Kasim Reed leading in Atlanta's tight mayoral race

Atlanta will swear in a new mayor Jan. 4, and although it's not exactly clear yet who that will be, it looks as though the likely winner of Tuesday night’s dramatically tight runoff race will be Kasim Reed, 40, a former state senator and African American who had the support of many of the city’s black establishment leaders.

Reed faced a strong challenge from Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who was hoping to become the first white mayor in the majority-black city in 35 years. In preliminary returns posted Tuesday night, Norwood came within 758 votes of victory in Fulton County, which covers the vast majority of the city.

About 600 provisional ballots have yet to be counted, and, of course, it is the nature of provisional ballots that some of them may be thrown out by election officials.

Norwood, 57, has said she will ask for a recount if she is able to. Under state law, she may request a recount if she is losing by less than 1% in the final tally.

If Reed is indeed declared the winner, it will be a victory for the status quo in Atlanta politics: Reed served as campaign manager for current Mayor Shirley Franklin, who is leaving office because of term limits.

Norwood’s loss also would show the continued political clout of black Atlanta, despite a gentrification trend that has led to a significant increase in white residents in recent years.

Both Norwood and Reed courted and gained the support of voters who were not of their race. But this map of precinct-by-precint returns shows that many voters stayed with their own, for whatever reason. The red dots are precincts that Norwood won; the blue are those Reed won. Note that the whiter, more affluent north is almost all red, and the African American south side is almost all blue.

-- Richard Fausset

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Photos: Atlanta mayoral candidates Kasim Reed, top, and Mary Norwood ,bottom, at their respective election night parties on Tuesday. Credit: Associated Press

Is Obama more religion-friendly than his party? Many Americans think so, says new poll

President Obama's administration is seen as more friendly toward religion than the Democratic Party as a whole, a new Pew poll has found.

Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they view Obama as religion-friendly, while only 29% said they see the Democratic Party that way, according to the poll.

The findings aren't surprising. During his campaign for the presidency, Obama courted religious voters more aggressively than most recent Democratic presidential candidates by putting faith front and center.

In July 2008, during the height of the presidential race, then-Sen. Obama pledged to expand a controversial White House program that gives federal grants to churches and small community groups.

Later that summer, during a forum at evangelical Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Orange County, Obama, who is Christian, spoke of "walking humbly with our God" and quoted from the Gospel of Matthew.

It paid off. 

Forty-three percent of voters who said they attend church weekly chose Obama over Republican John McCain, according to the National Election Pool exit survey, a change from recent election trends, in which religious voters overwhelmingly chose Republican candidates. Among occasional worshipers, Obama won 57% of the vote.

The Pew poll found that the Republican Party is still seen as friendlier toward religion than either Obama or the Dems. Forty-eight percent of those polled viewed the GOP as friendly toward religion.

The poll, which was conducted in August by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, also asked people about their views of the news media, scientists and Hollywood related to religion.

Fourteen percent of voters said they view the news media as friendly toward religion, and 12% said they view scientists that way. Only 11% said they see Hollywood as friendly toward religion.

-- Kate Linthicum

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Photo: Then-Sen. Obama, left, appears at a forum in August 2008 with Pastor Rick Warren at Warren's  Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Warren led the invocation at Obama's inauguration in January. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Huckabee on parole of suspect in Seattle cop killings

As The Times and others have reported, the man police are seeking in the shooting deaths of four Seattle officers this weekend had a 95-year prison sentence in Arkansas commuted by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee following the man’s parole in 2000.

Maurice Clemmons, the suspect, continued to evade police today. He has been described as having a long and violent criminal history in Arkansas. (Follow latimes.com for the latest developments in the hunt for the gunman.)

In a statement Sunday, Huckabee blamed Clemmons’ situation on "a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state." In the statement Huckabee does not mention his role in handling Clemmons’ case. Here is the former governor’s statement, as prepared for his website:

The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State. The murder of any individual is profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.

Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation...

Sunday shows: Warren, Huckabee, Obey, Bayh

ABC's " This Week With George Stephanopoulos": Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Kati Marton, author of "Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America," and Robert Merry, author of "A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent."

CBS' "Face the Nation With Bob Schieffer": Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.); former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas); Dede Scozzafava, former Republican candidate for New York's 23rd Congressional District; Ed Gillespie, former Bush White House counselor.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, journalist Maziar Bahari.

CNN's "State of the Union With John King": Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Jack Reed, (D-R.I.); Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.); former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace": Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.); former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.); Howard Dean, ex-chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Maj. Gen. Carla Hawley-Bowland, commanding general of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

NBC's "Meet the Press With David Gregory": Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the Gates Foundation, and the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of California's Saddleback Church.

-- Steve Padilla

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File photo: The Rev. Rick Warren. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

What's next with healthcare? A handy legislative guide explains the steps

The arguments for and against the healthcare legislation pending in the House and Senate are well known. But what about the process that is sure to captivate Washington for many weeks to come?

It may sound wonky, but understanding the process is key to following the events about to unfold in the Capitol. We were reminded of this basic fact recently when Noam Levey, one of our colleagues in Washington, produced a handy guide to what was headlined “The long road ahead.” Long, indeed.

Now that the Senate has voted (60 to 39) to begin debate on its version of healthcare legislation, here are the likely next steps in the Senate. Levey's guide is more readable and useful than your old text from Civics 101. You might want to bookmark this one:

AMENDMENTS

Once debate begins on Senate bill, lawmakers from both parties will be allowed to offer amendments

When expected: Starting Nov. 30 through Christmas or beyond

Votes required: Subject to negotiation, with 60 likely for more contentious amendments

CLOTURE TO END DEBATE ON THE BILL

Required to end a Republican filibuster and move to a vote on the bill

When expected: Just before Christmas, though possibly later

Votes required: 60

ADOPTION OF THE BILL

Would send the Senate bill to a conference committee, where it would be reconciled with the House healthcare bill that passed Nov. 7.

When expected: Just before Christmas, though possibly later

Votes required: 51

CLOTURE TO END DEBATE ON CONFERENCE REPORT

Would end GOP filibuster of the conference report that combines the House and Senate healthcare bills

When expected: Sometime in January

Votes required: 60

FINAL PASSAGE

Assuming House approval, would send the legislation to President Obama for his signature

When expected: Sometime in January

Votes required: 51

-- Steve Padilla

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Top photo credit: AFP/Getty Images. Bottom photo credit: Reuters.

Karl Rove talks about Sarah Palin -- and Top of the Ticket

The other night Karl Rove was talking with Greta Van Susteren about the Sarah Palin phenomenon and her record-breaking book sales of "Going Rogue." He says he's started the book, finds it a very good read, is impressed by her crowds (4,000 at Ft. Bragg) and its sales nearly exceeding an ex-president's book, Bill Clinton's, written post-presidency.

The political strategist, with his own book coming out in March, "Courage and Consequence," says Palin has got to learn to pivot off of the misbehaving son-in-law and other soap opera questions because the media want to keep her on the cover of People magazine, not talking about serious issues.

But, Rove notes, there's a big difference between running to sell a book and running to win the White House.

Greta seemed done with her interview when Rove wanted to say something else.

That's another part that caught our ear since, to speak candidly, he wanted to talk about a recent Top of the Ticket item, which you can read right here after watching the video.

The Fox News Channel video is here below, courtesy of, not too surprisingly, the Fox News Channel.

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Weekly remarks: GOP warns of new Obama taxes; Obama says reforms needed to help all

Remarks by Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, as provided by the Republican National Committee

This week, like most Americans, my family came together to break bread, give thanks and celebrate our blessings.

Even in these times of struggle and trial, we have much to be thankful for, beginning with our men and women in uniform, many of whom will spend this holiday season away from hearth and home. The tragic events at Fort Hood remind us that whether they serve at home or abroad, we owe our soldiers and their families a debt of gratitude we will never be able to repay.

This past Thursday, while empty chairs for America’s defenders were placed at Thanksgiving dinner tables in many homes, many other seats were filled with anxious Americans who are facing their own personal battles and struggles.  Millions of families have seen jobs and careers vanish in the midst of this recession.

Many are asking, ‘when will things get better?’ Many more are asking, ‘where are the jobs?’

President Obama told the American people that his last $787 billion ‘jobs bill,’ the so-called ‘stimulus’ package, would ensure that unemployment would not go above 8 percent.  And the Administration continues to insist their stimulus plan is working. But unemployment is now at a heartbreaking 10.2 percent.

In the city and on the farm, as millions of American families struggle to balance their checkbooks this holiday season, they watch in astonishment as Washington spends billions of dollars it doesn’t have.

And what is the White House’s answer to our struggles? Another meeting next week. A ‘jobs summit,’ and ...

What Sarah Palin is confiding to her 1,072,040 closest friends (Updated)

If you thought "Going Rogue" would be the end of Sarah Palin's written rants, you probably don't follow the former Alaskan governor's fan page on Facebook.

The Republican has been blogging like crazy recently with her 1.07 million Facebook fans. (See new video below of the campaign-like scenes.) And getting thousands of comments back.

In addition to pictures from her "Going Rogue" book tour -- of happy children, grinning U.S. troops and flags of the American variety -- Palin gives a more personal look behind her many interviews and individual visits with fans and customers.

According to a new industry sales report, her book is coming up on half a million copies sold in its first five days on the market, a sales rate of about 4,000 per hour around the clock. Which ought to keep her in moose chili a while.

Her Facebook page also has some touching photos of memorabilia that fans give her when buying the book. Plus, of course, the long lines of eager book-buyers at stores and malls along the way on her strategically planned 25-state tour.

Also behind-the-scenes looks at her unscheduled visit with the Rev. Billy Graham.

Her legions of Facebook fans are growing by a couple of dozen every few minutes. They grow each time you refresh the page.

In one recent post, the Republican calls Fox News' Sean Hannity "a great American." Oh, and an apology for leaving 100 fans at a book signing in Indiana.

But the main focus of her blog posts lately has been about Congress -- things like war spending and "Obamacare," her pet name for the healthcare bill.

Palin blasts the healthcare "scheme" for taxing everyone starting next year. The actual legislation, however, plans to ramp up taxes in 2011 and on a sliding scale, where richer residents are taxed more and the modestly wealthy get a 0.5% hike.

On Tuesday night, Palin was bothered over "liberal Congressional proposals" that would institute a tax to fund the war in Afghanistan. Palin supports the war and the troops but not the idea of paying for it with new taxes.

"With Congress and President Obama spending money on everything at breakneck speed, it’s interesting that they are only now getting nervous about ...

... spending," Palin writes, "but only when it comes to providing the necessary funds to complete our mission in Afghanistan."

This qualm about the government proposing taxes on war and nothing else comes less than a week after she complained about the government proposing taxes on healthcare.

The early-stage war tax proposal called the "Share the Sacrifice Act," which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she may support, would fund a U.S. troop escalation in Afghanistan that Rep. David Obey estimates will cost $1 trillion over 10 years. [Note: An earlier version of this post called Obey a senator.]

That would buy a lot of books.

(Update: Palin, whose father was her high school track coach, has now Twittered to followers that she's leaving the book promotion trail over the Thanksgiving holiday to travel to Kennewick, Wash., for a 5K Red Cross charity run with numerous relatives before a book appearance Sunday in nearby Richland.)

Related:

Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama: Their various poll numbers near each other

-- Mark Milian

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Photo credit: Top, Sara Davis / Getty Images

Scandal haiku: Ensign affair revealed by love note

If politics doesn’t work out, Sen. John Ensign can always turn to poetry.

The embattled Nevada Republican took another beating this week when Doug Hampton appeared on ABC’s “Nightline.” Hampton was Ensign’s best friend and top aide until the senator had a months-long affair with Hampton’s wife, Cynthia, who also worked for him.

Though the program Monday night revealed few new details about Ensign’s extraordinary efforts to keep Hampton quiet, it created a whole new round of unflattering headlines for the onetime GOP golden boy. (Ensign, in a statement, said he had not “violated any law or Senate ethics rule” in his dealings with the Hamptons.)

It also showed Ensign to be something of a poet.

Hampton said he found out about Ensign’s affair with his wife by intercepting a text message the senator had sent to Cynthia Hampton.

How wonderful it is.

Can’t believe, it’s like a kid.

Scared but excited.

It’s one syllable from being a haiku, a poem with five syllables in the first and third lines and seven in the second. May we suggest another – with the proper amount of syllables – in anticipation of Ensign’s 2012 reelection bid?

Dreading my next race.

Can’t believe all the damage.

 Scared but … yeah, still scared.

-- Ashley Powers

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, got the poetry of politics by clicking here to get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Illustration: Woodblock print by Ikeda Eisen from the 1820s. Credit: Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Republicans' new litmus test for 2010 candidates: only conservatives need apply

In an attempt to reclaim the Grand Old Party for conservatives, a group of Republican National Committee members is circulating a 10-point platform for the 2010 elections. The platform opposes gun control, abortion, gay marriage and President Obama's healthcare reform, among other issues. The catch: Only candidates who agree with at least eight of the principles would get funding from the Republican Party.

"The goal of the resolution is to take a position ... towards reclaiming the Republican Party’s conservative bona fides,” said Committeeman James Bopp, who authored the resolution. “We are open to diverse views. But you have to agree with us most of the time.”

Conservatives like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin clashed with party officials last month by backing a conservative over the party's nominee in 23rd Congressional District in New York. The effort to further purify the party ideologically could pose new problems for Chairman Michael Steele as he tries to recruit centrist Republicans to run in congressional districts that lean Democratic.

But conservatives within the party are adamant. They want candidates to abide by a litmus test they are calling Reagan’s Unity Principle. Here's the full list.

(1) Smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;
(2) Market-based healthcare reform and oppose Obama-style government-run healthcare;
(3) Market-based energy reforms by opposing cap-and-trade legislation;
(4) Workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing "card check";
(5) Legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;
(6) Victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;
(7) Containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;
(8) Retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;
(9) Protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing healthcare rationing and denial of healthcare and government funding of abortion; and
(10) The right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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