Biden In Iowa: No politician goes to Iowa by mistake, according to one of our favorite writers. Today, VP Biden will keynote the Hawkeye State Dems' Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Des Moines. Remember his great joke at the '07 J-J dinner, just before the Iowa caucuses? "Hello Iowa," the then-Sen said. "And hello Chicago!" The Obama fans in the rafters went wild.

Meek On ESPN: Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) will get a little free media today at the Florida Classic, the largest clash between two historically black universities in the country. Meek played for the Florida A&M Rattlers when he was in college, and he'll be interviewed on the sidelines on ESPN as he roots for his team to beat the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats. The 30th annual matchup pits the 7-3 Rattlers against the 5-5 Wildcats at 2:30 ET.

Gore For Bradbury: Earlier this week, ex-VP Al Gore waded into the OR GOV race, endorsing longshot ex-Sec/State Bill Bradbury (D) over favorite ex-Gov. John Kitzhaber (D). Bradbury and Gore have been allies, but BlueOregon, a prominent Dem blog points out what makes Gore's endorsement more fun for the ex-veep: He can't stand Kitzhaber.

(REiD WILSON)

Then again, Crist wouldn't say he would accept her support if offered.

Crist's comments, in a brief interview with Hotline OnCall, are the latest indication that many prominent GOPers view Palin more as a liability than an asset -- even if, like Crist, they are courting the right.

Crist has been under fire from ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), who has attacked the gov. for his support of the stimulus measure, among other issues. Last week, Rubio earned the support of the Club for Growth, the anti-tax organization.

(FELICIA SONMEZ)

Just over a year ago, Kratovil declared victory after a days-long recount gave him a 2,852-vote win over Harris. But a year of tough votes (he voted no on the stimulus and health care reform bill, and yes on the climate bill) -- and the worsening climate for Dems, particularly in CDs that John McCain carried -- have combined to severely damage his re-election chances.

The Tarrance Group poll, conducted 11/15-17 among 300 LVs, shows Kratovil enjoying a 43-30% fav/unfav rating, but 49% of voters say they prefer someone new to represent them, while just 29% say Kratovil deserves to be re-elected. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 5.7%.

While the DCCC has more debt than the NRCC ($3.3M-$2M), it has a huge cash-on-hand edge. At the end of Oct., the DCCC had $14.5M in the bank, while the NRCC lagged with just $4.2M.

(TIM SAHD)

Reid faces dismal approval ratings -- the latest survey, conducted by the independent Research 2000 for the Progressive Change Campaign Cmte, showed just 35% of Nevadans have a favorable opinion of the senior senator, while 54% see him unfavorably. What's more, he trails the two GOP challengers he has been matched against in public polls.

That leaves most political observers to conclude that Reid's only path to victory is to follow NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's (D) footsteps. Corzine, who was never able to move his numbers above the low-40s, sought to criticize his opponent in such a way that made the GOPer less electable than himself.

But Reid will differ in one respect: Corzine began his offensive against Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) too late, and Christie won the election. Reid has already signaled he will begin his assault early enough to make a real difference. Some GOPers even believe Reid will get involved in their primary.

"Going into this race, I know Reid. Everybody knows Reid, and they know what he's going to do, and not only capable of doing but will do. He's going to get as dirty as you can possibly get," said Danny Tarkanian, a businessman who is polling ahead of the incumbent. "He's going to vaporize us."

SUNDAY

Meet the Press hosts Senate Maj. Whip Dick Durbin, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). The roundtable will feature ex-Amb. Nancy Brinker and NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

Face the Nation hosts Senate Min. Whip Jon Kyl, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and CBS' Dr. Jennifer Ashton.

This Week hosts Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). The roundtable will feature Washington Post's George Will, ex-Clinton Labor Sec. Robert Reich, Liz Cheney and Aspen Institute's Walter Isaacson.

Fox News Sunday hosts Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and NIH ex-dir. Dr. Bernadine Healy. The roundtable will feature FNC's Brit Hume, NPR's Mara Liasson, Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol and Washington Post's Anne Kornblut.

State of the Union hosts Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, Dem strategist James Carville, GOP strategist Mary Matalin and ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina (R) (see below for guests on SOTU's Reliable Sources segment).

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(ABBY LIVINGSTON)

"I'm going to do everything I can to stop the government takeover of health care, and it's why I'm staying in the Senate through the primary, at risk to my political future," Hutchison says in the 30-second spot. "I cannot walk away while this is pending in Congress."

But the ad, accompanied by robo-calls to GOP primary voters that push the same message, could be another misstep. GOP strategists and political observers pointed out that Hutchison stays entirely negative in the message and never gives a reason she wants to be GOV.

"There is no real positive message here. The ad is about two things: What she's not going to do, and what she's not going to support," said John Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College. "Fine, but what is her plan for Texas? What would she do about health care at the state and national levels?"

(REID WILSON)

"It's going to be competitive, but this is not going to be a 1994 redux," Van Hollen told Hotline OnCall. "We're doing things that are within our control. Now, obviously if you have a super-wave election, that makes it more difficult, but a lot of these elections are decided at the margins."

Not that the '94 wave hasn't been on Dems' minds: Early this year, Van Hollen sat down with ex-Reps. Vic Fazio (D-CA) and Martin Frost (D-TX), two members deeply involved in the '94 elections, to try and learn lessons from that year in order to avoid a repeat.

"We had a thorough discussion to try to learn the lessons," Van Hollen said of the meeting. "They weren't prepared. A lot of people were in denial as late as August, September."

But Van Hollen said danger could lurk if turnout is low, factors that hurt Dem GOV candidates in NJ and VA this year. The DCCC has been working closely with the White House and Organizing for America, Pres. Obama's political organization, to mobilize the voters who showed up last year.

"If you were to see the kind of turnout in the Congressional elections of 2010 that you saw in these off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey, that would spell trouble," he said. "But there's no reason to believe that we're going to have that kind of turnout, because voters who came out to support Obama will understand that ... he has a huge stake."

(REID WILSON)

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows 38% of Americans blame GOPers for economic problems, down 15 points from a May survey. Dems are fingered by 27% of respondents, up 6 points from May.

What's more, even after the $787B stimulus measure, 63% of voters said Pres. Obama has either worsened or had no effect on economic conditions, while 36% say he has improved the economy.

Dems have signaled they will continue to pin the blame on ex-Pres. Bush for the country's bad economic shape. In an interview with Hotline OnCall, DSCC chairman Bob Menendez said his party needs to remind voters how bad the crisis was when Pres. Obama took office, even though unemployment has jumped to more than 10%.

"We will remind people both who bequeathed to the country the hard economic situation we have and who was in power when premiums for insurance purposes went out of the roof and insurance companies were allowed to deny with impugnity," Menendez said. "It will be a clear contrast."

But Bush is no longer in office, and GOPers scoff at the notion that he will play anywhere near the role he played in hurting their party in the '06 and '08 elections. Instead, party strategists point to Obama's approval rating as the key to their success. Some GOP pollsters are already telling their clients to cast the economy as Obama's fault.

(REID WILSON)

Pols discussed Geithner's job performance 11/19 p.m.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), on whether he expected it go get so "nasty": "No, I didn't. But, the truth is, sort of tired of blaming Bush for everyone. At some point, this White House has to take responsibility for its own decisions. These policies are failing. The public has no confidence anymore. In fact, a majority of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the economy. I think the best thing that could happen is for Geithner to step down. And there's more Democrats joining us in that cause."

Brady, on Geithner's involvement in the bailout prior to taking office: "I think he tries to paper over that pretty quickly. He was Fed governor of New York. Wall Street was his purview. His district, his position, on his watch with his friends. And he had key roles to play in the bailouts from day one. So, again, another reason why the tired excuse of blaming it on Bush, well, it is not me that is not buying it. It is the American public is not buying it" ("Your World," FNC, 11/19).

More Brady, on who he would choose to replace Geithner: "My choice would be a conservative Republican who would let the free market work, would address the financial crisis not from a spending binge, but to get our financial house in order. And the credit for small businesses and mid-sized businesses, it is frozen. And I'll tell you, too, local businesses, small and large, they're deferring their key business decisions because they're frightened of what's happening in Washington, D.C." ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 11/19).

After the jump, more on Geithner, Senators address health care reform and ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) book tour continues.

(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX & ABBY LIVINGSTON)

The NRCC raised $3.4M in Oct. but spent $3.6M as well. The committee spent $897K on independent expenditures blasting now-Rep. Bill Owens (D) in his race against Assemb. Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.

House GOPers have $4.2M cash on hand and retain a debt of $2M.

The DCCC declined to provide their monthly fundraising totals early Friday. Reports are due today, and the committee is still crunching numbers.

But Dems will have a significant advantage in the money chase. Through the end of Sept., the DCCC had $14.7M in the bank and about $4M in debt. Dems spent a little over $1.1M on Owens' behalf, according to independent expenditure reports.

(REID WILSON)

Here's Hotline OnCall's Starting Lineup on a clear blue Friday, the people who will make news today:

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU: The LA Dem has emerged as perhaps the most important vote in the Senate ahead of the rare weekend session. With Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid's decision to hold a key test vote Saturday p.m., Dems need all 60 members to move forward to a debate, and Landrieu and fellow centrists Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) are getting pressure from all sides as they contemplate their vote. But unlike Nelson and Lincoln, who have made positive but noncommittal statements in the last several days, Landrieu has actually said she is considering voting no.

So, what will Reid and the admin do to win her vote? How about $100M to plug holes in LA's Medicaid insurance program? That little treat is included in Reid's bill, the Baton Rouge Advocate notes. That's not the only pressure she will get: VP Biden, who has spent time on the Hill this week, will be making calls today as well.

Overlooked in the debate: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who says he will filibuster final passage if it has a public option, and Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Reid said 11/19 he's had recent conversations with both of the GOP centrists, he told MSNBC's First Read.

(REID WILSON)

Spokesperson Maria Comella, in a statement emailed to reporters, dismisses a New York Times report that Giuliani will not run against Gov. David Paterson (D) and a New York Daily News report that he will run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) as premature.

"Rudy has a history of making up his own mind and has no problem speaking it. When Mayor Giuliani makes a decision about serving in public office, he will inform New Yorkers on his own," Comella said.

According to a new poll from the independent firm Research 2000, conducted for the liberal DailyKos blog, Crist holds a 47% to 37% lead over Rubio. Rubio has attacked Crist from the right, blasting him for not opposing the economic stimulus package earlier this year.

Crist has a wide edge among women voters, but he leads by just 3 points among men. It is the first time DailyKos has polled FL since February, when Crist led a three-person field with 57%; in that survey, Rubio took just 4%.

Now, in general election matchups against Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), Crist leads by a whopping 50% to 33% margin. Meek leads Rubio by a narrower 38% to 30% margin.