OUTLOOK DON’T GIVE UP ON OUR SCHOOLS
TRAVEL GOING ON THE ROAD, FIDO IN TOW
ABCDE Sunny 70/47 • Tomorrow: Partly sunny 66/50 • details, c10 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010
THE FRONT LINES OF SAVING LIVES
REVERSAL IN HOUSE RACES
Party-level support is bright spot for Democrats
BY T.W. FARNAM AND DAN EGGEN
Republican congressional can-
didates have sprinted ahead of Democrats in the race to raise money for themidtermelections, signaling a strong advantage for the GOP heading into the final twoweeks of the campaign. In the House, GOP candidates
reported raising $104 million from July through September, compared with $89 million for Democrats, new disclosure re- cords show. In the 18 top Senate races, Republicans brought in nearly $60 million; their Demo- cratic opponents raised less than $40million. The third-quarter numbers il-
An Afghan child wounded in crossfire holds a lollipop as Sgt. Cole Reece, a 28-year-old flight medic, checks the boy's vital signs.
STORY BY DAVID BROWN • PHOTOS BY LINDA DAVIDSON AT FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON
T S
ARTS & STYLE....................E1 BUSINESS NEWS...............G1 CLASSIFIEDS.....................K1
he first signthis isn’t a routinepickupis the rhythmic right andleft banking of thehelicopter. It’s the kindof thing kidsdo onbikes to feel the thrill ofheeling over.Only this isdone tomake
the aircraft a less easy target. At 6:09 p.m.,Dustoff 57 has just left this base deep in Taliban-infiltrated Kandahar province,
headedforaPOI,orpointof injury.Onboardaretwopilots,acrewchiefandaflightmedic,aswell as twolitters forcarryingthewoundedandnumerousblacknylonbags stuffedwithultramodern medical gear and some of the oldest lifesaving tricks of the battlefield. That combination of new
and old — of specially developed porcelain-powder gauze and old-fashioned tourniquets — is key to keeping gravelywoundedsoldiersaliveintheminutesbeforetheyget tothehospital. It’salsothebasisofevolvingfront-line strategiesthatmayeventuallytrickledowninmodifiedformtocivilianambulances,emergencyroomsandtrauma centers intheUnitedStates. Somewhere aheadof the aircraft is a soldierwhominutes earlier steppedonanimprovisedexplosivedevice, the
signature weapon of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. All the helicopter crew knows is that he’s “category A”— critical. The sun is down but there is still a little pink in thewestern sky. Beneath the helicopter, the ground ismade of
what the troops call “moondust.”Fine-grainedanddry, it is a colornot asdark asdirt andnot as light as sand. The aircraftweaves over compounds enclosed bymudwalls and surrounded by fields of grapes and vegetables.
Farther away on the sere, unirrigated plain are the domed tents of herdsmen, their cooking fires glowing like terrestrial stars. The tripout takesnineminutes.
medevac continued onA8
lustrate a turnaroundinfundrais- ing for Republican House candi- dates, who had lagged $3million behind Democrats the previous quarter. GOP challengers in 34 key districts outraised the Demo- cratic incumbents, increasing the chances that Republicans will gain control of theHouse. The fundraising surge by indi-
vidual campaigns coincides with an unprecedentedwave of spend- ing by the U.S. Chamber of Com- merce and other Republican al- lies, who have spread resources acrossmore than 100 congressio- nal contests.Expendituresby out- side groups have eclipsed $150 million, with most of the spending in the past fewweeks. The frenzy is being fueled in
part by a relatively small number of richdonors—oilandgas indus-
Prices may vary in areas outside metropolitan Washington.
washingtonpost.com • $2 MD DC VA SU V1 V2 V3 V4
GOP candidates surge ahead in fundraising
ELECTION2010 In Arkansas, tough
day for a Democrat Republicans are making gains in this state, much to the chagrin of one Democratic activist trying to keep hope alive. A3
SUNDAYTAKE
Two weeks out Republicans worry that the Senate may elude them because of weak candidates and energized Democrats. A2
OUTLOOK
Recount? A survival guide for those candidates who might find themselves in races that extend long beyond Election Day. B1
6
ONLINE
PostPolitics.com
Visit the site for the latest midterm election news,
opinions, blogs, photo galleries, interactive features and more.
try chief executives, construction magnates and other tycoons — whoareabletoexertoutsizeinflu- ence in specific races. Recent court rulings have made it easier for corporations and wealthy in- dividuals tomakeunlimitedpolit- ical contributions, much of it cloaked in secrecy. KenSpain, communicationsdi-
rector for the National Republi- can Congressional Committee, said donors were “mobilizing be- hind fresh-faced conservative candidates looking to send ames- sage toWashington.” One of the few bright spots for
Democratscameat thepartylevel, where the twocongressional com- mittees brought inmore than $31
candidates continued onA6
Forecast for midterms: A Congress in conflict
Obama faces likelihood of little help from Capitol Hill
BY SCOTTWILSON As the tumultuous first two
Desk jockeys rising up, putting chairs out of a job
BY MICHAEL S. ROSENWALD
ome people can’t stand working. Mark Ramirez works standing.
He is not a waiter or a factory
worker.He is a senior executive at AOL. Ramirez could, if he want- ed, curl into the cushiest leather chair in the Staples catalogue.No, thanks. He prefers to stand most of the day at a desk raised above stomach level. “I’ve got my knees bent, I feel
totally alive,” Ramirez said. “It feels more natural to stand. I wouldn’t go back to sitting.” In the past few years, standing
has become the newsitting for 10 percent of AOL employees at the firm’s Dulles campus, part of a
standing ovation among accoun- tants, programmers, bureaucrats, telemarketers and other office workers across the nation. GeekDesk, a California compa-
ny that sells $800 desks raised by electric motors, says sales will triple this year. It has sold stand- ing desks to the Secret Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Many firms and government agencies require standing setups in new contracts for office furni- ture.
Standers give various reasons
for taking to their feet: It makes them feel more focused, prevents drowsiness, makes them feel like a general even if they just push paper. (Former defense secretary
standing continued onA18
COMICS......................INSERT EDITORIALS/LETTERS.....A21 LOTTERIES.........................C4
OBITUARIES....................C6-9 OUTLOOK...........................B1 STOCKS..........................G6-8
INSIDE METRO1
Degrees of diversity D.C. really is packed with lawyers and policy nerds, but census data show the region’s job market requires diverse academic backgrounds. C1
U Street incident
Five men were charged with aggravated assault in a beating outside a nightclub. Murder charges could be restored. C1
OBITUARIES
Barbara Billingsley, 94 Actress played June Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver.” C6
EDITORIAL
O’Malley for governor: The Post’s endorsement. A20
TRAVEL..............................F1 WEATHER.........................C10 WORLD NEWS.............A12-17
40% 55%
% of adults holding degrees
LOUD. CO.
FAUQ. CO.
P.W. CO.
STAF. CO.
FRED. CO.
MONT. CO.
FAIR. CO.
HOW. CO.
A.A. CO.
D.C.
P.G. CO.
CHAS. CO.
THE WASHINGTON POST
SPORTS Missing identity?
The Redskins are searching for a consistent offensive style. D1
1COLLEGE FOOTBALL Clemson 31, Maryland 7 Navy 28, S. Methodist 21 Va. Tech 52, Wake Forest 21
Printed using recycled fiber
CAL. CO.
MARY’S CO.
ST.
yearsofBarackObama’spresiden- cy draw to a close, the president and his advisers have begun to puzzle over a difficult question: Nowwhat? There are many things Obama
has said he would like to accom- plish in the next two years of his term — overhauling the nation’s immigration laws, passing energy and climate-change legislation, and shrinking the federal deficit, toname a few.Yetdoing somaybe exceptionally challenging, if even possible, giventhe skepticalmood of the public and the coming shake-upinWashington. Next month’s midterm elec-
tionswill leave the presidentwith fewer friends in Congress, and possibly a Republicanmajority in one or both chambers embold- enedto thwarthisplans. In White House strategy ses-
sions, Obama’s senior staffers are debating their options. They have not yet settled on a specific plan,
obama continued onA5
DAILY CODE Details, C2
9 6 4 8
Vitriolic elections unlikely to prompt bridge-building between parties
BY PAUL KANE Nomatterwhowins inNovem-
ber, the new Congress is almost sure to be closely divided and besetby conflict,makingthepros- pects bleak for anything resem- bling President Obama’s sweep- ing 2009 agenda or the anti-gov- ernmentprioritiesof theteaparty. Republicansarepoisedtomake
potentially significant gains in both the House and the Senate, but even the most confident among them is predicting that they’ll come away with a narrow majority. If Democrats maintain power, they, too, will have a slim advantage and will face a revived and emboldened opposition. Members on both sides will be
reacting to the angry and angst- ridden messages sent by voters. Some Republicans will be reluc- tant to work on centrist deals, to avoid the kinds of conservative primary challenges that upended a number of their colleagues this year. And the Democratic caucus is likely to be filled with a much
congress continued onA7
The Washington Post Year 133, No. 316
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