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washingtonpost.com — I'm cautious about the conventional wisdom that the Democratic Party is about to get flattened by a Republican steamroller. Pollsters are less certain than they'd like you to believe about who's a "likely voter" and who isn't. It's easy to imagine how Democrats, facing near-unanimous predictions of a wipeout, could bestir themselves to narrow the enthusiasm gap by just enough to turn a potential "wave" election into a regular midterm setback for the party in power.

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salon.com — Man, did John Raese lay it on thick Monday night. In the only scheduled debate in West Virginia's Senate race, the GOP nominee matter of factly said he opposes the healthcare reform law because "I don't like socialism," repeatedly called global warming a "myth," reiterated his opposition to the existence of a minimum wage, and summed up his vision for the war in Afghanistan thusly: "We win, you lose."

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tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com — The latest jobs bill coming out of Washington isn't really a bill at all. It's the Fed's attempt to keep long-term interest rates low by pumping even more money into the economy ("quantitative easing" in Fed-speak).

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nytimes.com — Barack Obama seems to think he’s done a pretty terrific job as president, but maybe he hasn’t trumpeted his accomplishments effectively enough.

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thehill.com — Asked why the Democrats are still expected to lose seats in November after passing major bills like healthcare reform, credit card reform, a fair-pay act and Wall Street reform, Schumer said voters are frustrated and don’t feel the effects of the legislation.

“It’s the world we’re in. It’s a much more negative, critical world, and people are sour now,” he said. “The thing they’re most sour about is the future, not the present. In other words, if people were sure that things would be better five years from now, they’d be less sour.

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washingtonpost.com — We were eight Mexican peasants, one smuggler and me -- desperately stretched out in dirt furrows in the night. The Border Patrol helicopter with its huge searchlight kept coming closer. It stopped, hovered and turned the other way.

"Madre," whispered Pablo, who at 17 was the youngest among us.

We took off running, then crawling past a parked Border Patrol jeep that was so close you could hear the patrol officers as they booked a group they had caught. Finally, two hours after squirming under a fence in Tijuana, we were running down empty streets in San Ysidro, Calif., to a safe house and America.

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latimes.com — Congress gave final approval Thursday to a $600-million border security package that President Obama had sought to tighten the border with Mexico — a move supporters hope will open a broader political discussion on comprehensive immigration reform.

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thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com — In a highly unusual session, the chamber of filibusters and anonymous holds temporarily came back from its summer recess on Thursday to send a border security measure to President Obama’s desk and to pass a resolution honoring former Senator Ted Stevens — with only two senators present, Charles E. Schumer of New York and Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, both Democrats.

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politico.com — Univision’s Jorge Ramos, an anchor on the nation’s largest Spanish-language television network, says Obama broke his promise to produce an immigration reform bill within a year of taking office. And Latinos are tired of the speeches, disillusioned by the lack of White House leadership and distrustful of the president, Ramos told POLITICO.

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thehill.com — The Senate could pass legislation to bolster security on the U.S.-Mexico border as early as this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) office said Tuesday.

The House on Tuesday quickly passed the $600 million bill after a voice vote and limited debate, setting up a final vote in the Senate, which is in recess.

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