Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Well, there's just one week left of the 2010 election cycle. What a wild ride. Early voting has been underway in several key states and everyone is trying to glean what that turnout means. Polls are popping up all over the place. I'm relying more and more on Pollster.com and Five Thirty Eight. Nate's numbers and predictions aren't nearly as fun as they were back in 2008. Taegan at Political Wire and the ever helpful Swing State Project are also providing a steady flow of good info.

Obama doesn't have much on his public schedule. He is meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at 4:30 PM. In an ideal world, Obama would tell Gates that the DOJ is no longer defending DADT in the courts because Obama thinks DADT is unconstitutional. But, we don't live in an ideal world. And, Robert Gates is calling the shots on DADT. The White House, however, is convening a meeting on DADT with leading gay groups. According to Kerry Eleveld, the meeting is focused on "legislative repeal" and "senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett and deputy chief of staff Jim Messina are expected to be present."

The Veep is out on the road campaigning today. He's doing an event with Rep. Tim Bishop in the early afternoon and one for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand later today. She's really emerged as a true champion for LGBT equality in the Senate and is sailing towards reelection. That's one bright spot on the electoral horizon.

Okay, one more week...