Too Dumb to Thrive  —  Absolutely amazing poll results from CNN today about the $787 stimulus package: nearly three out of four Americans think the money has been wasted.  On second thought, they may be right: it's been wasted on them.  Indeed, the largest single item in the package …

Berry: Obama said “big difference” between '10 and '94 is “me”  —  Rep. Marion Berry's parting shot, published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette [no link, subscription only] offers a warning to moderate Democrats and border state moderates — warning of a midterm bloodbath comparable to the 54-seat D-to-R swing in 1994.

Obama to Offer Aid for Families in State of the Union Address  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a package of modest initiatives intended to help middle-class families, including tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments …

Sources: John Edwards Has a Sex Tape  —  Sources have told us that, in the throes of their affair, John Edwards and Rielle Hunter made a sex tape that contains “several sex acts.”  And that his aide, Andrew Young found it on an unmarked DVD.  —  The tape, say both our sources …

Dem: Senate thinks it's ‘House of Lords’  —  The third-ranking House Democrat said the Senate thinks of itself as “a House of Lords” that is out of touch with voters.  —  Majority Whip James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) remarks are one of the most significant public shots taken at the Senate …

The Bernanke Conundrum  —  A Republican won in Massachusetts — and suddenly it's not clear whether the Senate will confirm Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman.  That's not as strange as it sounds: Washington has suddenly noticed public rage over economic policies …

Obama's Approval Most Polarized for First-Year President  —  Shows much greater party differences than approval for any prior first-year president  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The 65 percentage-point gap between Democrats' (88%) and Republicans' (23%) average job approval ratings for Barack Obama …

Beau Biden declines Senate bid  —  Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden announced Monday that he will not run for the Senate in 2010, a development which puts the GOP in a commanding position to claim the seat once held by his father, Vice President Joe Biden.

Obama Administration Steers Lucrative No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work to Dem Donor  —  The Obama administration this month awarded a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan to a company owned by a prominent Democratic campaign contributor without entertaining competitive bids, Fox News has learned.

Dems' Bush-bashing goes bust  —  After three consecutive losses in statewide races, some top Democrats are questioning a tactic aimed at boosting the party's candidates in each of those contests: Bush-bashing.  —  Running as much against the Bush White House as he was running against Sen. John McCain …

South Carolina Republican regrets ‘stray animal’ metaphor  —  (CNN) - South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, under fire for drawing a comparison between needy people and “stray animals,” said Monday that he regrets his choice of words.  —  In a phone interview with CNN, Bauer …

Democrats, Get Down to Business  —  SCOTT BROWN'S victory last week in the Massachusetts Senate race, following the Republican gubernatorial triumphs in New Jersey and Virginia, marked the third time in three months that the Democratic Party has lost the support and trust of independent voters.

Big Babyism  —  Listen to an enraged Independent: … If this is the basis for revolt, what can one say?  —  If Obama and Bush had refused to bail out the banks, does this small business owner believe she'd be in business at all?  Is she demanding - in a conservative outlet …

Maloney, Clay, McHenry criticize RNC ‘census’ mailer  —  A Republican National Committee “census” fundraising mailer I've written about a couple of times here is drawing bipartisan criticism, I report today:  —  Officials of both parties are sharply criticizing a fundraising mailing …

Of Fate and Fumbles  —  It has not been a good year for Obama, or for the progressive agenda.  But why?  Ignore all the pontificating about how Obama needed to focus differently, seek bipartisanship with people who have no interest in making a deal, etc.. The primary factor in Obama's troubles is …

HEALTH CARE REFORM WON'T SAVE ME.  —  I'm asking for your help.  —  For several years I've, finally, been in the process of applying for Social Security Disability, something I desperately needed to do decades earlier, but wrongheadedly struggled to avoid as my life spiraled into hell.

Gibbs: Ed Schultz Misleads Viewers To “Get People To Watch His Show”  —  As you've probably heard, MSNBC's Ed Schultz revealed the other day that he'd torn into Robert Gibbs in a private conversation, telling him he's “full of sh*t” and that the Obama White House is “losing its base.”

Terror alert: Two men on ‘no-fly’ list stopped at Heathrow  —  Two men were stopped boarding US-bound planes at Heathrow days before Britain's terror threat was raised to “severe”.  —  News of the incidents came hours after Home Secretary Alan Johnson lifted the threat level amid fears that al-Qaeda is planning an attack.

How I'd Create a New ‘Contract With America’  —  Dear Fellow Americans:  —  During the past few months, a number of people have asked me about the possibility of a new Contract with America for the 2010 elections.  They remember the clarity, the positive focus, and the election results of the 1994 contract.

LET'S PUT THEM SIDE BY SIDE.... Throughout the lengthy debate on health care reform, Republicans refused to negotiate in good faith.  Compromises were considered out of the question.  Blatantly, demonstrably false claims were the norm.  Perhaps worst of all, GOP leaders would embrace specific reform ideas …

28 House Seats move toward GOP  —  After a stunning GOP Senate win in Massachusetts and a slew of new polls showing many Democratic incumbents in trouble, it's hard to argue with the obvious: the Republicans unquestionably have momentum as 2010 begins.  —  We are adding a dozen new seats …