The Supreme Court today summarily overturned the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal's 9 to 6 en banc ruling designed to disrupt new voters in Ohio at the behest of the Republican party.

The Court in a per curiam ruling held, as argued by the Ohio voting officials, that the GOP appears to have no standing under Section 1983 to sue to overturn the state's established voter registration procedures.

We express no opinion on the question whether HAVA is being properly implemented. Respondents, however, are not sufficiently likely to prevail on the question whether Congress has authorized the District Court to enforce Section 303 in an action brought by a private litigant to justify the issuance of a TRO.

The Order in Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party, 07A332, is here. Scotusblog has more. People for the American Way (PFAW)issued this statement:

A few days ago I wrote about Fred Baron's sudden diagnosis of multiple myeloma and Biomed's refusal to allow him to use the drug Tysabri. His son Andrew, founder of Rocketboom, enlisted dignataries from Lance Armstrong to Bill Clinton, John Kerry and others to the public to convince Biomed to allow Baron to receive the drug.

Biomed has relented and Baron now is being treated with the drug at the Mayo Clinic.....Andrew Baron said the Mayo Clinic, working with the FDA, found a legal basis for using Tysabri on his father.

I am against the clock on a brief so I won't be posting today. Hopefully, J and TChris will be along soon. In the meantime, here is an Open Thread.

Bumped from yesterday afternoon. See also Taylor Marah - BTD.

Like Josh Orton, I was on a call with Hillary Clinton late this afternoon. I asked Hillary 2 questions - one was the announced topic of the call (the campaign) - I asked her about down ticket races (she has been all over the country camapigning (or will be going) for various candidates - Lunsford (KY), Shaheen (NH), Noriega (TX) and a host of others.) But then I asked her about the new HOLC, the proposal Senator Clinton has made regarding the creation of a new federal entity to help struggling homeowners keep their homes. I was not sure Senator Clinton would want to discuss it at this time - after all we are less than 3 weeks from an election and Senator Obama has not exactly embraced the idea while Senator McCain at least mouthed the words last night. [More...]

If this is true, Ralph Nader is finally playing a helpful role for the Democratic presidential candidate:

Mr. Nader continues to draw scorn for his role in the 2000 election, when many Democrats felt his long-shot candidacy destroyed Al Gore’s chances of becoming president. But this time, some polls in critical swing states like Florida suggest he is drawing votes from Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee.

Nader's history as a warrior against corporate greed makes his a strong voice in opposition to the bailout plan. Nader has credibility as a champion of the little guy who has been abused by unfeeling corporations. He might be speaking to larger crowds than he anticipated during the last days of the campaign. [more ...]

Paul Krugman has more depressing news about the economy. He offers a prescription to start a recovery that would not survive John McCain's insistence on a spending freeze:

[T]here’s a lot the federal government can do for the economy. It can provide extended benefits to the unemployed, which will both help distressed families cope and put money in the hands of people likely to spend it. It can provide emergency aid to state and local governments, so that they aren’t forced into steep spending cuts that both degrade public services and destroy jobs. It can buy up mortgages (but not at face value, as John McCain has proposed) and restructure the terms to help families stay in their homes.

[more ...]

Sen. Barack Obama has been on the "Don't get over-confident" theme all day. He told voters in New York and New Hampshire he remembers New Hampshire and the polls aren't always right.

Tonight, at what sounds like an incredible fundraising concert with Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, Obama took the stage at the end: [More...]

As has been reported all day at blogs and news media sites, Joe the Plumber is not who he pretended to be. The Miami Herald has a good wrap-up.

Some of the early news:

Never served in the apprentice program or got a license, according to Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 50, in Toledo. Doesn't make anywhere near the $250,000 that would subject him to higher taxes under Obama's proposed tax plan.

Now, there's this: Tom Joseph, the business manager of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 50 union in Toledo, says:

Joe claimed on a social networking site to be a working union member and even used the pipefitters' insignia as a background. ''He's never been a member of the union,'' Joseph said.

More...

UPDATE: Video added. Original post:

John McCain appeared on the David Letterman Show today after making the bad mistake three weeks ago of telling Dave he needed to cancel an appearance so he could rush back to Washington to deal with the financial crisis. McCain actually stayed in New York and gave an interview to Katie Couric.

McCain's explanation: "I screwed up."

[more ...]

CNN's Money fact-checks McCain's claims about Obama's tax plan and small businesses. Shorter version: McCain's wrong again.

The bottom line: McCain's claim only works by using an overly broad definition of what counts as a "small business" - and even with that definition, fewer than 2% of business owners would be hit by Obama's proposed rate increase. For those who are affected, the increase would be levied only on a part of their earnings, not all of them.

Tomorrow the Washington Post will endorse Barack Obama. The editorial is already posted here.

....[I]t is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president. The choice is made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign, above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president. It is made easy in larger part, though, because of our admiration for Mr. Obama and the impressive qualities he has shown during this long race. Yes, we have reservations and concerns, almost inevitably, given Mr. Obama's relatively brief experience in national politics. But we also have enormous hopes.

....we find no way to square his professed passion for America's national security with his choice of a running mate who, no matter what her other strengths, is not prepared to be commander in chief.[Emphasis supplied.]

It's not that flattering an editorial. It disagrees that McCain equals four more years of Bush and criticizes Obama's Iraq position. It makes me wonder, had McCain not picked Palin, would the Post still have endorsed Obama?

Check out PalinasPresident --it's a flash so don't forget to click on all the objects in the picture. It's updated daily until November 4.

Palin's latest: G-d blessed the U.S. with oil and gas. Forget Joe the Plumber, he's a nobody. Keep your eye on Sarah Palin.

Don't miss David Letterman tonight, John McCain makes an appearance, trying to make up for his canceled appearance a few weeks ago that led to Letterman doing lots of funny jokes about him and Palin. Tonight: [More...]