Posts by Matthew DeLong

More bad economic news from The New York Times:
The United States economy shed 190,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent in September, the Department of Labor said Friday in its monthly economic appraisal.

It was widely reported that the corporate-funded, small-government, anti-health care reform group Americans for Prosperity was helping to organize Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) Tea Party at the Capitol today. ThinkProgress has video of AfP workers handing out signs and talking points to the Tea Partiers the group shuttled in from other areas. According to one [...]

TPMDC’s Christina Bellantoni reports on a wild scene over at the Cannon House Office Building, following Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) anti-health care reform Tea Party on the Capitol steps, after which attendees were encouraged to storm congressional offices and confront representatives.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested 10 people this afternoon after the Capitol Hill Tea Party crowd [...]

This is kind of remarkable. In an interview with ABC’s “Top Line,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele pretty overtly sought to align the GOP with the burgeoning conservative Tea Party movement, threatening to “come after” moderate Republicans who side with Democrats on hot-button issues.
“So candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have [...]

Politico reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) chief of staff Michelle Marston is stepping down.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Michelle Marston, a veteran Hill aide, is leaving Bachmann’s office.
In an e-mail exchange with POLITICO, Marston declined to say why she’s going.
“I’m just not talking about it, and frankly I don’t think there’s a story here,” [...]

The Iowa Independent reports that Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) today echoed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s comments that yesterday’s election results should not be viewed as a referendum on the Obama presidency. From The Iowa Independent:
“I don’t think it’s a referendum on Obama,” the Republican lawmaker said in a conference call with reporters. “I [...]

Breaking news from Reuters:
An Italian judge sentenced 23 former CIA agents to up to eight years in prison on Wednesday for the abduction of a Muslim cleric in a landmark ruling against the “rendition” flights used by the former U.S. government.
The Americans were tried in absentia for the 2003 kidnapping, in a case that garnered [...]

More end zone dancing from the Republican National Committee chairman:
“Tonight, Chris Christie exceeded all expectations by charging to victory in the heart of Democrat country.  I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Chris on becoming New Jersey’s next governor and in a special way I congratulate Kim Guadagno on becoming New Jersey’s first [...]

On MSNBC just now, Larry O’Donnell announced that NBC is calling the New Jersey governor’s race for Republican Chris Christie. With 74 percent of the votes counted, Christie leads 50 percent to Gov. Jon Corzine’s (D) 44 percent, with 5 percent for Independent Chris Daggett.
Update: The Associated Press has also declared Christie the winner.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) is out front with a statement congratulating Bob McDonnell on his big win in Virginia:
“I want to send my congratulations to Bob, Maureen and their family. Bob ran a positive campaign based on the conservative principles of fiscal responsibility and low taxes. Virginians embraced his conservative message, rejecting more taxes, card-check and [...]