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"This is a pernicious practice. It's being somewhat cleaned up just now, but you are absolutely correct there is no justification for that. I won't speak for his motives, I don't know, but I think someone could be reasonably well suspicious what they were."

-Dean Baker co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research discussing Andrew Cuomo's record as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The Brian Lehrer Show

Former Rep. Rick Lazio said he will not pursue a gubernatorial campaign along the conservative party line, but stopped short of endorsing the man who beat him in the Republican primary, seemingly warning of Carl Paladino's "outrageous promises" and lack of policy specifics.

Former President Bill Clinton headed to New Haven, Connecticut over the weekend to campaign for Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Clinton's classmate at Yale Law School. Clinton's trying to lend some firepower to candidates around the country, and Blumenthal is locked in a close race for US Senate with Republican Linda McMahon, the former CEO of  World Wrestling Entertainment.

Two years after Obama accepted the Democratic nomination in Denver, Andrea Bernstein found much less enthusiasm about Washington politics in Colorado.

In  2008, New Jersey Democrats scored a big win when they captured the 3rd Congressional District House seat after decades of Republican control Now, they are having to fight to hold on to the seat held by freshman Congressman John Adler.

Everyone says they'll tackle corruption - even within their own party. Enter Vito Lopez. He's the Brooklyn Democratic County Leader whose well-funded, sprawling network of non-profits seems to be testing that notion.

Welcome to It's A Free Country's The Mix, where we take some of the notable Politics Bites clips and other voices found on WNYC this week and mix 'em up. Here's what we've got on tap. Voices are in blue, connections are in bold.

On the Leonard Lopate Show, Gail Collins of the New York Times talked with Miles O'Brien about Delaware candidate Christine O'Donnell, whose past dabbles in witchcraft came back to haunt her this week. Gail thinks the voters of Delaware have a right to know if she's "crazy." Crazy is exactly what it takes to run for Governor of California, says Dan Walters, political columnist for the Sacramento Bee. Candidates may be crazy, but it's anger that Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks is driving this election. He appeared at an event alongside Rick Lazio, endorsing the candidate in his race against Carl Paladino. That race took a surprising turn earlier this week when a Quinnipiac poll showed only a six point lead for Lazio, something that Quinnipiac polling Director Maurice Carroll thought might be due to mistaken perceptions. The close polling drew larger attention to the race, and Newt Gingrich  even weighed in with an official Paladino endorsement on the Brian Lehrer Show. But two subsequent polls, explained Siena's Steve Greenberg, showed a much larger lead for Cuomo. That said, Carl Paladino continued to hammer away at his economic plan throughout the week, trying to close the gap. Finally, an It's A Free Country palette cleanser: listener John from Ridgefield Park, NJ the Brian Lehrer Show, urging us to find some common ground.

It means you start out every morning with a belief that the West somehow exploited the rest of the world and therefore the West is not worthy of equal treatment.

-Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on The Brian Lehrer Show

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert joined democratic debate in a new way today, by testifying before a House subcommittee discussing immigration and farm labor.

The full transcript of Brian's conversation with Newt Gingrich on September 24.

When you have millionaires at war with fundraisers in an election season, with just a little scratching, money starts to come out of the woodwork. WNYC's been covering a gaping loophole in New York's campaign finance regulations--Limited Liability Companies, or LLCs.

Almost sixteen years ago to the day, Republicans laid out their midterm platform in their Contract with America. It preceded a sweeping victory for the GOP in Washington, as they took control of the House of Representatives and Newt Gingrich took the Speaker's gavel.

Now, they are laying out a new vision in a Pledge to America (thanks for posting, Politico!). 

How much difference does 16 years make? What stands out to you in the two platforms? Give us your read - and tell us whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or Independent.

After addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday night, President Obama shifted gears from world concilator to fundraiser-in-chief, headlining an event that raised $1.4 million intended to help his party hold on to Congress.

Each week on It's A Free Country we bring you Wonk Wars. This week, we're asking policy experts to react to the statement "Public Employees Get Too Many Benefits". Here is what our research found the two candidates for Governor say about the issue.

-Steven Rattner, President Obama's former car czar and author of Overhaul: An Insider’s Account of the Obama Administration’s Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry in America on The Brian Lehrer Show.