When does this ever turn out well? "Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) will likely represent himself at his mid-November ethics trial, setting up a potential spectacle less than two weeks after what’s expected to be a disappointing -- if not devastating -- election for Democrats," The Hill says.

"The skids are greased for the top New Yorker in the White House to be out of a job because of the expected GOP tsunami, the Daily News has learned. Political director Patrick Gaspard has told friends he expects to be the fall guy if Republicans romp in the Nov. 2 election, sources confirmed."

"Vice President Biden headlined a pair of New York cash bashes on Tuesday, gobbling up donors' dollars for Long Island Rep. Tim Bishop and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand," The New York Daily News reports.

From NBC's Adam Verdugo
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- For the first time during this election cycle, the current governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, shared the same stage with the two candidates vying be his successor -- Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown.

The discussion was emblematic of the nasty campaign in the Golden State, where both candidates have flooded the airwaves with tough ads and personal attacks. NBC’s Matt Lauer emceed the event, which was part of a women's conference hosted by California's First Lady Maria Shriver.

Lauer asked both candidates if they would suspend their negative ads in the final six days of the race.

“Sometimes negativity is in the eye of the beholder,” Brown responded, adding that if his rival was willing to agree to the terms, he would as well.

But Whitman was not so quick to commit. “I will take down any ads that can even be remotely construed as a personal attack,” she said. But she refused to take down commercials depicting “where Governor Brown stands on the issues.”

“It’s okay to have a discussion around the issues,” she said, but “the things that I’ve been called in this campaign – it’s not fair to the voters of California.”

(Earlier this month, a Brown aide was recorded using a sexual slur to describe Whitman in a voice mail message leaked to the press.)

“Should I leave it in the hands of Governor Schwarzenegger?” Lauer offered, suggesting that the outgoing governor should serve as a referee. But Schwarzenegger, a Republican who has declined to endorse in the race, demurred.

A recent Suffolk University poll showed Brown leading Whitman 50 percent to 42 percent.

Before the gubernatorial candidates took the stage, Lauer spoke with Schwarzenegger alone. He said that, beside the decision to marry Maria Shriver, his decision to run for governor was the best decision he ever made.

What was the Governor’s advice to his successor?: “It can’t always go your way.”

He said politics have been too polarizing as of late and that it was much more attractive for candidates to talk about their vision for the future.

Lauer said that beside the fact that one candidate is a Democrat and one candidate is a Republican, little has been said about another obvious difference: their gender. Was there any benefit of having a different gender’s perspective on how to govern California, Lauer asked in front of a mostly female audience.

“Most of my cabinet secretaries are women. My chief-of-staff is a woman,” Schwarzenegger noted. His chief-of-staff, Susan Kennedy, has always been a “go-to” on his staff, he added.

“I would not know how to do this job without her,” he said.

Lauer, noting that the governor didn’t really answer his question, asked a follow-up. But Schwarzenegger again demurred, prompting television cameras to zero in on his wife, who shook her head with a smile.

What does the governor think about his own term in office? Does he think that he left California in a better place than when he found it?

Schwarzenegger pointed to the state's recent redistricting reforms, new open primary system, and pension reform.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed the governor's approval rating languishing at just 31 percent.

But Schwarzenegger takes the long view.

“You don’t just think about your administration," he replied. "You think about the long term.”

Msnbc.com's Carrie Dann contributed.

From NBC's Shawna Thomas
Charles Town, WV -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) showed up here ready to shake hands, sign autographs, and encourage the people along W. Washington Street to meet and vote for GOP Senate nominee John Raese (R), whom he described as a “fiscal conservative” and an “old friend.”

(One description of Raese that didn’t come up today was “crazy.” When asked about opponent Joe Manchin’s newest ad that describes many of Raese’s more controversial ideas as “crazy,” Raese chose not to respond.)

As McCain and Raese walked down the street together, greeting veterans and flanked by cameras, the Arizona senator told a local candidate, “When I heard John say he was more conservative than the Tea Partiers, that’s my man.”

Later at a street corner press conference McCain did not back down from the harsh tone he has taken while campaigning against Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Patty Murray (D-WA.) His response: “These are harsh times.” In reference to his comments specifically about Murray, McCain said, “I have been on the floor for 20 years saying that earmarking is a corrupt practice ... so why should I be reluctant to say it when one of the most ardent practitioners of it ... will continue on that path?”

He was less harsh towards Raese’s opponent and joked, “I did notice that Gov. Manchin is running away from President Obama as fast as he can... If I can make a suggestion, I would suggest that the governor become a Republican and run against [Dem Sen. Jay] Rockefeller next time.”

From NBC's Athena Jones
As part of an ongoing effort to energize his Democratic base ahead of the mid-term election on Nov. 2, President Obama spoke with the Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show Tuesday afternoon, calling on his supporters to show up at the polls so that he can continue to carry out his agenda.

The roughly 10-minute conversation followed a similar discussion the president had with Eddie "Piolin" Sotero, host of Univision's popular, syndicated, Spanish-language radio show "Piolin por la Manana", which aired Monday.

"Anybody who is concerned about the direction of the country has to understand that this election is as important as 2008," Obama told Sharpton.

There are as many as 100 competitive races for seats in the House of Representatives this year and the vast majority of them are held by Democrats. Many analysts expect Republicans to gain dozens of seats in the House, enough to gain control of the chamber. Obama performed strongly among minority voters in the presidential election and with one week to go, he is stepping up efforts to get out the vote in the black and Hispanic communities.

The president himself voted today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during the press briefing, casting his absentee ballot for Democratic candidate for the Senate, Alexi Giannoulias, and for governor, Pat Quinn.

In the radio interview, the president stressed the middle class tax cuts included in the stimulus package, billions of dollars in neighborhood stabilization funds that he said were helping people in struggling communities get back to work, programs to help people avoid foreclosure and help for small businesses as steps his administration has taken to help ordinary people.

"All these provisions that we've put in place over the last two years are making big difference in the community, but that doesn't excuse the fact that we've still got a long way to go," he said in response to a question from Sharpton about his message to voters discouraged by the state of the economy. "Digging ourselves out of this hole is gonna take some time and understandably people feel frustrated and impatient; I feel impatient about it. But the question is are we gonna make sure that we continue on the progress that we're on or that we go back to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place."

The president said the Republican Party was focused on things like tax cuts for the rich and cuts to education funding rather than helping middle class Americans and young people.

"If we don't have strong leaders in Congress who are supportive of this agenda, who are supportive of moving the country forward," the president said. "If instead we've got folks who want to move backwards to the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place, then it's going to be very difficult for me to keep making progress and do what folks want to see me do over the next two years."

Obama also encouraged people who live in areas where they can vote early to go out and do it, directing people to the website www.raiseyourvote.com for information on how to do so. (His wife also touted the site in this video.)

From NBC's Alison Bruno
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has endorsed eight more GOP candidates on her Facebook page in the past week, including four today. On Oct. 21, Palin put her social-networking support behind Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (who's running for re-election), Sean Bielat (who's challenging Rep. Barney Frank in Massachusetts), Stephen Fincher (running for an open congressional seat in Tennessee), and Randy Hultgren (who's challenging Rep. Bill Foster in Illinois).

And today, she backed Dick Muri (challenging Rep. Adam Smith in Washington state), Rob Steele (taking on Rep. John Dingell in Michigan), Ilario Pantano (facing off against Rep. Mike McIntyre in North Carolina), and Chuck Wilkerson (who's challenging Rep. Henry Waxman in California).

Strikingly, fewer than half of these contests are competitive -- Fincher's race in Tennessee, McIntyre vs. Pantano in North Carolina, Foster vs. Hultgren in Illinois.

From NBC's Athena Jones
President Obama has voted already absentee, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said at the briefing.

He voted for Democratic candidates in Illinois Pat Quinn for governor and Alexi Giannoulias for Senate.

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
First Read has learned that President Obama will add a new campaign stop to his schedule: Charlottesville, VA on Oct. 29. The president will campaign for freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D), who just unveiled a new TV ad today that attempts to draw attention to a more conservative third-party candidate in order to siphon votes away from Republican nominee Robert Hurt.

Speaking of that ad, the Hurt campaign is releasing statements from some of the conservatives featured in the ad who are criticizing Hurt. Here is one:

Tom Perriello's most recent negative campaign ad is another shameful attempt by the Perriello campaign to avoid talking about his record in Congress," said Mike McPadden, who ran against Hurt in the GOP primary. "It is sad that Mr. Perriello’s record as our congressman is so poor that he has to stoop to these levels in his desperate attempt to hold on to the fifth district seat. To portray Robert Hurt as anything but a staunch conservative is ridiculous and disingenuous."

*** UPDATE *** Here is the response to Obama's visit from the Hurt campaign: "We gladly welcome President Obama to the 5th District as he campaigns on behalf of his favorite Congressman, Tom Perriello. His visit will further solidify the idea in the minds of voters that Congressman Perriello has been nothing more than a lap dog for the job killing Obama-Pelosi agenda, representing their interests, not the interests of Central and Southside Virginians. The Obama-Perriello rally will be a great time for the pair to explain to voters how their failed policies have led to over 11,000 jobs lost in the District, skyrocketing debt, a government takeover of health care, and an intrusive federal government."

Carly Fiorina's (R) Senate campaign in California just released this statement:

"Carly learned more than a year and a half ago that she, like millions of women, had breast cancer. After successfully battling cancer, she had reconstructive surgery this summer and remains cancer free today. However, this morning Carly came down with an infection associated with the reconstructive surgery and, as a result, she was admitted to the hospital to receive antibiotics to treat this infection. While this will impact her campaign schedule today, Carly is upbeat and her doctors expect her to make a quick and full recovery and be back out on the campaign trail soon. Carly is looking forward to getting back to her full campaign schedule and to defeating Barbara Boxer on November 2."

*** UPDATE *** Says Barbara Boxer campaign manager Rose Kapolczynski: "We wish Carly Fiorina a speedy recovery and hope she is able to return to her normal schedule soon."

From NBC's Alexandra Moe
Gender has been a recurring theme this election cycle. Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) has repeatedly challenged her opponent saying, “Man up, Harry Reid.” Sarah Palin has used the phrase. In Delaware, Christine O’Donnell (R) called her primary opponent, congressman Mike Castle, “unmanly” and said he should get his “man pants on.” Even Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) told his Democratic opponent to “Man up.” And it’s not just Republicans: In Missouri, Democratic candidate Robin Carnahan used the phrase against Roy Blunt.

But in a female vs. female gubernatorial contest, one candidate is challenging another on motherhood.

The motherhood card was thrown by U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) in a debate last week as she explained what made her more qualified to be governor than her opponent, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins (D-OK).

“I think my experience is one of the things that sets me apart as a candidate for Governor. First of all, being a mother, having children, raising a family,” Fallin said.

Askins expressed her readiness for the job in an interview on MSNBC. “There have been wonderful leaders both in Oklahoma and certainly around the country that have not chosen to have children,” she continued, “and my experience…I think really equips me for the governing side of the position of governor.”

Does motherhood really qualify you to run a state? And if so, what if you biologically cannot have children? Should that disqualify you from running for political office?

Askins has tremendous qualifications serving as lieutenant governor and as a former state legislator, judge, and attorney. Fallin is equally as qualified to be governor as she currently serves as a congressman and is the former lieutenant governor, state legislator, and having worked in the private sector.

The key difference apparently, according to Fallin, is that she is married to her new husband and they have a combined six children. Askins, however, is a 57-year-old single female.

This all arises during in a cycle when the number of women candidates in the House, Senate and governors’ races have broken records. A record-tying 10 female gubernatorial candidates are their parties’ nominees. This Oklahoma race and the one in New Mexico, are only the third and fourth times there has been a woman vs. woman gubernatorial election.

No matter the outcome of this contentious “motherhood” debate, one gain for women is assured: Oklahoma will have its first female governor.

We said in First Thoughts that things are certainly getting crazy one week out. Well, Joe Manchin is taking that literally. His closing ad actually calls opponent John Raese's ideas "crazy."

This isn't the first instance of a Democrat using "crazy" to in reference Sharron Angle. Harry Reid in a Web video mockingly sells Sharron Angle "crazy juice."

Not to mention how much the word "extreme" has been used.

One week to go, and it’s getting crazy out there… Laying out Democrats’ tricky path to holding on to the House… How Dems are hoping third-party candidates end up taking away votes from GOP nominees… McCain -- after helping Fiorina and Rossi -- stumps for John Raese in West Virginia at 1:30 pm ET… Profiling PA-8… Blumenthal leads in Q-poll by 12 points… And the Q-poll also has Kasich up by six and Portman ahead by 17 in Ohio.

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** One week out: How do we know we’re one week out from Election Day? Because everyone is going crazy right now. Before last night’s final Jack Conway-vs.-Rand Paul debate, a Paul supporter stomped on a MoveOn activist. In Florida, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink was accused of cheating at last night’s debate (her makeup artist reportedly passed her a note from the campaign during the debate). As we noted yesterday, the Democratic gubernatorial in Rhode Island told President Obama to “shove it” for remaining neutral in the race. And we learned that Mississippi Congressman Gene Taylor (D) said he didn’t vote for Obama in 2008 (so he voted for Nancy Pelosi for speaker, but not Obama in ’08?). October's campaign phrases that pay: "Shove It" and "Man Up." Can you tell it’s a week out? It’s a fitting conclusion to a nutty campaign year.

*** How Dems keep the House: Despite the polls and predictions of big GOP gains, there is a visible path to Democrats holding on to the House. It’s a tricky path, but it’s a path we’ve seen traveled before in politics (John McCain's presidential primary in '08), sports (the Red Sox vs. the Yankees in '04), and even movies (the blackjack scene in "The Hangover") -- to win, you have to run the table. Here’s a race-by-race guide how they could do it. First, Democrats need to win the four or five GOP-held seats they’re counting on (DE-AL, FL-25, HI-1, IL-10, LA-2), which would increase the Republicans’ Magic Number from 39 to 43 or 44 (i.e., the GOP needs to pick up 43 or 44 seats to win back the House).

*** The must-win races (or close to it): Then Democrats need to triumph in the Toss-Up contests where they’re still competing. In the 7:00 pm ET poll-closing states, the key races to watch are: GA-2 (Sanford Bishop) GA-8 (Jim Marshall), IN-2 (Joe Donnelly), IN-9 (Baron Hill), and SC-5 (John Spratt). In the 7:30 pm ET states, they’re OH-18 (Zack Space) and WV-1 (the Mollohan open). In the 8:00 pm ET states, they’re AL-2 (Bobby Bright), IL-17 (Phil Hare), MA-10 (Delahunt open), MS-4 (Gene Taylor), MO-4 (Ike Skelton), NH-2 (Hodes open), NJ-3 (John Adler), PA-8 (Patrick Murphy), and PA-10 (Chris Carney). And in the 9:00 pm ET poll-closing states, they’re CO-3 (John Salazar), MI-7 (Mark Schauer), NY-20 (Scott Murphy), NY-23 (Bill Owens), NY-24 (Michael Arcuri), SD-AL (Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin), and WI-7 (Obey open). If Democrats can win an overwhelming majority of these races, they’re on track to keeping their losses below 40. If not, Republicans will win the majority. It’s that simple.

*** Third parties to rescue Democrats? There’s another way Democrats are hoping to win some competitive contests next week: by having third-party candidates take votes away from the GOP nominees. Check out this TV ad Rep. Tom Perriello (D) is airing in the competitive VA-5 contest, which is a blatant effort to get conservatives to vote for someone OTHER than GOP nominee Robert Hurt: “ANNCR: What do real conservatives say about Robert Hurt? ALBERMALE REPUBLICAN: Robert Hurt is a career politician, Robert Hurt in my opinion has shown no leadership. REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST: Robert Hurt would be the opposite of where I am on fiscal issues because of his 1.4 billion dollar tax increase.” If Perriello wins this contest, it’s because the third-party candidates (Jeff Clark and Bradley Rees) will end up taking votes away from Hurt. Should Democrats hold the House, they'll do it on the backs of candidates like Perriello and a dozen other winners who somehow survive, even though they've gotten less than 50% of the vote. There are a dozen or so competitive races where Democrats are hoping the anti-Washington atmosphere captures the minds of some angry voters to vote against BOTH major parties. It's a stretch to count on this, but it's better than simply lighting a candle.

*** McCain’s heavy lifting: While the political world loves to focus on Sarah Palin and her campaign activities, it’s John McCain who’s been doing a lot of the heavy lifting for GOP candidates in competitive races these last two weeks. After pitching in for Carly Fiorina (where he accused Barbara Boxer of waving the white flag of surrender) and Dino Rossi (saying in a conference call that Patty Murray engaged in the “corrupt” practice of earmarks), McCain today stumps for John Raese in West Virginia at 1:30 pm ET. It’s a reminder who has a better pull with swing voters.

*** 75 House races to watch: PA-8: The Democratic nominee is two-term incumbent Rep. Patrick Murphy, who was first elected in 2006. The GOP nominee is former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick. In 2008, Obama won 54% in this district, while Kerry won 51% in 2004. As of Oct. 13, Murphy had nearly $600,000 in the bank, versus Fitzpatrick’s nearly $500,000. Murphy voted for the stimulus, cap-and-trade, and health care. Both Cook and Rothenberg rate the race as Toss Up.

*** More midterm news: In California, Jerry Brown has a new TV ad that uses Meg Whitman’s words against her. In Connecticut, a new Quinnipiac poll has Richard Blumenthal leading Linda McMahon by 12 points among likely voters (54%-42%)… In Ohio, Quinnipiac has John Kasich leading the gubernatorial contest by six points (49%-43%) and Rob Portman ahead in the Senate race by 17 points (53%-36%)… And in Washington state, Patty Murray has a new TV ad hitting Dino Rossi.

Countdown to Election Day 2010: 7 days

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“Preparing for political life after a bruising election, President Barack Obama will put greater emphasis on fiscal discipline, a nod to a nation sick of spending and to a Congress poised to become more Republican, conservative and determined to stop him,” the AP’s Feller reports. “He is already giving clues about how he will govern in the last two years of his term. Obama will try to make gains on deficit reduction, education and energy. He will enforce his health care and financial overhauls and try to protect them from repeal should Republicans win control of Capitol Hill. He will use executive authority when blocked by Congress, and steel for scrutiny and investigations if the GOP is in charge. While trying to save money, Obama will have to decide whether to bend to Republican and growing Democratic pressure to extend Bush-era tax cuts, even for the wealthy, that expire at year's end.”

The Washington Post profiles the vulnerable Senate majority leader. “Gritty and stoic, Reid embodies Nevada's paradoxical relationship with the federal government, a can't-live-with-him, can't-live without-him dilemma that has turned his quest for a fifth Senate term into the fight of his long career. Win or lose, most of Reid's elections have been decided by whisker-thin margins and his battle against tea party star Sharron Angle figures to be another. But the dynamics of this one are different. Never before has Nevada been so tired of Reid - and yet so dependent on him.”

“U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2008 Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll revealed that Indiana had the fewest public employees per capita. Illinois was just behind, and Wisconsin was ranked third,” Real Clear’s McPike reports. “As [Indiana Gov. Mitch] Daniels ponders a bid for the presidency in 2012, the example he set with the Hoosier State's government could set a tone for contenders in the GOP primary now that limiting government has emerged as a leading campaign issue for Republicans this year.”

From NBC's Athena Jones
President Obama discussed immigration reform, health care, and the economy during an interview on Univision's popular "Piolin por la Manana" radio program on Monday -- part of a White House effort to drive turnout among Latino voters.

"There is no place in the country where the Latino vote doesn't matter," the president told show host Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo.

Immigration reform dominated the interview on the syndicated program, which was taped Friday in Glendale, CA.

After a glowing introduction that incorporated clips from past Obama speeches, Sotelo joked that he would give the president a choice of topics to talk about it: A) immigration reform, B) immigration reform, C) immigration reform, or D) all of the above. He went on to say that many Hispanics were "disappointed" that the president had not been able to get comprehensive immigration reform legislation passed -- something he vowed to push for during the presidential campaign.

The president said he, too, was disappointed, but that he needed more Republican support to pass a bill, a common refrain from a White House that struggled to get major legislation -- like the health-care overhaul -- through the Senate despite having a majority.

"I have not backed off this issue," Obama said. "But -- somebody said the other day -- I'm president. I'm not king."

He said he would continue to push for passage of a comprehensive overhaul of the rules governing immigration, adding that getting such legislation through Congress was one reason next week's election was so important.

"If the Latino community decides to sit out this election, there will be fewer votes" for immigration reform, he said, explaining that people like Sharron Angle (R), the GOP Senate candidate in Nevada, were against reform.

The president slammed what he termed a "cynical" ad that ran in Nevada calling on Hispanics not to vote.

He defended increased deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records and, in an effort to broaden the conversation, talked about how the health-care bill would help the Hispanic community and how changes the Democratic Congress has made to student loan programs were giving more Hispanic youth access to college.

On another key issue, the Dream Act, the president said it was important to make a "strategic decision" after talking to immigrant-rights groups and the congressional Hispanic Caucus about whether it made sense to pass a small piece of legislation dealing with the issue or try to include it in a larger bill that would address other issues of concern to the Hispanic community.

"Piolin por la Manana" airs in Spanish. The president's interview was conducted in English, and was followed by a discussion with Univision news Anchor Jorge Ramos in Spanish, meant to highlight the main takeaways for listeners.

From msnbc.com's Tom Curry:

John McCain wouldn’t be John McCain without his acerbic remarks and his hatred of earmarks.

In a conference call with reporters Monday on behalf of Washington GOP Senate candidate Dino Rossi, McCain railed against Rossi’s opponent, three-term Sen. Patty Murray and her work getting earmarks for her state.

When a reporter asked whether McCain thought Murray was acting corruptly, he replied, "I think it’s a corrupt practice. I know it's a corrupt practice – as I said, that’s why we have former members of Congress in prison -- and she engages in that corrupt practice. Now whether she's actually corrupt or not, I will let other people make judgment, but it certainly is a corrupt practice, earmarking and pork-barrel spending. And I’ve seen it with my very own eyes. I’ve seen staffers turned into lobbyists who then make lots and lots of money."

The Seattle Times reported last month that five of Murray’s former aides who have become lobbyists helped to obtain Murray-sponsored earmarks in the 2011 defense appropriations bill.

Julie Edwards, Murray campaign spokeswoman called McCain’s comments “simply despicable.”

“This is typical of the kind of dirty, hypocritical campaign Dino Rossi has run since the very beginning,” Edwards said. “As a state senator, he asked for earmarks, received earmarks, bragged about his earmarks and included earmarks in the budget he says he wrote. And he has a long documented history of intertwining his business dealings with individuals who lobbied him in the state senate.”

From NBC's Shawna Thomas
MEDIA, Pa. -- It's about a week before the election and, frankly, the Republican candidate for Arlen Specter's (D-PA) Senate seat seemed pretty calm this morning. As part of his "More Jobs, Less Government" tour, he started his day in West Chester, Pa., at Penn's Table restaurant shaking a few hands and then headed over to a meeting with small business leaders. He gave standard prepared remarks and then took a couple of more questions from the media before kicking the cameras and reporters out of the roundtable.

Pat Toomey was focused on continuing to paint his Democratic opponent Rep. Joe Sestak as someone in lockstep with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The only questions getting something that resembled a rise out of him had to do with being lumped in with other Tea Party candidates throughout the country and if the close proximity (as in the Delaware media market bleeding into the Pennsylvania media market) of Christine O'Donnell's race was making his race harder.

Toomey said it was the media and Sestak who are encouraging the "fictitious connection" between him and O'Donnell: "I don't get this from anyone except members of the press. Frankly I don't think anybody is confused, confusing the candidates. I've been campaigning for 18 months now. I've got a very clear message for that entire time." Toomey continued, "I don't see the issue."

When asked if he would be willing to form some kind of coalition with other new senators who were backed by Tea Party organizations he responded that he wanted to "work with everybody who wants to move this country forward and encourage job growth and restore fiscal discipline." He then rattled off three names of Democrats that he found common ground with while he was in the House of Representatives, including favorite GOP target, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).

"I had a press conference with Barney Frank in which we both talked about the need for our NATO allies to shoulder more of their share of the burden of the cost of the war in Kosovo, which was underway at the time," Toomey said. "So my record is very clear. I'll work with colleagues on either side of the aisle if it's for the good of Pennsylvania."

Oddly enough Frank was also a name he linked his opponent with earlier in the press conference when talking about Sestak's fiscal irresponsibility.

"Joe Sestak was a guy, as late as 2007, joining with Barney Frank and the most liberal members of the House to vote against even basic common sense regulations on these institutions," said Toomey when talking about his attempts to reign in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when he was still a member of the House.

From NBC's Luke Russert
Recently embattled Tea Party favorite Joe Miller, the GOP nominee for Senate in Alaska is once again falling back on his most effective weapon -- former Gov. Sarah Palin.

In a fundraising letter sent to Miller supporters today, Palin aggressively goes after fellow Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who’s mounting a write-in campaign after her August loss to Miller in the GOP primary.

Palin, whose long had a tense relationship with the Murkowski family dating back to 2002 when then Gov. Frank Murkowski passed over Palin and appointed his daughter Lisa to the U.S. Senate, doesn’t hold much back.

After calling Miller the “only true conservative in the race” Palin paints Murkowski as being part of the Washington “status quo” and says she’s beholden to special interests:

“While Lisa Murkowski and her special interests have nothing to lose in this race, Alaskans and conservatives across the country have everything to lose.”

Palin then takes a swing at the Murkowski family by saying, “Joe Miller will fight for the people of Alaska, and this great country. Public service should be an honor not a family dynasty.”

Palin is not the only national Tea Party figure to bash Murkowski in recent days. Last week South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) used his Senate Conservatives Fund to air an anti-Murkowski ad that questioned her stance on abortion and suggested that Miller was the only pro-life candidate in the race.

A CNN/Time poll from last week showed the race between Miller and Murkowski tied, each getting 37% of the vote. Democrat Scott McAdams came in third with 23%.

In an interview with CBN's David Brody, Delaware Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell (R) talked about her Christian faith and how it has shaped her candidacy:

God is the reason that I’m running. If I didn’t believe that there were a cause greater than myself worth fighting for, if I didn’t believe that it takes a complete dying of self to make things right in this Election cycle I would not be running and when you die to yourself you rely on a power greater than yourself so prayer is what’s gotten us all through. The day that we saw a spike in the polls was a day that some people had a prayer meeting for me that morning for this campaign so I believe that prayer plays a direct role in this campaign and I always ask please pray for the campaign; please pray for our staff; please pray specifically that the eyes of the voters be opened.

And here she is discussing at what she sees as a double standard in how her campaign has been covered:

There’s certainly a double standard. And I don’t often quote Gloria Steinem, but she said you can look at a double standard if they wouldn’t attack the male opponent that way and there’s no doubt that they wouldn’t say the things they’re saying about me, they wouldn’t do the things that they’re doing if I weren’t a woman. I’m not whining but there certainly is a double standard especially when it comes to conservative woman.”

In the last couple of days, the New York Times' Peter Baker and National Journal's Matthew Dowd have argued that Democrats losing the House could actually help President Obama as we begin to pivot to 2012.

Here's Baker:

The reality of presidential politics is that it helps to have an enemy. With Democrats controlling the White House and Congress, they shoulder responsibility for the country’s troubles. No amount of venting about George W. Bush or the filibuster rule has convinced the public otherwise. But if Republicans capture Congress, Mr. Obama will finally have a foil heading toward his own re-election battle in 2012.

Here's Dowd:

The president needs Republicans to pick up the House or the Senate so he can either: 1) Blame Republicans for what does or does not happen in the next Congress; or 2) Reach authentically across the aisle to get things done in a bipartisan way and tell his own party that he has to do it. Either scenario would help the president’s political standing going into his reelection.

Voter confidence in the president and his party has ticked up slightly in the October monthly average, but is still at lows that historically indicate big gains by the party out of power.

NBC’s Voter Confidence Index is now -36, up from -41 two weeks ago, after the AP-GFK and Pew Research polls were factored in. The data shows the uptick is a result of a steady job approval rating for President Obama and a slight improvement in Americans’ views on the direction of the country.

But the VCI is among the lowest of President Obama’s presidency. Last month, it was -39. Historically, it is worse than 1994 (when Democrats lost 54 seats) and 1982 (when Republicans lost 26 House seats). It is better, however, than 2006, when it was at an all-time low of -65, and Republicans lost 30 House seats.

For more on the VCI, click here: VCI.msnbc.com.