–Conservative bigwigs and most of the prospective 2012 Republican field are gathered at the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit today in Washington. These types of events tend to be message testing grounds and there’s red meat aplenty on the menu. Check out the schedule or watch live on C-SPAN.
–Inimitable and esteemed Swamp alum Karen Tumulty examines 2012 through the lens of the Tea Party.
—Marc Ambinder and Dave Weigel compare the brewsters to the Netroots movement of ’06.
–Palin goes forth to Iowa, sans legwork.
–Elizabeth Warren, already contributing at the White House blog, is ready to pull up her socks at the newfangled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She’ll get the Rose Garden rollout treatment today.
–Chris Dodd is apparently still set on deep-sixing her influence. CNN’s Jessica Yellin hears he’s imploring President Obama to name a permanent CFPB head in the next few weeks, which would essentially push Warren out of the picture. The White House says it’s going to take months at the least.
–The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty moves ahead out of committee.
–If that recent TIME/CNN poll wasn’t enough to convince you that Ohio is rapidly falling out of the Democrats’ reach, here are some new numbers from Quinnipiac.
–Two useful things to keep in mind when perusing the polls: Stu Rothenburg advises a discerning eye for pollsters not outlets, and Nate Silver recommends paying attention to the addition of likely voter models.
–Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, in what certainly sounds like a step beyond satire, announce plans for a “restoring sanity” rally in D.C. on October 30.
–And Anthony Weiner becomes one with health reform.
What did I miss?