Everyone is wondering what Olympia Snowe will join the Democrats on a health reform bill. She told John Harwood her party has changed.

For a very long time the health insurance industry has been working hard to avoid state benefit mandates. Insurance companies hate that states make them cover conditions that actual Americans suffer from. Paying for medicine treatment when someone gets sicks does terrible things to their insurance profits margins.

Well AHIP asked and Baucus delivered.

Harry Reid quietly reforms Senate process to reinstate open, democratic debate on floor amendments, while simultaneously shepherding through the Senate unConstitutional Bills of Attainder to punish ACORN, on Constitution Day, 2009.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that science will now be at the center of all planning relating to his department. That’s nice, but it kind of makes you wonder where science has been for the last eight years.

It’s been funny as hell watching Minnesota’s absentee governor getting into increasingly deep French kisses with the far right. The latest incident involves his attempt to jump on the FOX News “Let’s Slime ACORN!” bandwagon.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road… As you all know, the last year and a half have been tough on the Smith family. It was beyond exhausting. But when you try keeping eighty bazillion balls in the air at one time when you have lupus? Apparently your body decides to get even with you. And, let’s just say, mine is doing so at the moment.

Featuring music of The Joy Formidable and Man Man.

I’m not of the tribe but growing up in Los Angeles you can’t not be exposed Jewish culture, from liberal to hardcore Hasidic Orthodox to Ethiopian, Sephardic, even Chinese! So let’s celebrate 5770, think about what we can do to make things better, swap recipes for sweet treats and party like it’s 5999!

I think Bill O’Reilly bringing up public option might be in the spirit of the season…Meanwhile here’s POTUS on Rosh Hashanah. Shofar so good!

Fearless leader Jane Hamsher appeared on the Rachel Maddow show tonight to discuss our challenge to Arkansas Democrats in Congress: support what Arkansas constituents want, or get challenged in the next primary.

A majority of voters, and a large majority of Arkansas Democrats, support a public plan. Yet their representatives, including Mike Ross and Blanche Lincoln, seem more interested in their corporate donors than the folks they represent.

The South Carolina Republicans are putting more pressure on their governor to do the pearl-handled revolver in the library bit, but he’s not budging. In fact, the events of the past few weeks may have given him fresh hope, or at least the chance to take a few people with him in his downward spiral.