Election Returns

MSNBC's "Decision 2010" page.

Politico's "2010" page.  

The Washington Post has two 2010 pages: here and here.

Starting at about 6:00 pm ET, the New York Times will have mapped results & related live video on its front page. Michael Shear is liveblogging the results. Nate Silver is liveblogging the numbers. Plus, Tobin Harshaw's Opinionator blog, which he's updating, adds some perspective from around the blogosphere.

This loon won.It's Worse than You Think. With the notable exception of California, Republicans won the major races nearly everywhere they fielded credible candidates. Democrats should take no solace in winning races against the likes of Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Linda McMahon & Carl Paladino. -- Constant Weader

See the Alaska page here or under Campaign 2010/Alaska on the navigation bar for developments in the vote count for the Alaska Senate race.

ABC News, November 5: "Unofficial results from Tuesday's gubernatorial race between Democrat and former Sen. Mark Dayton and Republican businessman Tom Emmer give Dayton a 8,781-vote lead, or less than one half of one percent of the vote. If the slim margin holds after election officials finalize the tally and no candidate concedes..., it would trigger an automatic statewide recount of all ballots."

Hartford Courant: "Official numbers released by the Secretary of the State Friday evening show that Democrat Dannel Malloy will be Connecticut's next governor. But Republican Tom Foley still wouldn't concede defeat in the state's closest gubernatorial election in half a century, and didn't rule out the possibility of a lawsuit to force a statewide recount."

Chicago Tribune: "Republican challenger Bill Brady this afternoon conceded defeat to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn...."

Chicago Sun-Times: "Gov. Quinn said Thursday he had built up an 'insurmountable' lead of 'way more than 19,000 votes' in his bid for governor. Hours later, the Associated Press reported that its analysis showed that Quinn was the winner."

The Seattle Times projects that Democratic Sen. Patty Murray has won re-election to a 4th term. "Sen. Patty Murray has won a fourth term, riding a wave of strong Democratic support in King County to defeat Republican challenger Dino Rossi. As of Thursday evening, Murray was leading Rossi by more than 45,000 votes, taking 51 percent to Rossi's 49 percent. That's up from a 14,000-vote lead on Election Day. According to a Seattle Times analysis, Rossi would need to get about 54 percent of the estimated 591,000 uncounted ballots statewide to overcome Murray's lead."

New York Times: in Connecticut, both the Democratic & Republican gubernatorial candidates are mobilizing their transition team, because they both think they won.

Somebody in Connecticut can't count, so the outcome of the governor's race remains up in the air.

Really Stupid Voters. Bill Rigby of Reuters: "Washington [state] voters knocked down plans for a state income tax on the wealthy intended to fund education and health spending, ending a fight pitting Bill Gates against other Seattle tech billionaires...."

The Oregonian: "Democrat John Kitzhaber has taken the lead in the race against Republican Chris Dudley and will become Oregon's next governor."

Epoch Times: "Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, won in Arizona’s 3rd congressional district on Tuesday."

The Illinois governor's race still has not been decided, but on Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reports, "Leading Republicans this afternoon are privately expressing doubts that Bill Brady can overcome Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's narrow lead following Tuesday's election, and a Tribune survey of election officials likewise indicates there may not be enough ballots left uncounted to make a difference."

Politico: "Republican Brian Dubie concedes the Vermont governor's race to Democrat Peter Shumlin."

Firedoglake: "The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) won a hard-fought victory in Iowa today, getting three of the judges who ruled for marriage equality in Iowa booted from that state’s Supreme Court.

Miami Herald: "... with thousands of votes in Democrat-heavy South Florida uncounted, [Republican Rick] Scott couldn't declare an outright win late Tuesday over Democrat Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer. Sink held out hope that she could close the gap and at least trigger a recount as votes slowly broke her way." ...

     ... St. Pete Times Update: Sink concedes. CW: we now have a governor-elect who defrauded the taxpayers of at least $1.7 billion. He should be in jail, not in the statehouse.

Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, who won a special election in New York's 23rd, will pull off another win in this traditionally red district, thanks again to Conservative spoiler Doug Hoffman. Kate Pickert of Time has the story.

The Washington State Senate race remains too close to call. Seattle Times: "Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray held a lead Tuesday night over challenger Dino Rossi, raising hopes among her supporters that she would survive the national GOP wave." The count Wednesday at 10:00 am ET was Murray 722,396, Rossi 708,391 -- don't know what % of votes counted that is.

Hartford Courant: "The hotly contested governor's race was still too close to call Wednesday morning after results were delayed when a judge ordered a two-hour extension of voting at some sites in Bridgeport. As of 5:44 a.m. Wednesday, Republican Tom Foley was leading Democrat Dannel Malloy in unofficial results by 50 percent to 49 percent, with 90% of precincts reporting. The difference amounts to 11,083 votes."

Denver Post: "Incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet and Republican challenger Ken Buck remained locked in the country's closest U.S. Senate race as the vote tally stretched into the early morning." ...

     ... Update: "Appointed U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet will be elected to the U.S. Senate after pulling ahead of challenger Ken Buck this morning.... Returns from Denver and Boulder moved Bennet past Buck and into the lead, 47.5 percent to 47.1 percent."

** NBC News projects the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives. New York Times story here. ...

     ... Firedoglake Update: the districts where there was a change of parties, with losers & winners. As of noon Wednesday, it looks like a 67-seat pick-up for House Republicans.

... Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's statement.

** NBC News projects that Nevada Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will win re-election. Las Vegas Sun story here.

In Alaska the write in candidate(s), whoever that may be, is ahead, but the state will not even open the write-in ballots for two weeks. Here's an early Anchorage Daily News story.

Anchorage Daily News: "With just over half of the vote counted, Republican incumbent Sean Parnell held a commanding lead over Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz in the contest for governor."

Unfuckingbelievable. Salon: "A ban on U.S. courts considering Sharia law passed overwhelmingly in Oklahoma today."

AP: "For the second time, Colorado voters have overwhelmingly rejected an anti-abortion proposal that would have given unborn fetuses human rights in the state constitution."

Boston Globe: "Barney Frank, the irascible powerbroker who has survived scandal, repeated redistricting, and the ups and downs of the Democratic Party, yesterday easily beat back his strongest challenge in years."

NBC News projects that Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer will retain her governorship.

NBC News projects that South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley will win the gubernatorial race. The State story here.

NBC News projects that Rhode Island Independent Lincoln Chafee, a former Senator, will win the governorship.

The Los Angeles Times projects that California Democrat AG Jerry Brown, the former governor, will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey will win the Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Republican John Kasich will win the Ohio gubernatorial race.

** NBC News projects that Republican Mark Kirk will win the Illinois Senate seat, the seat held by President Obama.

NBC News: it appears Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye will retain his Senate seat, denying Republicans a Senate majority. No link.

Los Angeles Times: "California voters appear to have rejected Prop. 19, an effort to legalize marijuana and allow local governments to tax the sale of the drug."

NBC News projects that Nevada Republican Brian Sandoval defeated Harry Reid's son Rory Reid for the governorship. Las Vegas Sun story here.

NBC News projects that California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer will retain her Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that South Dakota Republican Dennis Daugaard will win the gubernatorial race.

NBC News projects that Wisconsin Repubican Scott Walker will win the gubernatorial race. Wisconsin State Journal story here.

** NBC News projects that Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson will defeat Sen. Russ Feingold. AP story here. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here.

NBC News projects that Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper will win the governorship. Denver Post story here.

NBC News projects that Utah Republican Gary Herbert will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that New Mexico Republican Susana Martinez will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Wyoming Republican Matt Mead will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Nebraska Republican Dave Heineman will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Kansas Republican Sam Brownback will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Pennsylvania Republican Tom Corbett will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick will retain the governorship. Boston Globe story here.

NBC News projects that Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley will retain the governorship. Baltimore Sun story here.

NBC News projects that Oklahoma Republican Mary Fallin will win the governorship.

NBC News projects that Alabama Republican Robert Bentley will win the gubernatorial race.

CBS News projects that Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects that Michigan Republican Rick Snyder will win the race for governor. Detroit Free Press story here.

NBC News projects that Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry will retain the governorship.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Republican Nathan Deal claimed victory Tuesday night in Buckhead. He said he had spoken with Democrat Roy Barnes on the phone before making his speech at about 11:45 p.m."

NY1 projects that New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will retain the seat to which she was appointed in 2009 when Sen. Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State.

NBC News projects that New York AG Andrew Cuomo will win the gubernatorial race. New York Times story here.

NBC News projects that New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Missouri Republican Roy Blunt will win the Senate race.

NBC News projects that Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter will retain his seat.

CBS News projects that Robert Hurt will defeat Rep. Tom Perriello in Virginia's 5th District.

NBC News projects that Kansas Republican Rep. Jerry Moran will will the Senate race.

NBC News projects that South Dakoda Republican Sen. John Thune will retain his Senate seat.

NBC News projects North Dakoka Republican John Hoeven will win the Senate race.

NBC News projects Florida 8th District Republican Daniel Webster will win the House Seat held by Alan Grayson. Orlando Sentinel story here.

NBC News projects that Democratic Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin will win the Senate seat in West Virginia. Charleston Gazette story here.

NBC News projects that Republican Rep. John Boozman has defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas. Arkansas Democrat Gazette story here.

NBC News projects that Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal will win the Senate seat in Connecticut. Hartford-Courant: "A judge has extended voting in Bridgeport by two hours [till 10:00 pm ET] after a lack of ballots created major problems as citizens were trying to vote in the hotly contested race between U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and Republican challenger Dan Debicella - as well as all other races on the ballot."

NBC News projects that North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr will win re-election.

NBC News projects Democrat Chris Coons will win the Senate seat in Delaware. 8:08 pm ET.

AP: "Former lieutenant governor John Carney has claimed Delaware's lone U.S. House seat for the Democrat." The seat is currently held by Republican Mike Castle who lost his primary bid to Christine O'Donnell, the loser in tonight's Delaware Senate race.

NBC News projects that New Hampshire Democratic Gov. John Lynch will retain his seat.

NBC News projects that Tennessee Republican Bill Haslam will win the gubernatorial race.

NBC News projects Demcratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski will win re-election to the Senate in Maryland. 8:08 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson will win re-election to the Senate seat in Georgia. 8:08 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Marco Rubio will win the Senate seat in Florida. 8:01 pm ET. Miami Herald report here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will win re-election to the Senate in Oklahoma. 8:01 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Kelly Ayotte will win the Senate seat in New Hampshire. 8:01 pm ET. Manchester Union Leader story here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Richard Shelby will win re-election to the Alabama Senate seat. 8:02 pm ET.

NBC News projects Republican Rob Portman will win the Senate seat in Ohio. 7:31 pm ET. Cleveland Plain Dealer story here.

NBC News projects Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy will win re-election to the Vermont Senate seat. 7:07 pm ET. AP report here.

NBC News projects Republican Rand Paul will win the Kentucky Senate seat. 7:02 pm ET. Lexington Herald-Leader report here.

NBC News projects Republican Dan Coats will win the Indiana Senate seat. 7:06 pm ET. Indianapolis Star report here.

NBC News projects Republican Sen. Jim DeMint will win re-election to the South Carolina Senate seat. 7:02 pm ET. The State report here.

CNN Exit Poll Results:

Election News | Midterm Predictions | Fact-Checking

Election News | Midterm Predictions | Fact-Checking

The Commentariat -- November 2

... You've probably already seen the 15-second spot above, urging us to vote. The DNC, Ben Smith writes, is "blanketing the web with $2.5 million worth of online ads -- I think the largest online ad buy anyone has made this cycle."

New York Times reporters are taking questions about the election now, some of which they will answer beginning at about noon ET Tuesday.

Politico has the latest independent polling data for house races as well as for key Senate & gubernatorial races.

Nate Silver has up-to-date election result forecasts here.

The major papers' front-page election-day observations: New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Wall Street Journal. AND from the wire services: Associated Press and Reuters.

"The War the Election Forgot." Faye Fiore & Mark Barabak of the Los Angeles Times: "In this turbulent election season — amid the talk of 'tea parties' and the economy and President Obama's approval rating and the fight to control Congress and bailouts and deficits and fear and anger — there is little mention of Afghanistan or Iraq."

Dana Milbank riffs on professional election prognosticators. Milbank thinks the best bet is to wait for the actual results.

On the Hill, there's this sense that there are three [political] parties, the president, Democrats in Congress and Republicans in Congress. -- House Democratic political strategist, a/k/a Anonymous ...

** ... Peter Wallsten & Jonathan Weisman of the Wall Street Journal: "Some high-level Democrats are calling for President Barack Obama to remake his [communications team] or even fire top advisers.... Some Democrats were so unhappy with the White House [strategy] meetings, they started their own. Among the complaints: Mr. Obama conveyed an incoherent message that didn't express what Democrats would do over the next two years if they retain power; he focused more on his own image than helping Democratic candidates; and the White House picked the wrong battle when it attacked Republicans for using 'outside' money to pay for campaigns, an issue disconnected from voters' real-world anxieties."

AP: "Republicans outperformed Democrats getting to the polls in Nevada, a promising sign for Republican tea party favorite Sharron Angle in her dead-heat race with Majority Leader Harry Reid, figures showed Monday. Final tallies for two weeks of in-person voting and a preliminary count of mail-in ballots for the state's two most populous counties, Clark and Washoe, gave Democrats about a 9,000-voter edge. The slim margin stands out because Democrats hold a 60,000-voter edge in statewide registration." ...

Screenshot from Angle's "Amnesty Game" page.More last-minute hilarity from Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post: "Toymaker Hasbro has sent Sharron Angle's Senate campaign a cease and desist letter, saying the Nevada Republican never received permission to use the rights to Monopoly for its "Harry Reid Amnesty Game" website." As of 10:45 am ET, the Angle site was still up.

... Meanwhile, in nearby Colorado, on the eve of the election Sarah Palin endorses xenophobic loon Tom Tancredo for governor.

Campus Progress gives us a reason to vote (this is a spoof on a conservative ad that YouTube took down because of copyright violation claims):

Michael Kinsley in Politico: "This conceit that we’re the greatest country ever may be self-immolating. If people believe it’s true, they won’t do what’s necessary to make it true."

"Young Republicans with axes! New York firemen run amok!" Adam Goodheart, in a New York Times op-ed: You think this election cycle is characterized by a lack of civility? "Welcome to election week, 1860"!

Absurdity Is Reality. On one of Krugman's posts some weeks back, I hypothesized, mostly in jest, that tea partiers who railed against President Obama's "Keynesian economics" were really expressing their opposition to his "Kenyan economics." Maybe tea partiers are smarter than the people who rallied for sanity last Saturday. In any event, watch this video of Andy Cobb of Second City interviewing folks who attended the Rally to Restore Sanity:

Bob Herbert: "... political scientists Jacob Hacker of Yale and Paul Pierson of the University of California, Berkeley, argue persuasively that the economic struggles of the middle and working classes in the U.S. since the late-1970s were not primarily the result of globalization and technological changes but rather a long series of policy changes in government that overwhelmingly favored the very rich." ...

... I think my pal Karen Garcia has made the smartest observation of the day in her comment (#6) on Herbert's column:

We're finally beginning to realize that the two-party system - indeed, the whole three-part government system of checks and balances - has collapsed into itself to form one plutocratic whole.

The corporations run the executive branch, the legislative branch and now the judicial branch with the Citizens United case - which has given corporations their own human rights status. Even the so-called "fourth estate" of a free press has begun to be subsumed by the propaganda machine of News Corp and other media conglomerates. -- Karen Garcia

Darrin Bell finds a couple of guys who agree to disagree. Is this what Jon Stewart had in mind?

Click image to enlarge.

ABC News Gets Its Just Desserts. Greg Sargent. "Andrew Breitbart ... is now accusing the network of lying about whether they had tapped him to do on-air election night analysis. ABC News ... adamantly denied Breitbart's latest attack. But it appears he will still have some kind of role with ABC's coverage. This is worth noting, because it shows how insane it is for any serious news organization to play footsie with this guy." ...

... Eric Boehlert of Media Matters remarks that ABC News execs & Breitbart are feuding over the meaning of their e-mailed correspondence. Boehlert asks, "If ABC doesn't think Breitbart can read emails, why do they want him to comment on Tuesday night's election results?"

The Commentariat -- November 1

"Crazy Carl" Paladino, New York's Republican gubernatorial candidate, walks out on a live CNN interview after the host asks him if his remarks about Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sexist:

Intrigue! Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Allen of Politico: "Bill Clinton’s recent attempts to suggest struggling Democrat Kendrick Meek should opt out of the Florida Senate race ... [were] only the culmination of a long, delicate, and occasionally testy string of stop-and-start talks that began months ago involving the Florida candidates [Meek & Charlie Crist], the former president, and political aides in the Obama White House, who sought Clinton's intervention as long ago as early spring."

More Intrigue! The Morgan Freeman Scandal. For a few days now, North Carolina Republican Congressional candidate B. J. Lawson has been claiming that actor Morgan Freeman did the voiceover for Lawson's campaign. The campaign even gave Ben Smith a story about how Freeman came to cut the ad for Lawson. Here's the ad. It surely sounds like Freeman:

     ... BUT Morgan Freeman's spokesperson Stan Rosenfeld sent Smith this categorical denial from Freeman:

These people are lying. I have never recorded any campaign ads for B.J. Lawson and I do not support his candidacy. And, no one who represents me ever has ever authorized the use of my name, voice or any other likeness in support of Mr. Lawson or his candidacy.

     ... Lawson's opponent, long-time Democratic Rep. David Price, says Lawson should "pull down the ads. “This is an unfortunate and desperate attempt to fool voters in the last hours of a campaign. By using Mr. Freeman’s good name, BJ Lawson has ruined his own, and he should be ashamed. Now the voters will decide whom they trust."

An inanimate conversation reminding you of why you want to vote:

Best closing campaign ad ever. Lee Fisher hasn't got a chance of becoming Ohio's next senator, but he would get my vote:

... AND this LeBron James ad for Nike ...

    ... inspired this terrific Fisher ad:

Constant Weader News Flash. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (the real guy, not a recording) just called & urged me to vote for Alex Sink for governor & Rod Smith for lieutenant governor. Not a word about Senate candidate Kendrick Meek or any other Democratic candidates. ...

       ... Update: not a big deal, after all. Ben Smith of Politico checked it out & told me Nelson was working for the state party, which is prohibited from spending their money specifically mentioning candidates for federal offices...

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened … if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor dampened, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue... In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. -- Sun Tzu, with some advice for our own war lords, via Mark Thompson of Time

Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal: "A recently released al Qaeda martyrdom videotape ... reveal[s] that, in sharp contrast to the current, official assessment of top US intelligence officials, al Qaeda has an extensive network in Afghanistan as well as a deep bench of experienced leaders." Also via Mark Thompson

You can count on President Carter for a unique & insightful take:

This Is Disgusting. Lori Montgomery of the Washington Post: the latest White House strategy on tax cuts "... calls for permanent extension of cuts that benefit families earning less than $250,000 a year, and temporary extension of cuts on income above that amount." CW: just signal you're going to give away the store, then let Republicans make it even worse. The Obama Administration could scarcely be more tactically foolish or profligate.

"Mugged by the Debt Moralizers." Paul Krugman on American voters' misplaced anger: "... by rejecting fiscal stimulus and debt relief, they’re perpetuating high unemployment. They are, in effect, cutting off their own jobs to spite their neighbors. But they don’t know that." Krugman begins his column by quoting Rick Santelli's gramatically-challenged cri de coeur, which Krugman credits with inspiring the tea party movement: "How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills?" The Constant Weader doesn't quite agree with Krugman. Here's the short version of my response:

Washington politicians of both parties, whatever they say their principles are, don't have any. The jobs they want to save are their own. They do so by catering to the big money interests who fund their campaigns, and they feed the public a litany of platitudes they don't believe or intend to enact.

One thing you have to say for tea party members. They've figured that out. This election may be about punishment, as you argue, but I don't think it's the neighbors with extra bathrooms voters want to punish. I think voters want to punish the politicians -- politicians who have brought us to a place in which most of us are fearful we won't have even one pot to piss in.

Michael Muskal of the Los Angeles Times: non-voters will decide the midterm results. "According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center..., there likely will be more non-voters this year than voters.... The survey shows that those who choose not to exercise their franchise likely will be younger, less educated and more financially stressed than those who call themselves likely voters. And, not surprisingly, those who choose not to vote could be considered more liberal than those who do."

Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times: "Republicans made their closing argument on Sunday for capturing control of Congress, assailing President Obama as a champion of wasteful and excessive government, as Democrats countered that returning power to Republicans would empower corporations and the wealthy with disastrous results for middle-class Americans."

Has Generation O Become Generation No? Damien Cave of the New York Times: "... former [young] Obama volunteers nationwide say that they and their former colleagues are less involved and more ambivalent. Experts say the usual midterm effect, in which young voters are especially likely to disengage, has combined with an unexpected distance that has arisen between Mr. Obama and his young constituents."

Matt Bai in The New York Times Magazine on the similarities between grass-roots activists on the left and right.

Ezra Klein in Newsweek: most politicians hate the money-grubbing system, but they won't change it because they're good at grubbing & the process is so undignified that it discourages dignified potential opponents.

James Hohmann & John Harris of Politico on why the candidates debates were so bad, the responses to questions so robotic & the attacks so vitriolic. AND they include a quote by Larry Sabato! *

Evan Osnos of The New Yorker on what the Chinese think of the American midterms: "From the Chinese perspective, Americans appear to be thrashing against the realities of a new era: faced with a sudden sense of weakness and global changes in power, Americans look unable to summon the energy or unity to make even the simplest self-sustaining choices, and instead, are seeking refuge in the tinny appeals and false comfort of demagogues."

Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei of Politico: "Top Republicans in Washington and in the national GOP establishment say the 2010 campaign highlighted an urgent task that they will begin in earnest as soon as the elections are over: Stop Sarah Palin.... Many of these establishment figures argue in not-for-attribution comments that Palin’s nomination would ensure President Barack Obama’s reelection, as the deficiencies that marked her 2008 debut as a vice presidential nominee — an intensely polarizing political style and often halting and superficial answers when pressed on policy — have shown little sign of abating...." ...

     ... Update. Ben Smith notes that SarahPAC is already using the Allen-VandeHei article as a fundraising tool. Here's the SarahPAC page. ...

Politico, Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, they're jokes. This is a joke to have unnamed sources tearing somebody apart limb by limb. If they would man up and if they would, you know, make these claims against me then I can debate them, I can talk about it, but to me they're making stuff up again. I don't think the paper that we just printed this article on, you know, it's not worth even wrapping my King Salmon in. I'll just ignore this crap. -- Sarah Palin, on Fox "News," responding in her usual, statesman-like, presidenty way

Time's Adam Sorensen remembers Uncle Ted.

The Media Are the Message. In an opinion piece titled "Rally to Shift the Blame," David Carr of the New York Times criticizes Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert for attacking the messenger; i.e., the media. ...

... NEW. Brian Stelter of the New York Times has final numbers for the Stewart-Colbert Sanity/Fear Rally.

Neil Irwin of the Washington Post: "The Federal Reserve is preparing to put its credibility on the line as it rarely has before by taking dramatic new action this week to try jolting the economy out of its slumber.... The meeting of Fed policymakers Tuesday and Wednesday is set to be a defining moment of Ben S. Bernanke's second term as chairman of the central bank. Although he helped win the war against the great financial panic of 2008 and 2009, he now risks losing the peace if he fails to end the protracted economic downturn that followed."

Steve Coll of The New Yorker provides some evidence that Julian Assange of WikiLeaks really is a little nutty & a little slutty.

New York Times reporters write that "The foiling of the [bomb] package plot was a significant success in an era of well-publicized intelligence breakdowns and miscommunications. It was also a sobering reminder ... that quick response to timely intelligence rules the day.... But the plot also points up holes in the system, particularly the security of cargo flights, that have already caused criticism abroad and are likely to rekindle new debates in the United States."

Don Lee of the Los Angeles Times: Millions of Americans are keeping up their payments on mortgages even though the values of their properties is less than their mortgage debts. "... with home prices stagnant in much of the country, payments on mortgages that are underwater could absorb billions of dollars that might be used for other forms of consumer spending — a drag on family finances, the housing market and the overall economy."

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of the AP: "Fifty years after the pill, another birth control revolution may be on the horizon: free contraception for women in the U.S., thanks to the new health care law.... But first, look for a fight over social mores.... U.S. Catholic bishops say pregnancy is a healthy condition, not an illness. In comments filed with the Department of Health and Human Services, the bishops say they oppose any requirement to cover contraceptives or sterilization as preventive care."

* See Mark Francis Cohen in a 2005 American Journalism Review article titled "The Quote Machines." Cohen begins with Sabato's boast, "I'm probably the most quoted college professor in the land."