Bagels and Ballots – Friday
-It’s not always sunny in Florida for independent senatorial candidate Charlie Crist. The state’s Republican party released an audit showing that Florida Governor Crist — until recently a Republican — charged to the party over $381,000 expenses not “primarily” related to official party work, including a trip to … Disney World. (Florida Times-Union)
-In a conference call yesterday, Crist’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Kendrick Meek, appealed to Jewish voters by pointing to support from Jewish groups and his distance from the Obama administration on Israel. But his debate will be aired tonight, on Yom Kippur. (MitzVote).
-Incensed by seemingly irrational politicians? Irritated by ill-fitting Hitler comparisons? People who scream loudly about “teabaggers”? Jon Stewart announced on last night’s Daily Show that you can restore your sanity at his … Rally to Restore Sanity on the DC mall in late October. For those who prefer to keep screaming the truthiness, try Stephen Colbert’s March to Keep Fear Alive on the same day: (New York)
-A new poll finds that in the race for Ohio’s senate seat, Jewish Democrat Lee Fisher is 20 percentage points behind former Bush official and Republican opponent Rob Portman. (Columbus Business First)
-Queen Sarah? Vanity Fair fleshes out the implications of comparing Sarah Palin to Queen Esther. In a 2008 letter, right-wing pastor Lou Engle wrote to Ms. Barracuda that, like the Persian heroine, “many thousands are fasting and praying for you. … I believe this is an Esther moment in your life.” (Vanity Fair online)
-Queen or otherwise, Sarah 2012 is the bigger question. In light of Palin’s attendance at a GOP dinner in Iowa tonight, Politico asks if her celebrity can translate into votes in this caucus state. (Politico)
-As Republicans try to take back Congress, they’re preparing an election agenda. One initiative includes encouraging that bills are read aloud; another is the citation of constitutional authority in all legislation. (Politico)
-More on Christine O’Donnell, the Tea Partier who launched a thousand profiles: she’s now saying that her crusade against masturbation and other right-right moral views were a part of her youth – and wouldn’t play into her voting record. In Washington, she says her “litmus test” will be mere constitutionality. (LA Times).
-And Gawker’s found O’Donnell’s lesbian sister, who says the candidate isn’t a homophobe: (Gawker)
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