Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  Riding a wave of opposition to Democratic health-care reform, GOP upstart Scott Brown is leading in the U.S. Senate race, raising the odds of a historic upset that would reverberate …

Limbaugh stands by his Haiti remarks, tells critical caller she's a ‘bigot’ with ‘tampons in her ears.’  —  Yesterday, hate radio host Rush Limbaugh controversially said that President Obama was going to try to use the devastating Haitian earthquake to boost his credibility with the …

‘Very angry’ Dem sounds alarm  —  Democrats moved closer to a final deal on health care reform Thursday — and for some vulnerable members, the end can't come soon enough.  —  In an emotional talk with other Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee this week, North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy …

One year out: President Obama's fall  —  What went wrong?  A year ago, he was king of the world.  Now President Obama's approval rating, according to CBS, has dropped to 46 percent — and his disapproval rating is the highest ever recorded by Gallup at the beginning of an (elected) president's second year.

Former Tennessee congressman Harold Ford Jr.  —  Harold Ford Jr. has gone viral.  —  “You can judge from the editorials in the city, and just the response in the city and in the state that people don't want party bosses telling anyone that you can't run,” Ford said in a phone interview between meetings …

Martha Coakley's Convictions  —  The role played by the U.S. Senate candidate in a notorious sex case raises questions about her judgment.  —  The story of the Amiraults of Massachusetts, and of the prosecution that had turned the lives of this thriving American family to dust, was well known to the world by the year 2001.

Bankers Without a Clue  —  The official Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission — the group that aims to hold a modern version of the Pecora hearings of the 1930s, whose investigations set the stage for New Deal bank regulation — began taking testimony on Wednesday.

Officials quickly stamp out talk of Boise State football team's appearance  —  The White House on Thursday quickly took away the possibility of Boise State University's football team joining the national champions Alabama at an honorary Rose Garden ceremony.

Exclusive: Arkansas Democrat Vic Snyder Trailing Tim Griffin 39% to 56%; Individual Mandate Penalty Unpopular with 3 of 4 Voters  —  FDL/SurveyUSA poll, 1/11-1/13, likely voters, Margin of Sampling Error: ± 3.9% … In a new SurveryUSA poll sponsored by Firedoglake …

White House budget director blames old computers for ineffective government  —  A big reason why the government is inefficient and ineffective is because Washington has outdated technology, with federal workers having better computers at home than in the office.

What the Mainstream Media Will Not Tell You About Haiti: Part of the Suffering of Haiti is “Made in the USA”  —  Part of the suffering of Haiti is indeed “Made in the USA.”  While the earthquake would harm any country, actions by the United States have absolutely magnified the harm from the earthquake in Haiti.