Top Items:
Domenico Montanaro / First Read:
NBC/WSJ/Marist poll: Romney gains in key swing states — A week after President Barack Obama's lackluster debate performance, Republican challenger Mitt Romney has made some gains in three key swing states among those most likely to vote, according to the latest round of NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls.
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Wall Street Journal:
Obama and the L-Word — ‘Liar’ is potent and ugly—with a sleazy political pedigree. — The election campaign of the 44th U.S. president is now calling another candidate for the American presidency a “liar.” This is a new low. It is amazing and depressing to hear this term being used …
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Week and Instapundit
New York Times:
Voters Give Romney Better Grades for Leadership, Polls in 3 States Find — WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is seen by more voters in three battleground states as a strong leader after his dominant debate performance last week, but perceptions that the economy is improving remain a buttress …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Hullabaloo, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Jammie Wearing Fools and Prairie Weather
CBS News:
Poll: Romney edges Obama in Colo., narrows gap in Wis. — On the heels of last week's presidential debate, Mitt Romney has emerged with a one-point edge over President Obama in Colorado and has cut the president's lead in half in Wisconsin, according to a new Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll.
Discussion:
Gallup, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story and Outside the Beltway
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Oct. 10: Is Romney Leading Right Now? — Polling since the debate in Denver last week has generally been very strong for Mitt Romney. But there have also been a couple of rays of hope for Democrats and President Obama. — One hypothesis is that Mr. Romney's debate bounce was initially very strong, but has since faded some.
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Daily Dish and Taegan Goddard's …
Jparkercbs / CBS San Francisco:
CBS 5 Poll: Romney Gains 8 Points On Faltering Obama In California — SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) — The effects of President Barack Obama's falter in the first debate with Mitt Romney are not just being felt in battleground states, according to KPIX-TV CBS 5′s latest tracking poll of California …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Wake up America, Jammie Wearing Fools and Riehl World News
Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Race Tightens in Two States
Race Tightens in Two States
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Washington Wire and Politico
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News poll: Romney erases Obama's lead nationally after first debate
Fox News poll: Romney erases Obama's lead nationally after first debate
Discussion:
GOP 12, First Read, Business Insider, Sweetness & Light, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and Reuters
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Letting us in on a secret — When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big, and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA's cover. — The purpose of Wednesday's hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee …
Discussion:
The Week, The Maddow Blog, emptywheel, AMERICAblog, The Mahablog, Prairie Weather, News Desk and Taylor Marsh
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John Podhoretz / New York Post:
An ‘Appropriate’ fiasco — Bizarre testimony on Libya
An ‘Appropriate’ fiasco — Bizarre testimony on Libya
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, Real Clear Politics and Betsy's Page
Rep. Mike Kelly / Washington Times:
Libya security cut while Vienna embassy gained Chevy Volts
Libya security cut while Vienna embassy gained Chevy Volts
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler
Sarah Bufkin / The Huffington Post:
Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security: ‘You Have To Prioritize Things’
Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security: ‘You Have To Prioritize Things’
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CNN, New York Times, Liberty Street and The Lede
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Mother of Slain State Dept. Official Tired of Being Lied To and Stonewalled by Obama Administration
Mother of Slain State Dept. Official Tired of Being Lied To and Stonewalled by Obama Administration
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The PJ Tatler and The Lonely Conservative
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Analysis: High Stakes for Vice Presidential Debate — Time running short, Vice President Joe Biden faces the greater burden in his debate with Republican Paul Ryan as he seeks to use the election's only encounter between presidential running mates to slow Mitt Romney's momentum and reset …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Taylor Marsh and Pew Research Center …
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Mike Allen / Politico:
Biden seeks to calm left — Ryan to claim misrepresentations by Obama — New swing-state polls: CO, VA, OH, WI, FL — Brooke Brower baby — MORNING MINDMELD: Conversations with advisers to the V.P. candidates suggest that both will be very aggressive tonight.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Beast, americanthinker.com and CNN
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Cutter: Presidential race ‘the same’ as before debate
Cutter: Presidential race ‘the same’ as before debate
Discussion:
CBS News, Naked DC, Weasel Zippers and Jammie Wearing Fools
Dana Bash / CNN:
CNN exclusive: Ryan's debate prep as meticulous as he is
CNN exclusive: Ryan's debate prep as meticulous as he is
Discussion:
PolicyMic, Althouse, Capital Tonight, Politico and No More Mister Nice Blog
John Cassidy / News Desk:
Why This Veep Debate Matters a Lot
Why This Veep Debate Matters a Lot
Discussion:
Althouse, The Week and The Daily Dish
Associated Press:
Fewest Americans since Feb. 2008 seek jobless aid — WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid plummeted last week to seasonally adjusted 339,000, the lowest level in more than four years. The sharp drop offered a hopeful sign that the job market could pick up.
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Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Jobless Claims Fall — The number of U.S. workers filing applications for jobless benefits fell last week, a hopeful sign for the job market following the recent drop in the unemployment rate to its lowest level since January 2009. — Initial jobless claims—a measure of layoffs …
Discussion:
Hit & Run and Business Insider
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:
Jobless claims show sharp improvement, drop to Obama-era low
Jobless claims show sharp improvement, drop to Obama-era low
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Mother Jones and The Lonely Conservative
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Bus Driver Tells 12 Year-Old He Should Have Been Aborted Because of Romney Yard Sign — A bus driver told a 12 year-old student that he should have been aborted because his family had a Romney-Ryan sign in their yard. — Freedom Eden reported: … UPDATE: The bus driver was fired after the report on Mark's show.
Discussion:
LifeNews.com and Weasel Zippers
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Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Lena Dunham Is Not Your Problem — The Girls creator and her $3.7 million book advance have come under intense scrutiny they don't quite deserve. — Lena Dunham — Andrew Sullivan rounds up two differing opinions on the $3.7 million book advance given to Lena Dunham.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Erik Loomis / Lawyers, Guns & Money:
The Dark Side of Jefferson is the Dark Side of America — This Henry Wiencek piece at Smithsonian on Thomas Jefferson's dark side has half-perplexed me, yet the reactions show why it is so necessary. The piece essentially argues that Jefferson was a cold calculating slaveholder …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh
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Henry Wiencek / Smithsonian Magazine:
The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson
Jay Cost / Weekly Standard:
Morning Jay: Politics and the Gallup Poll — Since about the beginning of President Obama's tenure, the Gallup poll has generally been one of the least positive polls for the Democratic party. This has prompted outrage and pressure from the left—even from presidential advisor David Axelrod.
Discussion:
Polling Matters, The Huffington Post, Ricochet Conversations Feed and americanthinker.com
New York Times:
Romney Campaign Looks to Capitalize on Image Voters Saw in Debate — BOSTON — Inside Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters over the past few days, the data pouring in was unmistakable. Aides scouring the results of focus groups and national polls found that undecided voters watching …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and The Daily Beast
Jonathan Bernstein / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's tax mythology, made simple — I've said this before, but Mitt Romney's new formulation of his tax plan — one he used at the debate, and which he repeated to Wolf Blitzer yesterday — makes it absolutely clear that he's lying about something. You don't need complicated Tax …
Discussion:
Connecting.the.Dots and Angry Bear
cbpp.org:
Downturn and Legacy of Bush Policies Drive Large Current Deficits — Economic Recovery Measures, Financial Rescues Have Only Temporary Impact — Some lawmakers, pundits, and others continue to say that President George W. Bush's policies did not drive the projected federal deficits of the coming decade …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and Jared Bernstein