocon

David Hill / Washington Times:

Bedbugs an increasing concern at DNC hotels — Charlotte seeing an uptick in pest reports — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You think incumbent politicians are hard to get rid of? Try bedbugs. — The blood-sucking insects have made a resurgence in recent years, including reports of them at nine …

Discussion: Election 2012, The Daily Caller and Moe Lane

John Fund / National Review:

The Crack Hotels of the DNC … I can't speak for the delegates or ther foreign dignitaries, but many of the journalists I have spoken with here are appalled at the accommodations in Charlotte to which they were assigned by the DNC. National Review was assigned to two Knights Inn properties.

Discussion: Belmont Club, Babalú Blog, Fausta's Blog, The Daily Caller, Ed Driscoll and Wonkette

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

If You Think Obama's First Term Was Bad, Imagine a Second — Ben Feller of the Associated Press asked President Barack Obama a good question recently. If Obama wins re-election, Feller said, Republicans are still likely to have a majority in the House. “How is that any different from what we have now?

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones and National Review

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

'64 or Bust — In a Bloomberg column, Ramesh Ponnuru makes an argument for Mitt Romney's election that you are going to hear a lot more of soon: it's the only way that partisan gridlock in Washington can be broken. The basic theory is that Republicans will not change from their current …

Discussion: ECHIDNE of the snakes and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Daily Mail:

Democrats set to move Obama's big speech from 74,000-seater outdoor stadium to 20,000-seater indoor arena — Democrats are poised to avoid the danger of President Barack Obama accepting his party's nomination before a partially-empty stadium by shifting his speech to an indoor arena and citing ‘severe weather’.

Discussion: Riehl World News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Moderate Voice, Freedom's Lighthouse, The Rightnewz, Conservatives4Palin, Jammie Wearing Fools, Associated Press and Vodkapundit

Business Week:

Exclusive: How Karl Rove's Super PAC Plays the Senate — On Thursday, Aug. 30, the final day of the Republican National Convention, Karl Rove gave a breakfast briefing to a group of about 70 of the Republican Party's most influential donors. As Bloomberg Businessweek reported …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, BuzzFeed, The Hill, The Hinterland Gazette and USA Today

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

Haley Barbour: 'I Would Love For Christie To Put A Hot Poker To Obama's Butt' — Haley Barbour on Fox News Channel, August 29, 2012 — It really horrifies me how openly nasty and violent Republicans feel entitled to be without repercussions. Remember how everyone wailed and condemned …

Discussion: Yall Politics

Boston Herald:

Indian delegates seek sit-down with Elizabeth Warren — Tribal activist:'Shame on her' — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Elizabeth Warren can't escape her Cherokee heritage controversy even at this gathering of loyal Democrats, as a contingent of skeptical American Indian delegates …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain, Althouse and Jammie Wearing Fools

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Video: Unaccountable - Elizabeth Warren and the Cherokee

Discussion: Politico, Boston Herald, Riehl World News and protein wisdom

Paul Krugman:

The Fire Last Time — Dean Baker has exactly the right metaphor for journalists asking the really dumb “are you better off” question: … Obama came to office in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. The question should be how well he dealt with that crisis …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Hullabaloo and The Confluence

Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:
Are We Better Off? 10 Headlines From September 2008

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Fox News Insider

CEPR:
“Are Americans Better Off Today Than They Were Four Years Ago?” The Question That Exposes Incompetent Reporters

Discussion: Associated Press, The New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog, National Review, protein wisdom, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars and Hot Air

Dion Lefler / Wichita Eagle:

Kansas delegates head to N.C. for Democratic convention — Off the top of her head, Pat Lehman can't remember exactly how many Democratic National Conventions she's been to. — “I'm not sure, seven, probably eight, maybe,” she says with a laugh. — But Lehman, the dean …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Weasel Zippers, Washington Free Beacon and Ed Driscoll

CNN:
Florida Republicans hammer Crist for switch

Discussion: The Rightnewz, Politico and Weasel Zippers

Ben Pershing / Washington Post:

Virgil Goode makes presidential ballot in Virginia — Former congressman Virgil Goode Jr. has qualified for the presidential ballot in Virginia, the State Board of Elections ruled Tuesday morning, adding a potential obstacle to Republican Mitt Romney's hopes of winning the pivotal state.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Daily Kos and Election 2012

Andrew Cain / Richmond Times-Dispatch: Va. GOP challenges ballot petitions of Goode, Libertarian

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:

GOP Senate Candidate Supports Life Sentences For Rape Victims Who Obtain Abortions — Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND), the candidate for Senate from North Dakota, once voted for a bill that would have made any woman who obtained an abortion guilty of a homicide crime — even if it were in the case of rape or incest.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Little Green Footballs and Mock, Paper, Scissors

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
North Dakota Senate Candidate Voted To Make Abortion In Case Of Rape, Incest Carry Life Sentence

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Israeli ambassador called GOP “dangerous for Israel” … CHARLOTTE - Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz claimed on Monday that Israel's ambassador to the United States has accused Republicans of being “dangerous” to Israel by criticizing President Obama's record.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Israel Matzav, Mediaite and AEIdeas

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Why the Obama campaign is cautiously confident in victory — The Romney campaign makes a strong case that he may well prevail in November. As Mark Halperin summarized: “Team Romney remains convinced that voters crave a more concrete form of hope and change, and that the anemic economy …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Tim Mak / Politico:

Paul Ryan: Obama didn't close the plant — Rep. Paul Ryan said Tuesday that he wasn't suggesting that President Barack Obama was responsible for the closure of an auto plant in Janesville, Wis., during his convention speech last week. — “What they are trying to suggest is that I said Barack Obama …

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Hinterland Gazette, CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Stranger …

Bruce Golding / New York Post:

Naked gal gets deal on a suit: 15G for Times Sq. bust — NOW BUY SOME CLOTHES! Zoe West, busted for stripping down during a body-painting exhibition in Times Square last year has won a settlement in her false-arrest lawsuit. — A nude model busted for dropping her drawers during …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine and The Jawa Report

Hunter Walker / Politicker:

Pro-Romney Super PAC Launches Anti-Gay Marriage Ad to Snag Southern Swing State Votes — A still from the “New Morning” ad. (Photo: YouTube) — GASTONIA, NC — A super PAC with ties to evangelist leader Gary Bauer is trying frighten would-be Obama supporters in at least one Southern swing state …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, Advocate, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Maddow Blog and GOP 12

KKTV-TV:

11 News Anchor Dianne Derby Interviews President Obama — 11 News Interview President Obama & Romney Sr. Campaign Advisor — It's President Obama's second trip to Colorado within a week and I had a chance to ask him a few questions before he took the stage at CU-Boulder.

Discussion: Reuters, ABCNEWS, Mediaite, The Hill, The Rightnewz, The PJ Tatler, Business Insider, Jammie Wearing Fools, The Hinterland Gazette and Public Policy Polling

Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:

President Obama's ‘Harold And Kumar’ Video Draws Marijuana Hypocrisy Charges — President Obama recorded a video with the actors who portrayed stoner duo Harold and Kumar to promote the Democratic convention to young voters. But critics of the White House's drug policy are not laughing.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Josh Ong / The Next Web:

Here's how to check if your Apple device UDID has been compromised by the AntiSec leak — If you're worried that you might own one of the 1 million Apple devices that have had their UDIDs leaked by AntiSec, reportedly from a breach of an FBI agent's laptop, our rockstar tech team has put together a tool to help you check.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Gizmodo, cortesi, The Raw Story, Wired, Gawker, Mashable!, MOTHERBOARD, emptywheel, VentureBeat and Marco.org

Annals of Internal Medicine Current Issue:

Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review — Crystal Smith-Spangler, MD, MS; Margaret L. Brandeau, PhD; Grace E. Hunter, BA; J. Clay Bavinger, BA; Maren Pearson, BS; Paul J. Eschbach; Vandana Sundaram, MPH; Hau Liu, MD, MS, MBA, MPH …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, BBC, The Raw Story, The Volokh Conspiracy, Healthland, New York Times, Guardian, Boing Boing and Newsy

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Madeleine Albright: 'I Can't Understand Why Any Woman Would Want To Vote For Mitt Romney' … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Ann Romney, DNC Convention, Madeleine Albright, RNC Convention, Romney Campaign, Secretary Albright, Women's Voices, Albright, Mitt Romney 2012, Romney Gender Gap …

Discussion: Althouse, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, neo-neocon, Truthdig, Washington Examiner and National Review

Daniel J. Mitchell / Townhall.com:

Johnny Depp Flees France Over Tax Hikes — I'm a bad person. I know it's not nice to take joy in the misery of others, but I can't help but smile when I see a story about bad news in France. — In my defense, this is not because of hostility to French people, who have always been friendly to me.

Discussion: Babalú Blog and Riehl World News

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Nelson leads by 7 in Florida Senate race — The Florida Senate race is one of the strangest in the country this year. Bill Nelson has middling approval numbers, with only 35% of voters approving of him to 42% who disapprove. Usually an incumbent in that kind of position would be doomed for defeat.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …