Excluding the broad subject of the economy, which we divided into several subcategories like jobs, taxes and deficits, health care was the most frequently mentioned issue. Of the 29 Republicans in these pivotal districts, all but one mentioned it, with many suggesting that the Democrats' bill should be repealed. But health care was also highlighted by 23 of the 29 Democrats, making it the most cited issue among that party as well.

The Democrats' message was varied. Some, like Colleen Hanabusa, who is running in Hawaii's First Congressional District in Honolulu, had clear praise for the Democrats' health care goals. Others, like Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a moderate Democrat from South Dakota who voted against the bill, lauded some of the bill's achievements, while criticizing other provisions and calling for further reform.

Still, most Democrats were willing to engage their constituents on the issue. And beneath the surface, their message was fairly consistent. Most Democrats -- whether they voted for the bill or against it -- suggested that it had been a reasonable start and had worthy goals, but that it required further tinkering.

What was more striking in our examination was a Republican agenda that appeared in sharper relief than the Democratic one, and which was more readily contributing to their messages to voters on the campaign trail.

For some Republican candidates, the agenda may indeed begin with the health care bill, which many are pledging to repeal. But there are also issues like the deficit, which more than four out of five Republicans highlighted on their Web sites in some form. Some 60 percent of Republicans, meanwhile -- including some in states far removed from the Mexican border -- addressed immigration, usually advocating tighter border security.

Democrats, on the other hand, are having trouble articulating a clear set of policy goals. After health care, the issues mentioned most frequently by Democrats were energy, jobs and education - each of which were highlighted by 7 out of 10 Democrats. But these issues do not necessarily lend themselves to a crisp set of policy proposals. The country has been debating various efforts at job creation since the start of President Obama's term, and usually with little consensus. Although Mr. Obama has advanced an education plan, it has received scant attention in Congress, making it hard for Democrats to draw clear contrasts. On energy, the Democrats do have a clearer policy proposal: their bill to introduce a cap-and-trade system, which passed the House last year but not the Senate. Many of the Democrats, however, spoke about "energy independence" in much vaguer terms (as did many Republicans). And a few - like Mike Oliverio, a conservative Democrat in West Virginia -- noted their opposition to the cap-and-trade proposal.

Arguably, the frequent mention of education on the Democrats' Web sites - as well as another issue, veterans' affairs - speaks somewhat to the weakness of their political position. Few voters will object to these issues: who wouldn't want to support our children, or our troops? But without specific policy proposals attached to them (and more specifically, policy proposals that Republicans have raised objections to) it is not clear that they will motivate Democratic and swing voters to go to the polls.

SNIP

Democrats have criticized Republicans for their vague agenda - and certainly the Republicans have not articulated anything as succinct as the Contract With America, which aided their exceptional performance in the midterm elections of 1994. But Republicans do appear to have a message that is at least reasonably clear to voters, and reasonably consistent from one Congressional district to the next: pick us, and we'll repeal health care, secure the border and reduce the size of government. Democrats, meanwhile, who two years ago seemed to have a glut of agenda items, are now having trouble articulating to their constituents exactly what a Democratic vote would gain them. Perhaps that's why Democrats are having trouble both with the sizable number of voters who are dissatisfied with both parties and in motivating their base.

Alaska Libertarian Party Chairman Scott Kohlhaas told the Anchorage Daily News that talks about a Murkowski bid are ongoing, despite the executive committee's vote last month.

Republican Runs Street People on Green Ticket

Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats.

"Did I recruit candidates? Yes," said Mr. May, who is himself a candidate for the State Legislature, on the Republican ticket. "Are they fake candidates? No way."
To make his point, Mr. May went by Starbucks, the gathering spot of the Mill Rats, as the frequenters of Mill Avenue are known.
"Are you fake, Benjamin?" he yelled out to Mr. Pearcy, who cried out "No," with an expletive attached.
"Are you fake, Thomas?" Mr. May shouted in the direction of Thomas Meadows, 27, a tarot card reader with less than a dollar to his name who is running for state treasurer. He similarly disagreed.
"Are you fake, Grandpa?" he said to Anthony Goshorn, 53, a candidate for the State Senate whose bushy white beard and paternal manner have earned him that nickname on the streets. "I'm real," he replied.

(Health.com)  -- Terminally ill cancer patients struggling with anxiety may get some relief from a guided "trip" on the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin, a new study suggests.

The study included 12 patients who took a small dose of psilocybin -- the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" -- while under the supervision of trained therapists. In a separate session, the participants took a placebo pill, which had little effect on their symptoms.

By contrast, one to three months after taking psilocybin the patients reported feeling less anxious and their overall mood had improved. By the six-month mark, the group's average score on a common scale used to measure depression had declined by 30 percent, according to the study, which was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

The silliest thing about this article is that I bet you a gazillion it's a White House plant.  And that some of the kiddies in the WH actually think this will help.

The president of the Big Sky Tea Party Association has been removed from his position and booted from the party after coming under fire for a post he made on his Facebook profile that implied he condones violence against homosexuals.

Tim Ravndal was removed as president of the local chapter Sunday after the group's board of directors learned of his volatile post on the online social networking site, according to Roger Nummerdor, the former president and a current board member of the group. Nummerdor also said Ravndal is no longer welcome in the party.

"He's out," he said.

So...Auburn-Mississippi State on Thursday. Given the state of the SEC west, an important matchup.

Erial Ali is no ordinary artist. For his Celestial Soul Portraits, the California-based empath requests photographs of his subjects, collects as much biographical information as possible -- especially pertaining to their spiritual beliefs -- and channels their "unique Essence," based on his ability to "hear what's going on inside of people" and envision "a higher plane of existence."

Since the presumptive Republican presidential front-runners are intensely spiritual people, The Politics Blog commissioned Ali to reveal their true inner selves to the world. He remains adamant that his portraits (made over the last six weeks in Photoshop) are meant neither to mock nor deify, but instead "help create higher potentials for the country and world."