Why This Is Not Just ‘Washington Breakdown,’ in 3 Graphs (and 1 Story)  —  Tea Party members say they are expressing the public's will.  Gee, if only there were some way to judge popular sentiment in a democracy.  —  From the Washington Post this morning:

Democrats Mull Divulging Emails With Boehner Staff as Shutdown Fight Gets Personal  —  Reid's office is considering leaking emails between his chief of staff, David Krone, above, and Boehner's chief.  (CQ Roll Call File Photo)  —  Senate Democrats are considering leaking a series …

CNN Poll: Will Obamacare help you?  —  Less than one in five Americans say their families will be better off under the new health care law, according to a new poll.  —  But a CNN/ORC International survey released Tuesday morning also indicates a majority say the Affordable Care Act …

Some State Exchanges Delayed Until Afternoon  —  Some states running their own health-insurance exchanges are having delays Tuesday morning, the first day of enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.  —  Minnesota's health insurance exchange, MNsure, won't be able to open until Tuesday afternoon …

‘Boss’ Chris Christie: How I'd solve it  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the shutdown in Washington can be blamed on everybody, but it is especially a failure of leadership on the part of the president.  —  “No matter where the partisanship is, the failure is in people not bringing people together to get it done.

FERC nominee bows out  —  President Barack Obama's nominee to lead FERC announced Tuesday that he had pulled his name from consideration in the face of mounting opposition from coal supporters and a stalemate in a crucial Senate committee.  —  The fall of the former Colorado utility regulator Ron Binz …

Cory Booker goes negative vs. Steve Lonegan  —  Democrat Cory Booker is launching his first negative spot today against Republican rival Steve Lonegan in the New Jersey special election for U.S. Senate, calling his rival “too extreme” for the state.  —  The spot comes two weeks out from the Oct. 16 special election.

Congress, tea party hit all-time low in CNN polling  —  Washington (CNN) — As the hours wind down toward a possible government shutdown because of a bitter partisan battle over the new health care law, the approval rating for Congress is plummeting to historic lows.

US employers slashing worker hours to avoid Obamacare insurance mandate  —  Trend sparks fears among low-paid workers that they will be hit twice: by having earnings cut and paying more for healthcare  —  Avita Samuels has worked at the Mall of America in Minneapolis for the last four years …