The case against holding the Marathon: we're gonna give water to runners when we can't give it Coney Island?

The case for it: Maybe diminished participation means an American can finally win. Councilman Calls for Cancellation of NYC Marathon politicker.com   

Famed for making elections into disasters, the Board of Elections will now try to make a disaster into an election. Power out at HQ, Board of Elections scrambles to prepare for Tuesday | The New York World www.thenewyorkworld.com   

Yes, climate change is important, sez his honor, but not nearly as important as helping Marty Golden stay put so he can continue to kill microstamping. Despite Endorsement, Obama Won’t Be Getting Bloomberg Bucks politicker.com   

Obama Get's Christie Love. Is this really a case of Bruce force? Why Exactly is Chris Christie Subverting Mitt Romney? www.theatlantic.com

Apparently so. Christie and Springsteen, Updated http://www.theatlantic.com/   

A vote for Mitt is a vote for replacing FEMA with kabuki charity. The Making Of Romney's Storm Relief Event www.buzzfeed.com 

The Smartest Man In America says: Mr. Obama is not a sure thing, by any means. It is a close race. His chances of holding onto his Electoral College lead and converting it into another term are equivalent to the chances of an N.F.L. team winning when it leads by a field goal with three minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. There are plenty of things that could go wrong, and sometimes they will.

But it turns out that an N.F.L. team that leads by a field goal with three minutes left to go winds up winning the game 79 percent of the time. Those were Mr. Obama’s chances in the FiveThirtyEight forecast as of Wednesday: 79 percent. Oct. 31: Obama's Electoral College 'Firewall' Holding in Polls fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com   

Chait: What can be said without equivocation is that Obama has proven himself morally, intellectually, temperamentally, and strategically. In my lifetime, or my parents’, he is easily the best president. On his own terms, and not merely as a contrast to an unacceptable alternative, he overwhelmingly deserves reelection.

My parents remember FDR, so I will demur upon that matter, but otherwise, I think he makes the case. The Case for Obama: Why He Is a Great President. Yes, Great. nymag.com   

Real Conservatives Don't Endorse Romney Department

The Economist: "At least Mr Obama...has made it clear that any long-term solution has to involve both entitlement reform and tax rises. Mr Romney is still in the cloud-cuckoo-land of thinking you can do it entirely through spending cuts: the Republican even rejected a ratio of ten parts spending cuts to one part tax rises." Which one? www.economist.com   

Gatemouth (9/18/12): Mitt Romney's new campaign slogan:

"Release the Hounds" The Simpsons Goes After Romney www.slate.com   

As Richard Mourdock would say: "it is something that God intended to happen.” Dem poll shows Mourdock tanking, Donnelly up 9 in Indiana www.politico.com