Our guest columnist has been phoning it in for twenty years.

Romney ends most rallies with his story of the Colorado scout troop that in 1986 had an American flag put in the space shuttle Challenger, saw the Challenger blow up as they watched on TV, and then found, through the persistence of their scoutmaster, that the flag had survived the explosion. It was returned to them by NASA officials. When Romney, afterward, was shown the flag, he touched it, and an electric jolt went up his arm. It’s a nice story. He doesn’t make its meaning fully clear. But maybe he means it as a metaphor for America: It can go through a terrible time, a catastrophe, as it has economically the past five years, and still emerge whole, intact, enduring.

Monday Morning [Peggy Noonan/WSJ]

It’s extremely cold in NY & NJ—not good for flood victims. Where is global warming?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2012

Many years ago, perhaps in 2001, we recall reading a Republican Shill’s explanation for George Bush’s popular-vote loss: The rules dictate the campaign. If, instead of a state-based electoral vote, we elected Preznidents by actually counting everybody’s ballot, nobody would give a fuck about Ohio or Florida.

At the time, we considered the argument specious, coming, as it was, From The People Who Brought You Bill Clinton’s Non-Mandate Popular-Vote Pluralities. And while we’ve been more than happy to cite Al Gore’s Pyrrhic victory over the years, fact is, the Republican Shill was right.

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W/ Romney more than an hour late (but now speaking), dozens of people stuck in the cold, begging staffers to leave, use the bathroom…

— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) November 4, 2012

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Title: “Tape It & Make It: 101 Duct Tape Activities”

Author: Richela Fabian Morgan

Rank: 88

Blurb: “For many years a useful item in every household toolbox, duct tape has now taken on a second life as a medium for hobbyists of all ages. This fun-filled book offers dozens of creative ideas and easy-to-follow instructions for making everything from wallets and coin purses to novelty neckties and household decorations out of duct tape.”

Review: “Duct tape no longer comes in that simple gray any more, but is now coming on the market in numerous, vibrant colors and designs.”

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Our guest columnist has earned us ten cents in Google ads today.

Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is a rich source of special blood cells called stem cells. These cells are the body’s building blocks for blood, organs, tissue, and the immune system and are genetically unique to each baby. When you bank your baby’s cord blood, you preserve a unique biological resource that is like a ‘self-repair kit’ for your child and other possible family members.

A growing number of families everyday are choosing to bank their babies’ umbilical cord blood as a potential cure for dozens of cancers, blood disorders, immune and genetic diseases. This is especially true for families that have a history of disease. StemCyte offers many options to help families just like yours afford to save this precious resource.

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“On Wednesday, less than a week before he’s favored to win a third term in Congress, Schock met with top officials at the Republican Governors Association in Washington, to discuss the possibility of running for Illinois’s top job in 2014. Four sources in Illinois and Washington with knowledge of Schock’s meeting with the RGA said his interest in the race is an open secret, and that he’s told donors he is seriously considering the contest.” [National Journal, via Political Wire]