ABCDE Sunny 89/70 • Tomorrow Possible storms 89/61 • details, B6


Tight Wisconsin races reflect Democrats’ plight


BY KAREN TUMULTY


milwaukee — Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party. They are asking whether it is going to be a disas- ter.


The answer will probably be


found in states such as Wiscon- sin, one of a growing number of spots on the map where Demo- crats accustomed to winning re- election with ease — including Sen.Russell Feingold—are unex- pectedly in trouble. The GOP pushed deep into


Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of picking up the 39 seats it would


need to take control of theHouse. Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer than a dozen of these are held by Republicans. Political handicappers now say


it is conceivable that the Republi- cans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without the Sen- ate following suit. “Given the races in play — six


for Republicans and 13 for Demo- crats — a plausible case can now be made that those 10 seats are within their reach,” the nonparti- san Cook Political Report wrote last week. But it predicted that the GOP’s gain will fall just short of that, at seven to nine seats.


democrats continued on A5 6 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010 on washingtonpost.com


See full polling data, plus polling director Jon Cohen’s


analysis of some of the findings.


Inside President Obama announces $50 billion in new road, rail and runway improvements. A2


What happens after November’s results are in: Examining four possible election scenarios. A5


A comprehensive look at the midterms, including races to watch, the big issues and indicators that matter. A6-7


Anew Washington Post- ABC News poll shows Republicans with the edge as independents slide away from the Democrats.


PARTIES NEARLY EVEN ON TRUST


Obama’s overall rating is at new low, poll finds


BY DAN BALZ AND JON COHEN Republicans are heading into


the final weeks of the midterm campaign with the political cli- matehighly intheir favor, accord- ing to a new Washington Post-


ABC News poll. Americans are increasingly frustrated by a lack of economic progress, deeply dis- satisfied with the federal govern- ment and critical of President Obama’s leadership. For the first time inmore than


four years, Republicans run about evenly with Democrats on the basic question of which party they trust to handle the nation’s biggest problems. Among regis- tered voters, 40 percent say they have more confidence in Demo- crats and 38 percent say they have more trust in Republicans. Three months ago, Democrats had a 12-point advantage. On the economy, 43 percent of voters side with Republicans


Prices may vary in areas outside metropolitan Washington.


K MD DC VA SU V1 V2 V3 V4 washingtonpost.com • 75¢


Republicansmaking gains ahead ofmidterm elections


when it comes to dealing with financial problems, while 39 per- cent favor Democrats. (Fifteen percent say they trust neither party more.) Although not a sig- nificant lead for Republicans, this marks the first time they have had any numerical edge on the economy dating to 2002. In recent years,Democratshave typ- ically held double-digit advantag- es on the issue. The principal obstacles toGOP


electoral hopes continue to be doubts that Republicans have a clear plan for the country should they win control of the House or Senate in November. But overall,


poll continued on A5


Muslims toning down Eid festivities in honor of Sept. 11


For first time since attacks, dates coincide


BY TARA BAHRAMPOUR


A1politicalgeography.AAA PROOF1


Topic: national RunDate: 09 /07/ 2010 Size: 11p x1.7” Artist: stanton


FPO KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST Greenbelt Boys and Girls Club members cheer in the city’s Labor Day parade. For more holiday photos, go toIwashingtonpost.com. Laboring for votes in Prince George’s


Holiday marks start of sprint to finish in county executive race


BY MIRANDA S. SPIVACK AND AARON C. DAVIS


Every year politicians easily outnumber firetrucks at Green- belt’s Labor Day parade, but on Monday the rite of passage in


Prince George’s County politics had a special intensity that meld- ed the friction of big-city politics with small-town America. Before the bands tuned up,


supporters for the twocandidates widely considered front-runners for county executive jostled for space and shouted each other downwith chants of “your county exec” in the race to replace Jack B. Johnson as leader of the Wash- ington region’s third-largest ju- risdiction. As the parade began, a block-


long mass of green-and-yellow- clad supporters for Rushern L. Baker III (D) followed the former state lawmaker as he darted back and forth to shake hands. Just behind him, Democratic Sheriff Michael Jackson’s supporters, decked out in red, white and blue, passed out small American flags. Labor Day marked the latest


leg ofMaryland’s first experience with early voting and the start of a week-long sprint to the Sept. 14 primary. After the parade, Jack- son and Baker sped off to greet


voters at early-polling stations and knock on doors. Prince George’s residents will


decide on a newcounty executive, at least fivemembersof the Coun- ty Council, a sheriff and a state’s attorney. Because the county is overwhelmingly Democratic, winning the primary is a near- guarantee of victory in Novem- ber’s general election. Jackson is making his first run


for the county’s top job after executive continued on A12


In Europe, science collides with the bottom line Nations struggle to keep research going amid scarce resources


BY ANTHONY FAIOLA IN MEYRIN, SWITZERLAND


U


sing a machine kept colder than space, scientists at the world’s most ambitious in-


ternational research facility are puzzling out the questions of the universe, working to re-create the cosmic soup served up by the Big Bang. But the famous institute is


also facing a far more earthly conundrum: how to pay the bills. An era of fiscal austerity is sweeping over Europe, with gov- ernments moving to slash record budgetdeficitsandavoid a Greek- like debt crisis by cutting every- thing from aid for single mothers to once-sacred state jobs. Under mounting political pres-


sure, some countries are now balking at the mega-price tags of lofty regional cooperation proj-


ectssuchas theEuropeanOrgani- zation for Nuclear Research (CERN), home to the “Big Bang Machine” that sprawls for miles across this complex straddling the picturesque border of Swit- zerland and France. Under orders from European


governments to cut costs, CERN officials say, the institute is plan- ning to mothball all nine particle accelerators at the facility begin- ning in 2012—saving $25 million


on electricity alone. The move will mean a critical period of lost opportunities for visiting re- search fellows and a year without fresh data for projects, including one on the cusp of trapping an atom of antimatter to better un- derstand the early formation of the universe. “It will now take a little longer


to answer some of these ques- europe continued on A10


INSIDE


HEALTH&SCIENCE1 Malaria on trial


At Walter Reed, healthy volunteers get infected so researchers can test drugs. E1


THEWORLD China goes Hollywood


More U.S. films include Chinese product placements and production partnerships. A8


BUSINESS NEWS..............A11 CLASSIFIEDS.............. COMICS......................


EDITORIALS/LETTERS.....A14 FED PAGE.........................A13 GOING OUT GUIDE......


LOTTERIES................. MOVIES...................... OBITUARIES...............


STYLE1 Pay dirt


On FX, the new “Terriers” and Season 3 of “Sons of Anarchy” mine gems from their gritty California settings. C1


WASHINGTONPOST.COM Kennedy Center Honors


The new batch of honorees will be announced this morning at 11. Watch our Web site for the list.


KIDSPOST.................. TELEVISION................ WORLD NEWS....................A8


Printed using recycled fiber


DAILY CODE Details, B2


8 8 2 5 OPINIONS


Daoud Kuttab: Even if peace talks fail, a Palestinian state must be formed. A15


METRO “ It’s hard to say it’s a 


bad thing, because it plays into your parenting insecurities, no matter who you are.” —Petula Dvorak on volunteering at school. B1


The Washington Post Year 133, No. 276


CONTENT © 2010 Each year on Eid al-Fitr, the


end of the Ramadan month of fasting, 8,000 to 10,000 Muslims stream into theMuslim Commu- nity Center in Silver Spring in shifts for special Eid services, followed by food, singing, danc- ing and henna decorating to celebrate one of Islam’s most festive holidays. The religious services are on


for this year. But not the rest. “No celebrations, no festivi-


ties,” said Rashid Makhdoom, who is on the center’s board of directors. By uncomfortable co- incidence, the holiday falls this year around Sept. 11 — for the first time since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Eid, like other Muslim events,


is calculated on a lunar calendar and occurs slightly earlier each year. This week, depending on when in August one started fast- ing, it is either on the 9th, 10th, or 11th. “Particularly, people are taking


carenot to do any celebrations on the day of 9/11, because it is a day of tragedy and we have to be


sensitive,” Makhdoom said. “That’s themood of theMuslims, generally very subdued.” U.S. mosques have loudly con-


demned terrorism, and many services this yearwill commemo- rate the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, including, they point out, Muslims. But many say they are rethinking more festive ac- tivities in the wake of what has been a tense summer for Mus- lims in the United States. A proposal to build an Islamic


center near the site of the World Trade Center in New York pro- voked a swell of anti-Muslim sentiment; protesters have tar- geted mosques in other states; a Muslim cabdriver was stabbed; and a Florida church has said it will burn Korans on Sept. 11. In light of this,Muslimleaders


say they fear that Eid celebra- tions could be misconstrued, mistakenly or deliberately. “There are those who are pro-


moting the idea that Muslims will be celebrating on 9/11 be- cause that fits their hate-filled agenda,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington- based Council on American-Is- lamic Relations. “If we hold a community bazaar or a family fun day, it’ll be seized on by these people.” To forestall misunderstand-


eid continued on A10 Hokies and Broncos go long


JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST


Virginia Tech’s DavonMorgan (2) decks Boise State’s Austin Pettis, right, in the teams’ opener at FedEx Field. It ended too late for this edition. For complete coverage, go to washingtonpost.com/sports.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58