Afternoon Fix: Cain says ‘If you’re not rich, blame yourself’

Herman Cain is not going to occupy Wall Street, a former McCain aide based a mentally ill character in her book on Sarah Palin, Gabrielle Giffords is headed back to Washington and Hoekstra raised a million.

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WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

* In an interview with the Wall Street Journal posted Wednesday, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain took a dismissive view of the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters converging in downtown New York.“Don't blame the big banks,” he said. “If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself.”

* Not a great day for former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in the media. In an interview with Time magazine, former McCain campaign staffer Nicole Wallace says the mentally ill vice president in her new novel was based on Palin. “There certainly were discussions — not for long because of the arc the campaign took — but certainly there were discussions about whether, if they were to win, it would be appropriate for her to be sworn in,” she said. Meanwhile, Fox News president Roger Ailes says he hired Palin as a contributor “because she was hot and got ratings.”

* The Nebraska GOP has filed a complaint against Sen. Ben Nelson (D), alleging that the incumbent’s ads violate election laws on how closely candidates can work with independent groups. Democrats argue that the spots in question are “issue” ads and thus not subject to the same restrictions.

* Following polls showing his support among Jews slipping, President Obama has assembled a team of surrogates to reach out to Jewish voters — including former Reps. Mel Levine of California and Robert Wexler of Florida. A group of the president’s Jewish supporters hold a conference call once a month to discuss strategy.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:

* Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is headed back to Washington for the first time since her emotional debt ceiling vote in August. She’s attending her astronaut husband Mark Kelly’s military retirement ceremony; she has no plans to stop by Capitol Hill. It’s her second trip to D.C. since January, when Giffords was shot in the head at a campaign event in Tucson.

* The Chicago-based Daily Herald reports that DuPage Superintendent of Education Darlene Ruscitti  might run in the state’s new 8th district — what is now the seat of Rep. Joe Walsh (R) but will become far more Democratic after redistricting. Democrats have both former Veterans Affairs official Tammy Duckworth and former Obama adviser Raja Krishnamoorthi running.

* Another candidate in the crowded Republican Montana gubernatorial primary — state Sen. Jeff Essmann just became the eighth candidate to get in. Former Rep. Rick Hill is the GOP frontrunner, but Essmann could prove a stronger candidate in the long run. Democrats will almost certainly nominate Attorney General Steve Bullock.

* Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra has long been known as a weak fundraiser, but those days may be over. In his first three months of campaigning in the Michigan Senate race, Hoekstra raised $1 million. Primary challenger Clark Durant raised $750,000. Both are vying to take on Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) next year.

* Business consultant Jamie Wall is running against Rep. Reid Ribble (R) in Wisconsin’s 8th district, hoping to unseat the Republican who took down then-Rep. Steve Kagen (D) in 2010. Wall was raised on a dairy farm, and he’s a Rhodes scholar from the University of Wisconsin as well as a local Democratic activist. The GOP-leaning district will become a little more Republican after redistricting.

THE FIX MIX:

Metal made more adorable.

With Rachel Weiner and Aaron Blake