1.) Perry vs. everybody — Last night was the GOP debate that Obama had so clumsily tried to upstage, as well as Rick Perry’s debut. How did it go? TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports: “In the fourth Republican presidential primary debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry came out swinging in his first appearance, taking on everyone from his rivals to Karl Rove and former Vice President Dick Cheney. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, on the other hand, refrained from attacking other Republican candidates, instead choosing to go after Obama. The Perry campaign declared victory after the debate, contending that the debate was ‘Perry against the world.’ ‘I think he took barbs from both the moderators and the other candidates,’ said Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, a surrogate for the Perry campaign. ‘I think he came out of the debate stronger than he went into it, and I think it’s a huge win for him…’ Perry played up the sense that he was being attacked from all sides. ‘I kind of feel like the piñata here at the party…’ After the debate, the Romney campaign slammed Perry for standing by his earlier statement that social security is a Ponzi scheme. ‘It is a Ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you’re paying into a program that’s going to be there,’ said Perry at the debate. ‘Anybody that’s for the status quo with Social Security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids, and it’s not right.’ The Romney campaign seized on the remarks, saying that someone who believed that could not win the Republican primary, much less a general election.” Can America elect a president who understands basic math? So far the evidence is against it.

2.) Perry vs. Rove — And the ongoing Perry/Rove feud continues, as reported by TheDC’s Alex Pappas: “Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has made it official: He is no fan of former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove. ‘Karl has been over the top for a long time in some of his remarks,’ Perry said during Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate. ‘I’m not responsible for Karl anymore.’ Perry made those comments at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California in response to an observation about Rove’s claim that Perry’s description of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme could be ‘toxic’ in a general election.” Maybe Rove’s right. Like Mencken said, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. If telling people the hard truths they don’t want to hear was any way to win an election, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Hey, wait a minute…

3.) Solyndra vs. reality — Green energy is the future. The far, far future. So what’s going on with disastrous cash-toilet Solyndra? Where did that $535 million in federal loans go, and why did they get it? TheDC’s Amanda Carey reports: “Not only does the now-bankrupt solar energy firm Solyndra have a cozy financial relationship with the Obama administration, company representatives also made numerous visits to the White House to meet with administration officials, The Daily Caller has learned. According to White House visitor logs, between March 12, 2009, and April 14, 2011, Solyndra officials and investors made no fewer than 20 trips to the West Wing. In the week before the administration awarded Solyndra with the first-ever alternative energy loan guarantee on March 20, four separate visits were logged. George Kaiser, who has in the past been labeled a major Solyndra investor as well as a Obama donor, made three visits to the White House on March 12, 2009, and one on March 13. Kaiser has denied any direct involvement in the Solyndra deal and through a statement from his foundation said he ‘did not participate in any discussions with the U.S. government regarding the loan.’ But the countless meetings at the White House seem hardly coincidental. Kaiser, in fact, is responsible for 16 of the 20 meetings that showed up on the White House logs… As TheDC previously reported, Solyndra officials, including Kaiser himself, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Barack Obama.” Remember when Obama promised he was going to change the way things are done in Washington? Apparently that means not even trying to hide the corruption. Oh well, what’s another half-billion taxpayer dollars utterly wasted?

4.) Ann Coulter vs. kindergarten teachers? — Yep, that’s who she’s taking on this time. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports: “Has the once-powerful labor movement been reduced to fighting tiny skirmishes over ‘useless public sector workers’? Conservative columnist Ann Coulter thinks so, and spares no one — not even kindergarten teachers. On Wednesday morning’s ‘Fox & Friends,’ Coulter said that who Teamsters Union president James Hoffa represents is more interesting than his (now famous) ill-advised Labor Day remarks. ‘What I really think needs to be talked about is that no one is mentioning this is Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters. They used to be truck drivers and pipefitters. Now he’s representing public school teachers? Kindergarten teachers? Cafeteria workers? Fighting for every last bit of their government pension? What a pathetic downfall!’ … Co-host Gretchen Carlson gave Coulter a chance to walk her comments back, saying ‘I don’t want to say that teachers are useless.’ ‘No?’ Coulter shot back. ‘I will. They are government workers. Let’s turn it over to private [schools], to vouchers, to charter schools. No, they fight for every last dime. They get summers off. They’re off at two [o’clock] and they make more money than most of those pipefitters who no longer have jobs.'” So take that, kindergarten teachers. You’ve been a blight on this nation long enough. Gather up your crayons and construction paper and glue sticks and beat it!

5.) Pat Boone vs. Weiner — The race to replace disgraced basket case Anthony Weiner just got even weirder, as Alex Pappas reports: “Legendary entertainer Pat Boone’s voice will soon be part of the race to fill the congressional seat left empty by disgraced former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner. The Daily Caller has learned that Boone, an outspoken conservative who serves as spokesman for the 60 Plus Association, will begin making robocalls to voters in the New York 9th Congressional District ‘singing the praises of Bob Turner,’ the Republican candidate in the race. ‘I’m still singing at concerts,’ Boone, of Beverly Hills, said in a press release, ‘but today I am singing the praises of Bob Turner…’ The Weekly Standard reported this week that a poll actually has Turner leading Democratic candidate David Weprin by four points in the heavily Democratic district.” Will the vital Pat Boone endorsement be enough to put Turner over the top? Where does Paul Anka stand on the issue? Will we hear from Steve & Eydie?

6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Truther, er, Twitter feed — “Starbucks on 93 and B’way. Uptight Queen barrista named JAY has an attitude problem.”

VIDEO: That’s showin’ ’em, Ann

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