“Blanche Lincoln” on The Daily Caller

If President Barack Obama’s attempt to get the Senate to approve his re-nomination of former high-ranking AFL-CIO and SEIU lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is successful, it will likely allow unions around the country to forcibly open companies’ doors to labor organizers, and companies won’t be able to do anything to stop them. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is retiring and his party has a big problem in 2012 — and beyond. (more)

Senate Democrats on Wednesday defeated an amendment to pay for the $60 billion in unemployment insurance payments that were included in President Obama’s tax deal with Republicans, which included a provision that would have eliminated taxpayer-funded benefits for millionaires. (more)

It’s hard to turn around on Capitol Hill without bumping into one of the newly arrived victors of the midterm elections, most of whom are in Washington to receive orientation briefings and begin hiring staff. (more)

Is it possible to defend Keith Olbermann and Sean Hannity at the same time? (more)

Seppuku, or hara-kiri, was a form of ritual suicide practiced by the samurai in feudal Japan.  Part of the bushido honor code, seppuku was used by warriors who were accused of disloyalty.  The ceremonial disembowelment was part of an elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators as recently as 1873, when it was officially abolished. (more)

In yet another demonstration of the shifting power structure, Republicans toppled three Democrat committee chairs Tuesday night. Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, South Carolina Rep. John Spratt and Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln were all forced to not only give up their gavels, but to leave Congress altogether. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — How early will America know if it’s a Republican romp or if Democrats somehow minimized their damage? There should be plenty of clues Tuesday evening — and long before bedtime. Final results in some states might not be known for days. But trends could be evident from the Midwest and South — especially from Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia — even before most of the nation has finished dinner. (more)

A look of the key races in the 50 states: (more)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A new poll shows that Republican Rep. John Boozman has widened his lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in his bid to unseat her. (more)

Sarah Palin has endorsed 56 candidates this election season and had an impact on GOP primaries, but a new poll suggests that campaign visits from the former Alaska governor ahead of the general election could hurt Republicans. (more)

Democratic lawmakers struggling to find support from a skeptical electorate are using a Republican tactic to win votes by claiming their opponents will raise taxes if elected into office. (more)

Democratic lawmakers struggling to find support from a skeptical electorate are using a Republican tactic to win votes by claiming their opponents will raise taxes if elected into office. (more)

Why in the world is the League of Conservation Voters joining with the far-left Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in a desperate attempt to re-elect one of George Soros’s favorite congressman? (more)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln said Friday that she’s open to extending tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration beyond the middle-class cuts that President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress want to maintain. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government’s giant bank bailout may well have averted a second Great Depression, economists say, but a lot of voters aren’t buying it. Support for the program is turning into a kiss of death for many in Congress. (more)

BRYANT, Ark. — That Democrats are in trouble is hardly news these days, at least in most places. (more)

BRYANT, Ark. — That Democrats are in trouble is hardly news these days, at least in most places. (more)

What are the absolute, no-kidding, gotta-have-’em races for Democrats if they hope to hold onto the Senate? (more)

As Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and a host of special interest groups continue their relentless push for a federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), one can only hope the lack of broad-based public support for the measure will again lead to the controversial and economically unsound legislation’s rejection. (more)