A majority of Republicans think ACORN stole the election for Barack Obama, according to a new poll.

Why did Ken Starr, Ed Meese and right-wing legal organization, The American Civil Rights Union come to the defense of a John Edwards backer charged with reimbursing employees who donated to the Edwards campaign?

Straight from House Minority Leader John Boehner’s office:

“Sen. Reid’s Government-Run Health Plan Requires a Monthly Abortion Fee”

We just had that new daily segment on Fox News where they apologize for getting caught using phony video to inflate GOP crowd sizes the previous day.

Fun new segment.

Like Sarah Palin, another prominent GOPer prefers being a talking head to being governor: The NYT is reporting that Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor of New York.

After meeting with Sen. Reid (D-NV) yesterday, Sen. Nelson (D-NE) told TPM that Sen. Reid was still floating the possibility of using budget reconciliation for the health care reform bill if he had no other option. But just earlier this afternoon, Brian Beutler asked Sen. Reid what he’d said and he answered pretty categorically.

“I’m not using reconciliation,” Reid told TPM.

That would mean that getting the votes of every Democrat on every procedural vote going forward is the only way reform will pass — all 60 votes.

I would say that no one should treat anything anyone says as definitive in this story, as the final word. You can read into what Reid says, I’m not using it today, I’m not using it, I won’t use it ever. For my part, I like I said, nothing’s final in this story until it’s final. But that’s what he said today.

Giuliani not running for governor, but he is running for U.S. Senate, reportedly. Oh happy day!

Disappointing Late Update: Not true! says Rudy spox.

Fox News did a poll of what Americans think of an American president bowing to the Japanese Emperor.

You’ll remember, this is when Obama shamed America and sent a signal of weakness to emperors worldwide by bowing to the Emperor Akihito, as is the custom in that country.

Oddly enough, Fox phrased the question in a pretty fair way. And Americans answered overwhelmingly that it was fine: 67% to 26%.

Looks like the cloture vote on bringing the health care reform bill to the Senate floor will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday (much to the delight of aides and reporters across the DC metro area).

TPM Reader DC is perplexed …

I’m genuinely puzzled at this. The filibuster, as we know, is rooted in the old Senate tradition of unlimited debate, which can only be waived by an extraordinary supermajority. Some twenty years or so ago, in the interest of keeping the Senate from being utterly tied up, the body changed the rules to permit a sort of virtual filibuster, which still can only be quelled with a supermajority. But here we have a situation in which the threat of unlimited debate is being used to prevent–what? Debate???? Something does not compute. Why can the filibuster rule be used to prevent debate. Even if you like filibusters, it seems an absurd use of the rule.

I’m not sure DC’s chronology is right. I thought the evolution was more complex and over a longer period. But it’s not a bad global point.

Actually, of course, going into this on the health care front. We’re talking about a series of 60 procedural hurdles. 60 votes to start debate. 60 votes to end debate and move to a vote. And probably a bunch of other 60 vote votes for things like emptying the garbage and okaying Orrin Hatch declaring a holy war against health care reform.