Gov. LePage lets slip what he really thinks about Maine people  —  At a speech to a conservative audience in Falmouth last week, Governor Paul LePage made a statement that is deeply revealing.  —  Informed that the event was wrapping up, LePage said he had two more points to make.

Health insurance exchange launched despite signs of serious problems  —  Days before the launch of President Obama's online health ­insurance marketplace, government officials and contractors tested a key part of the Web site to see whether it could handle tens of thousands of consumers at the same time.

Virginia Governor: McAuliffe (D) 50%, Cuccinelli (R) 33%, Sarvis (L) 8%  —  Democrat Terry McAuliffe has jumped to a 17-point lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia gubernatorial race following the federal government shutdown that hit Northern Virginia hard and Hillary Clinton's weekend visit to the state.

Poll: Major damage to GOP after shutdown, and broad dissatisfaction with government  —  Video: Will voters remember the shutdown next year?  Incumbents usually win elections.  But after a shutdown, near-default and historic lows in Congressional approval, voters are claiming they'll reverse that trend in 2014.

The Tea Party: “No More Popular Than the Klan”  —  Now You Know What the ‘T’ Stands For. … Rev. Al Sharpton: So is it going to be easy for the Tea Party to bounce back from this defeat?  I'm going to channel the President here: “No."Joining me now is Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida.

Inside The Meeting Where Obama And Reid Vowed Not To Be ‘Taken In By These Crazy People’  —  WASHINGTON — Barack Obama and Harry Reid needed to clear the air.  The relationship between the president and the Senate majority leader had been deteriorating since 2011, with Reid losing respect …

For First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana  —  Support surged 10 percentage points in past year, to 58%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — For marijuana advocates, the last 12 months have been a period of unprecedented success as Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

“Will I be Next?”  US Drone Strikes in Pakistan … On a sunny afternoon in October 2012, 68-year-old Mamana Bibi was killed in a drone strike that appears to have been aimed directly at her.  Her grandchildren recounted in painful detail to Amnesty International the moment when Mamana Bibi …

Take this, conservatives: Criticism only makes Obamacare stronger!  —  Ignore most conservatives attacking Healthcare.gov — but it's a mistake to assume Obama's got it under control  —  Let's stipulate that the conservatives crying crocodile tears for uninsured Americans who've …

Beverly Young to Charlie Crist: Stay away from memorial service  —  A host of dignitaries from Washington to Tallahassee to Tampa Bay will be on hand to honor the late U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young at his memorial service Thursday.  —  But one particularly prominent politician won't be welcome at First Baptist Indian Rocks: Charlie Crist.

Confronted With Example Of Obamacare Success, GOP Rep Freaks Out  —  A CNN host confronted a Republican congresswoman on Tuesday for dismissing some of the successes uninsured people have has in signing up for Obamacare, accusing the GOP lawmaker of rooting for the law's failure.

GLENN BECK PRESENTS ‘JUST THE BEGINNING’ OF WHY YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO GROVER NORQUIST  —  Glenn Beck on Monday began what he said is “just the beginning” of his work to reveal the background and motivations of Grover Norquist, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform.

HHS brings in Verizon to help HealthCare.gov  —  You might think that a website needed to help over 40 million people would be ready to accommodate those 40 million people.  Apparently, it's a little more complicated than that.  VPC  —  CONNECT  —  WASHINGTON — The international …

Democratic Takeover of the House Is Still a Long Shot  —  Democrats will need Republicans to continue self-destructing, among other things, to return to the majority in 2014.  —  Those who already are saying that the House of Representatives is now “in play” are getting a little ahead of their skis—forgetting a few key factors.

Meet the New Hillary  —  Back on the campaign trail for the first time since 2008, the former secretary of state has a new celebrity and gravitas—but some of the same old flaws.  —  FALLS CHURCH, Virginia — On Saturday, Hillary Clinton was a campaigner again.

Three-Fourths of Hispanics Say Their Community Needs a Leader  —  Most Latinos Cannot Name One  —  Three-quarters of Latinos living in the U.S. say that their community needs a national leader, but about the same share either cannot name one or don't believe one exists …