Obama pleads for patience from Stewart on ‘Daily Show’  —  President Obama took to The Daily Show on Wednesday as part of his effort to motivate the young voters who propelled him into the Oval Office in 2008.  —  The president, who faces a possible GOP takeover of the House in less than a week …

Obama says he's evolving on gay marriage  —  President Barack Obama told a group of liberal bloggers Wednesday that his views on same-sex marriage, which he has previously opposed, are evolving and that society is moving in the direction of granting marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Karl Rove questions Sarah Palin's suitability for president  —  Karl Rove, the former senior adviser to George W Bush, has cast doubt on Sarah Palin's viability as a White House candidate, questioning if the American people thought she had the “gravitas” for the “most demanding job in the world”.

Coalition for Obama Split by Drift to G.O.P., Poll Finds  —  Critical parts of the coalition that delivered President Obama to the White House in 2008 and gave Democrats control of Congress in 2006 are switching their allegiance to the Republicans in the final phase of the midterm Congressional elections …

Poll: Independents Keep GOP Ahead in Four Key Senate Races  —  From left: Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, moderator Mitch Fox and Senate majority leader Harry Reid appear at a debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 14, 2010  —  Democrats may not lose their Senate majority …

Exclusive Video: Lauren Valle Before The Head Stomp Vid  —  RedState has obtained exclusive video of the precipitating events prior to the “head stomping incident” at a recent Rand Paul event, which can be viewed below the fold.  —  Let us begin with what should be obvious and unnecessary to discuss: don't stomp on anyone's head.

Matthews: How Long Before We See Tea Partiers Start Showing Up in Uniform, 1930s Style?  —  Chris Matthews, on Wednesday's Hardball, not so cryptically compared the actions of Republican volunteers to that of Nazi-style tactics from the 1930s as he claimed the restraining of a MoveOn.org activist …

2010 Electorate Still Looking More Republican Than in the Past  —  GOP Election Day advantage aided by surge in independents who lean Republican  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's latest figures on the composition of the 2010 electorate suggest that, consistent with an earlier Gallup report …

DNC Asks Pentagon for Info on Romney, Others  —  DNC Requests Records Related to Palin, Romney, Seven Other Possible 2012 Contenders  —  The Democratic National Committee formally has asked the Pentagon for reams of correspondence between military agencies and nine potential Republican …

High court blocks write-in list decision  —  After a day's worth of back-and-forth, the Alaska Supreme Court on Wednesday said voters can look at a list of certified write-in candidates when they go to the polls.  —  The Supreme Court's decision late Wednesday blocked a lower court ruling …

A not-so-brief history of violence  —  Public health warning: much much more McArdle-blogging beneath the fold.  But take heart - this may possibly be my last and most definitive statement on the topic.  I certainly can't imagine that I will want to write at length about this any more.

Rev. Jesse Jackson condemns Williams firing  —  The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday compared NPR's firing of Juan Williams to the Agriculture Department's firing of Shirley Sherrod.  —  “NPR was wrong because they did not afford him freedom of speech,” Jackson said.  “They did it in a way that was unfair.

Channeling Milton Friedman  —  Enough about John Maynard Keynes.  We can be sure the 20th century British economic giant would advise more government spending to spur U.S. economic growth with consumers and businesses so hesitant and short-term interest rates at zero.

Most Americans worry about ability to pay mortgage or rent, poll finds  —  A majority of Americans now say they are worried about making their mortgage or rent payments, underscoring the extent of economic anxiety in the country heading into midterm elections.