As Political Base points out, Mark Begich's current margin of victory in the Alaska Senate race (1,022 votes) is dwarfed by the 12,000 votes cast for the Alaska Independence Party candidate. Given that the Alaska Independence Party are on the right-wing survivalist end of the political spectrum, that pretty much makes Bob Bird the gun-toting separatist version of Ralph Nader - only more popular.

Was the 2008 election a Progressive Mandate, or is America still a Center-Right Nation? (perhaps it depends on how you define "center-right") I think it was not only a progressive mandate, it was a "For the love of God, just FIX THIS SHIT ALREADY" mandate. After eight years of government run by the Seven Deadly Sins, Americans are desperate for someone to clean up the mess, and - surprise! - the Obamacrats made a much more convincing case than the Maverepublicans.

Cantor Can't say I'm crying any tears to see Roy Blunt, DeLay's old right hand hatchetman, stepping down as House Whip. What's more interesting is that it's Cantor who seems most likely to take over for him. Cantor, you may recall, is the fellow who claimed the first bailout vote failed because Republicans feelings were hurt by Nancy Pelosi's supposedly partisan speech before the vote.

Looks like a whole bunch of Republicans are going to be looking for work next year...

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the former Republican who brought the '04 Bush-nominating Republican Convention to New York before leaving his party to become an independent, is going the rest of the way across the aisle - and the Hudson River - to endorse NJ Democratic House candidate Dennis Shulman.

1) Scrap the Paulson bill. 2) Start from scratch and write a good bill that is a main street bailout 3) Take it to a vote, let the Republicans kill it or veto it 4) Run an election on "this is how we will handle the crisis: in a way that takes care of ordinary people"...continued....

Cries from the House GOP leadership notwithstanding, the failure of the bailout package to pass the House had nothing really to do with Nancy Pelosi's speech. It wasn't Nancy that upset them -- it was Boehner and Blunt and Bush.

Awaiting final details on the billionaire bailout "plan," so a few thoughts. Anyone else see a spate of advertising touting retailers who want to save your piggy bank? Businesses really want to help you stretch your dollar. On their products and services.

With the November election fast approaching, voting rights issues are rising to the fore again and again. As this morning's article on Hans Von Spakovsky detailed, the right wing's voter suppression efforts are not exactly on hiatus in this election cycle. Nor did anyone expect them to be, frankly. Further, via Jon Taplin, this NYTimes article is the perfect illustration of what Michael Waldman discussed during his book salon the other day.  As Jon Taplin aptly puts it: "When I was helping register Black Voters for SNCC in 1964, I would have laughed if you had told me that middle class white college students would need the help of a civil rights lawyer to get registered."  Ah, how far we've gone bass-ackward....

John Harwood and Gerald Seib's new book "Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power" is accurately subtitled. This is not about profiles in courage, but profiles of powerbrokers -- inside and outside government, of both parties, and in various kinds of jobs. Welcome, John and Jerry, to the FDL Book Salon!