Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Tommy Thompson starts'or maybe stops'hearing things

Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. Sign up here. Leading Off:

' WI-Sen: Well, Tommy Thompson's gone straight-up delusional:

Speaking today at an event where he received the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tommy Thompson said he does not think his son needs to apologize publicly or to the president for joking about sending Barack Obama "back to Kenya" at a GOP fundraiser.

"He has already apologized, and that's enough," Thompson said at a Milwaukee news conference this afternoon. "It was an offhanded remark that somebody mentioned in the audience. If you look at the movie, he didn't say it. Somebody in the audience said it and he repeated it, and I've talked to him about it and he apologized and that's it."

Uh, except:

Jason Thompson spoke to a Kenosha County GOP fundraiser on Sunday when he said, "We have the opportunity to send President Obama back to Chicago... or Kenya."

The comment, referencing the claim that the president was not born in the United States, drew laughs and applause at the Kenosha County GOP Fall Brunch. A woman in the crowd added, "We're taking donations for that Kenya trip."

And of course he's a recidivist. Thanks to a video leaked to the HuffPo, it now turns out Jason Thompson engaged in a little light birther humor once before. And it might help explain Tommy's delusions:

According to video recorded at a "United In Freedom" rally in Fond Du Lac, Wis. on Oct. 6, Jason'an attorney who has been an active campaigner for his father'tells the audience, "We have an opportunity to send President Obama back to Chicago."

The audience then cheers, and a few people yell out, "Back to Kenya!"

"That would even be better," chuckles Jason Thompson.

Maybe this is "the movie" Tommy was referring to, as opposed to film of the incident from this past Sunday? If so, how did his campaign screw up and show him the wrong video? And not seem to realize there were two separate occasions where this came up? And also, HuffPo's version was provided by a Democratic tracker, so does that mean Tommy's own campaign had footage of the Oct. 6 event? If so, then they screwed up even harder'they're keeping video records of Jason Thompson's foot-in-mouth disease but can't figure out which clips to show the boss-man. Absurd.

Unfortunately, though, Marquette Law's newest poll doesn't have very happy news for Democrats: Somehow, Thompson has moved into a 46-45 lead over Baldwin, in contrast with a 48-44 Baldwin edge at the end of September. Perhaps the president is dragging her down, though: Obama's suffered a huge collapse from 53-42 down to just 49-48. Marquette's prior poll seemed perhaps too optimistic, but the POTUS's numbers are actually in line with other recent surveys from PPP and Quinnipiac. But in many other states, we haven't seen Obama's sagging fortunes harm Democratic Senate candidates, or at least, not this much. I guess the silver lining is that Baldwin's drop is only half the size of Obama's.

Baldwin, however, immediately fired back with a well-timed internal of her own. (Marquette makes it easy by telegraphing their polling schedule far in advance.) The Feldman Group has her up 48-44, not too different from her 50-45 mark last month. There are no presidential numbers, though. I have to wonder if Tommy will respond.