Is Mitt Romney running out the clock on the Republican nomination? According to Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker, Republican frontrunner has stopped taking questions from voters on the campaign trail. In fact, he hasn’t answered a question from a voter in three weeks.

Glenn Beck has spent most of the past week preparing his large “Restoring Courage” event in Israel, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been kept informed on the events here in America. On his program this morning, Beck parsed through the recent town hall comments by Rep. Maxine Waters, laughing at her for what he interpreted as ignoring the crowd in front of her, as well as ignoring the fact that “the President is intentionally dismantling the lower and middle class.”

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters is touring the country with the Congressional Black Caucus this month, and it is becoming increasingly apparent she has taken upon herself the mantle of representing the Congressional hard-left, making a splash this week by quipping that she and her constituents were “getting tired” of the President compromising, and following up in the weekend by simply telling the Tea Party to “go straight to hell!”

Gosh, politicians must be excited whenever they get a chance to go to a Town Hall event. Just as Democrats were facing angry mobs recently over health care reform, Republicans backing Paul Ryan’s budget plan are getting their share of heat. The star of the latest video in the now blossoming sub-genre of “Government Official Getting Hollered At” movies is New Hampshire Republican Frank Giunta. He faced a notably hostile crowd, getting yelled at by everyone, including a 14-year-old boy.

President Obama went to Las Vegas today. (How many people do you think have already made the joke ‘a little less conversation, a little more action please’?) While out there he discussed, among other things, the recent extreme weather conditions across the country. No matter what some parts of the conservative party would have you believe, says Obama, climate change is real.

Every successful production requires a sequel. Looks like the GOP may be attempting their own with regards to this summer’s town halls which managed to hijack the health care debate for most of August: They want to bring them back. But can a summer blockbuster sell be successful at Christmas?

Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity really want Doug Hoffman to win that special congressional election in Upstate New York’s 23rd district. It’s not just because he’s a 3rd party “Conservative” candidate in a race that saw the shunned, moderate Republican candidate drop out. It’s because this race is a referendum on town halls, on tea partying, on the 9/12 Project.

“No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day,” reads the latest viral trend in the debate about health care, as it spreads across the social networks, beginning on Facebook and subsequently infiltrating Twitter. The online battle cry paraphrases President Obama’s August 15th radio address, but there are a few problems with this sort of contagious, but vacuous internet posturing.

You know that whole Rep. Barney Frank/angry town hall questioner situation from last night?

Rush Limbaugh, of course, weighed in today. And guess what – he thinks the Obama/Hitler comparisons are just “fantastic” and of course, makes an offensive gay joke about Frank.

In honor light of all the coverage health care town hall meetings are getting, Mediaite decided to hold a town hall of its own. We wanted to know what New York had to say about the proposed health care bill. Alas, New York has not been one of the states blessed with an exciting Town Hall (and New Jersey doesn’t count). So, we did what we could.

White house Press Secretary Robert Gibbs unloaded on the media today, criticizing their “he said/she said” coverage of the health care debate and focus on the more sensational aspects of recent town hall meetings (video below).