California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman shakes hands with her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown following their debate at Dominican University in San Rafael, California October 12, 2010. REUTERS/Rich Pedroncelli/Pool
–The affiliated Crossroads groups and two other Republican independent expenditure organizations are dumping $50 million into a “House surge,” equalizing GOP cash disadvantages in hotly contested congressional districts. Their fundraising is only becoming more ambitious.
–Ken Vogel ponders where campaign finance reform stands.
—Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown’s final debate was full of fireworks. She dropped another $20 million into her campaign coffers last night.
–Sharron Angle reports an incredible $14 million in third-quarter fundraising, the biggest haul of its kind since Scott Brown. Symbolism (defeating the majority leader or breaking the opposing party’s super majority) seems to be the most powerful lure for campaign cash.
–I’ll reserve judgment until I read the whole thing, but Obama appears to be expressing some serious regret over the tone and approach he took to selling the stimulus in an upcoming New York Times magazine article:
In the magazine article, Mr. Obama reflects on his presidency, admitting that he let himself look too much like “the same old tax-and-spend Democrat,” realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” and perhaps should have “let the Republicans insist on the tax cuts” in the stimulus.
–Michelle Obama hits the trail.
–Charlie Crist nabs endorsements from a Schwarzenegger and a Kennedy.
–Barring a fundamental change in the race, Marco Rubio looks like a shoo-in.
–SurveyUSA adjusts its methodology in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, where it had shown a truly titanic lead for Republican Robert Hurt. Rep. Perriello still trails, but the new results are more in line with other polling. They have their first debate tonight. Here’s more on the race, if you’re interested.
–In the wake of Mayor Fenty’s defeat, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee will resign today.
–Vegetables: Dodd-Frank draws its first lawsuit, a challenge to interchange fee regulation from TCF National Bank.
–Side dish: The incredible Chilean miner rescue.
–Dessert: Congress seeks the “fabled sword of bipartisanship.”
What did I miss?