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These are my links for October 17th from 06:09 to 20:39:

• Douglas Schoen: Polling the Occupy Wall Street Crowd – President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making a critical error in embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement—and it may cost them the 2012 election.

  Last week, senior White House adviser David Plouffe said that "the protests you're seeing are the same conversations people are having in living rooms and kitchens all across America. . . . People are frustrated by an economy that does not reward hard work and responsibility, where Wall Street and Main Street don't seem to play by the same set of rules." Nancy Pelosi and others have echoed the message.

  Yet the Occupy Wall Street movement reflects values that are dangerously out of touch with the broad mass of the American people—and particularly with swing voters who are largely independent and have been trending away from the president since the debate over health-care reform.

  The protesters have a distinct ideology and are bound by a deep commitment to radical left-wing policies. On Oct. 10 and 11, Arielle Alter Confino, a senior researcher at my polling firm, interviewed nearly 200 protesters in New York's Zuccotti Park. Our findings probably represent the first systematic random sample of Occupy Wall Street opinion.

  Our research shows clearly that the movement doesn't represent unemployed America and is not ideologically diverse. Rather, it comprises an unrepresentative segment of the electorate that believes in radical redistribution of wealth, civil disobedience and, in some instances, violence. Half (52%) have participated in a political movement before, virtually all (98%) say they would support civil disobedience to achieve their goals, and nearly one-third (31%) would support violence to advance their agenda.

  The vast majority of demonstrators are actually employed, and the proportion of protesters unemployed (15%) is within single digits of the national unemployment rate (9.1%).

  An overwhelming majority of demonstrators supported Barack Obama in 2008. Now 51% disapprove of the president while 44% approve, and only 48% say they will vote to re-elect him in 2012, while at least a quarter won't vote.

  Fewer than one in three (32%) call themselves Democrats, while roughly the same proportion (33%) say they aren't represented by any political party.

• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: 100 Year Old Man Sets Marathon Record – Wow, isn't this marvelous? To think I have another 40 years of running!:
• Dilbert October 17, 2011 – Sizzle » Flap’s California Blog – Oh those sizzling graphs….
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• Breaking: Obama opposes repeal of law so terrible that even his own team abandoned it – So attached is this guy to health-care boondoggles that he can’t bear to part with one that even his own HHS advisors admit is a catastrophe in the making.

  Alas, fellow “Princess Bride” fans, it seems the CLASS Act is only … mostly dead.

  President Obama is against repealing the health law’s long-term care CLASS Act and might veto Republican efforts to do so, an administration official tells The Hill, despite the government’s announcement Friday that the program was dead in the water.

  “We do not support repeal,” the official said Monday. “Repealing the CLASS Act isn’t necessary or productive. What we should be doing is working together to address the long-term care challenges we face in this country.”

  Over the weekend, The Hill has learned, an administration official called CLASS Act advocates to reassure them that Obama is still committed to making the program work. That official also told advocates that widespread media reports on the program’s demise were wrong, leaving advocates scratching their heads.

  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday in a blog post on the liberal Huffington Post web site that the administration did not see a way to make the program sustainable. Sebelius indicated her agency hadn’t been able to figure out a way to ensure the program providing long-term care paid for itself as required by law.

  In other words, it’s mathematically impossible to make the CLASS Act work, yet somehow The One’s going to make it work anyway. You’ll never find a sharper illustration of his basic approach to fiscal reality than you’re seeing right here.

• The Tea Party is undermining its own influence – The Tea Party is on solid ground with its embrace of debt reduction and determination to root out ObamaCare and crony capitalism. But its infatuation with incendiary rhetoric and with candidates who give off the whiff of crackpottery is undermining its mission and its importance in candidate selection.

  Here are some danger signs: The candidate finds civil rights law unnecessary or oppressive. The candidate is obsessed with MSM coverage of him or his ideas. The candidate proposes that one or more political opponents have committed treason and/or should go to jail. The candidate labels all deal making as a sell out. The candidate is nostalgic for pre-New Deal governance. The candidate (if for president) pooh-poohs the need for substantive knowledge of or experience in national security. Such a candidate is telling the hardcore base what it wants to hear and turning off nearly everyone else. An unprepared or ignorant candidate is heading for a train wreck.

  In short, Tea Partyers need to rethink their criteria for high offices. They should recognize that inexperience, ignorance, and obnoxiousness are not virtues. They are danger signs. And if they don’t like the 2012 nominee, they should, in the future, set about finding as verbally polished and technically impressive a candidate as Romney.

• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Vaccines Being Developed to Prevent or Treat Addiction – Vaccines Being Developed to Prevent or Treat Addiction
• Occupying Wall Street Energy Primarily a “LEFT” Coast Affair | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Occupying Wall Street Energy Primarily a “LEFT” Coast Affair #tcot #catcot
• Untitled (http://www.insideradvantage.com/) – President 2012 GOP New Hampshire Poll Watch: Romney 39% Vs. Cain 24% Vs. Paul 11% Vs. Gingrich 5% Vs. Perry 2%:
• CA-24: Rep Elton Gallegly Third Quarter Fundraising Report Reveals $800K Cash on Hand | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CA-24: Rep Elton Gallegly Third Quarter Fundraising Report Reveals $800K Cash on Hand #tcot #catcot
• Poll Watch: 50% Favor Legalization of Marijuana | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: 50% Favor Legalization of Marijuana #tcot #catcot
• California Law Limits E-Verify and Supports Illegal Immigrant Hiring Practices » Flap’s California Blog – California Law Limits E-Verify and Supports Illegal Immigrant Hiring Practices
• Occupy Wall Street: Who is Behind the Protests? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – RE: With all due respect, you have some valid points and many rants/complaints. 

  What do you propose to change? Spec…

• Day By Day October 17, 2011 – Worth | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Chris Muir and Day By Day discuss the realignment of the Republican Party.:
• Occupy Wall Street: Who is Behind the Protests? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Occupy Wall Street: Who is Behind the Protests? | Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
• Untitled (http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/10/17/oct17.poll.pdf) – RT @ByronYork: New CNN poll: Romney 26%, Cain 25%, Perry 13%. Romney up 5% from month ago, Cain up 19%, Perry down 19%.
• Occupy Wall Street: Who is Behind the Protests? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – RE: I am wondering why your Occupy group is not protesting President Obama. He is the biggest corporist there is in t…
• Cold Sore FAQ’s | Josie Dovidio, DDS – RT @SimiDentist: All your questions about cold sores answered! Check back next week for how to treat cold sores
• Untitled (http://static.mgnetwork.com/rtd/pdfs/20111016_poll.pdf) – President 2012 GOP Virginia Poll watch: Romney 44% Vs. Cain 12% Vs. Perry 10%
• President 2012: Obama Targets a Few Key States | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Obama Targets a Few Key States #tcot #catcot
• Poll Watch: Unhealthy American Workers Cost $135 Billion a Year in Lost Productivity | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Poll Watch: Unhealthy American Workers Cost $135 Billion a Year in Lost Productivity
• (500) http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/rulings/promise-broken/ – Obama's Broken Promises – Promise Broken rulings on the The Obameter: #tcot
• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: October 17, 2011 – The Morning Drill: October 17, 2011
• DeMint office denies Romney endorsement story – According to Roll Call’s “knowledgeable GOP sources,” conservative stalwart Senator Jim DeMint may endorse Mitt Romney for President:

  DeMint, who endorsed the former Massachusetts governor in 2008, made clear in an interview late last week that he has made no decisions on whom he will support in the 2012 primary. But Republican operatives familiar with the DeMint-Romney relationship and privy to the conservative Senator’s private assessment of the GOP field believe Romney is the most likely candidate to receive the backing of the tea party favorite.

  “Jim is far more likely to endorse Mitt than anyone else currently in the race,” a Republican with South Carolina ties said. “Jim is a business guy and that’s his background. He’s not really the good ol’ boy conservative type. So Mitt in a lot of ways is a more comfortable fit for him.”

  “Jim actually likes Romney,” added a GOP operative based in the Palmetto State. “I think, politically, he had some doubts about his ability to engage conservatives, but it would not surprise me for Jim to endorse Romney at some point.”

  According to my knowledgeable on-the-record source Wesley Denton, DeMint’s spokesman, the story is a “fabrication”:

  “That story is a fabrication made up of anonymous sources that obviously have no clue what Senator DeMint is thinking. He has said over and over again that he is not leaning toward any candidate yet and may end up not endorsing in the presidential race.”

• Flap’s California Morning Collection: October 17, 2011 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: October 17, 2011
• Poll Watch: U.S. Unemployment Rate Decreases Sharply in Early October to 8.3% – But….. | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: U.S. Unemployment Rate Decreases Sharply in Early October to 8.3% – But….. #tcot #catcot
• Flap’s Links and Comments for October 14th through October 17th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for October 14th through October 17th #tcot #catcot
• FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Top Headlines from ……:

According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 8.3% in mid-October — down sharply from 8.7% at the end of September and 9.2% at the end of August. A year ago, Gallup’s U.S. unemployment rate stood at 10.0%. While seasonal hiring patterns may explain some of this improvement, the drop suggests the government could report an October unemployment rate of less than 9.0%.

And, underemployment is down sharply.

Underemployment, a measure that combines the percentage of workers who are unemployed with the percentage working part time but wanting full-time work, is thus at 17.5% in mid-October, down sharply from 18.3% at the end of September — and its lowest measurement of the year.

The Chart.

But, Gallup polling is not the government and they issue their poll with caveats.

Gallup’s mid-month U.S. unemployment report covers the same period the government uses to collect data for its October unemployment report, which will be released on the first Friday in November. As a result, Gallup’s data lead the government’s report by several weeks. Modeling based on statistical comparisons of Gallup’s unemployment and job creation data to the government’s seasonally adjusted data over time suggests that the Bureau of Labor Statistics could report an October unemployment rate of less than 9.0%.

The sharp drop in Gallup’s unemployment and underemployment rates may partly result from seasonal factors. Halloween has become the third-largest sales season for many retailers, who are likely increasing their staffing accordingly. In addition, some stores may have been minimally staffed and are beginning early to add employees for the holidays. The surge on Wall Street during early October may also have provided some relief for business owners as they evaluate the prospects of the U.S. economy and their potential sales. Whatever the reasons, Gallup’s Job Creation Index tends to confirm this improvement in the job market because it has been near its highs for the year in early October.

Of course, the precipitous and counterintuitive nature of this sharp improvement in the U.S. job market, as measured by Gallup over the past couple of weeks, means it could be something of an aberration that will dissipate during the weeks ahead. It might even have been missed if not for Gallup’s Daily tracking. But for now, this job market improvement appears real — and, in turn, that implies the Main Street economy may be somewhat stronger than Wall Street generally perceives.

So, while this is good news about the American economy it may be too soon to cheer and may be short-lived at that.