When women entered the workforce, there was a concern that some men would not be able to find jobs. It was felt that the jobs women would take the jobs away from the family man. It didn't happen. The economy grew and there were plenty of jobs to go around.

Outsourcing takes jobs away from the American worker. There was a fear that by sending jobs overseas, unemployment would increase in the United States. It hasn't. The current unemployment rate is at a very low 4.4%. The economy is moving along and inflation has been held in check.

Illegal immigrants are taking low paying jobs. There is a fear they are taking work away from the American worker. The story gets repetitious. The unions have a concern about the bill that President Bush is recommending to deal with illegal immigration. The unions have a responsibility to their members and should be asking the hard questions. However, the low unemployment rate should have us all asking "How would the jobs have been filled had it not been for outsourcing and illegal immigrants."

Soon the debate will begin in earnest as to how the illegal immigration issue should be handled. Senator-Elect Claire McCaskill has indicated she will not support legalizing illegal immigrants. Republicans are opposed to President Bush's plan. There should be no party position on this issue. Instead, there should be a sharing of ideas and a decision should be made as to what is best for America. Let the open debate begin.

Workers for the radical group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), amusingly defined as "a group that works to improve minority and low-income communities," have been indicted for voter fraud in Kansas City, MO.

ACORN insists they turned in the workers who "registered" one voter seven times as well as a dead person. The indictment could effect 35,000 ballots collected by the group.

ACORN bills itsel as an organization that helps the poor and that may indeed be the case. They also have become quite radicalized by leaning to the neo-liberal agenda as outlined well in this piece.

This is the third election that ACORN has been accused of voter fraud. With the Talent-McCaskill race tight, any ties to Claire McCaskill could tip the election.

I've given up on the accuracy of polls after the kerfuffles of 2000 and 2004. I think the advent of caller ID, cell phones and the new media have rendered accurate polling obsolete.

That said, some polls seem to have been more accurate than others such as Quinnipiac and Rasmussen. Zogby is wrong so often that his polling doesn't figure in anymore.

Based on the latest polling data and from what I've read of the elections, I see the five most competitve Senate races playing out this way (incumbent listed first):

Santorum-Casey

Santorum is down in just about every poll. The RCP composite has him 13% down to Casey in a state where Democrats have a strong advantage in the two big cities. Santorum has been a lightning rod for liberals and it ust may have worked. I have Casey winning this by 4% unless Santorum can get the suburban Philly in Montgomery and Bucks Counties to turn out in large numbers.

Abraham Lincoln mobilized the federal government to maintain the union. Franklin Delano Roosevelt mobilized the government to end the Depression and turn back fascism. Harry Truman mobilized the government to contain and eventually end the thread of communism.

Now, Karl Rove does his part to continue the great tradition for a new grand purpose: ensuring the Republicans maintain their hold on government. The Los Angeles Times reports that the evil genius is mobilizing federal money, staff, and resources to help Republican candidates across the country. Rove himself helps figure out how to respond to a snow storm in a swing district, giving the Republican incumbent an opportunity to announce millions in disaster relief. Laura Bush visits Missouri with Sen. Jim Talent, facing a tough re-election, to discuss breast cancer just as the White House encourages the Park Service to light up the St. Louis Arch in pink, the color of the breast cancer movement.

Rove and his assistant talk to department managers about close elections and programs in their Department, implying possible cuts if the White House doesn't get the political outcome it wants. We Democrats have realized we'd have to face a spending advantage. We just didn't realize that the Republicans would be using the federal treasury as a campaign account.

Republicans aim to counter Michael J. Fox's Missouri campaign ad with a few celebrities of their own. Their spot features the 1-2-3-4-5 punch of actors James Caviezel and Patricia Heaton, football player Kurt Warner plus baseball players Jeff Suppan (Busy man. I'm watching him pitch for the Cards in the World Series) and Mike Sweeney.

Add musician Sheryl Crow (who joins Fox's support of the stem-cell ballot measure) to the mix and that's a ton of star power. Watch and compare the ads: Fox & Crow vs. Caviezal, Suppan and Co.

But this story raises a good point:

Their fame threatens to overshadow the tight Senate race between Republican Sen. Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill.

So what do you think? Will these ads make a difference on Nov. 7?

In a response to this blogger's query, Missouri Senate hopeful Claire McCaskill rebuts Rush Limbaugh and his slander of Michael J. Fox.

"When people are confronted with something that's powerful and real and it's not what they agree with, they sometimes unfortunately attack the messenger. Sadly, that's what happened here. Only in politics would someone have the nerve to belittle someone that way. Mr. Fox deserves better respect than that." McCaskill says.

As for the Missouri ballot measure in question -- and the claim by rightwing religious zealots that the issue is NOT about stem cell research for diseases like Parkinson's (that afflicts Fox) but is a stealth cloning bill -- the National Institutes of Health supports the science:

With Risk of Cancer, Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) Can Improve Motor Function in Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

Successful treatment for individuals with Parkinson's disease will be achieved when scientists can adequately replace the human dopamine-producing nerve cells (dopaminergic neurons) lost in PD. In 2004, NIH-supported scientists were able to successfully derive dopaminergic nerve cells from hESCs listed on the NIH Stem Cell Registry.

McCaskill says that is the point of stem cell research, as supported by her.

When you are Rush Limbaugh, you don't have to know what you are talking about. Your followers will listen to you anyway. They will support you even though you may have used medication to improve yourself.

In 2003, Rush became an expert on football. He stated that Donovan McNabb, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, was overrated. He stated that the press had made McNabb look good because he was black. Of course, that was the end of Limbaugh's time on ESPN. They don't like to take chance on racism even if everybody knows that Limbaugh isn't a racist.

Sometimes the only place a quarterback can prove people like Rush Limbaugh to be wrong is on the football field. Well, in 2004 Mr. McNabb broke records and became one of the elite NFL quarterbacks statistically. He became the first quarterback to throw over 30 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in a single season. If this wasn't enough, he led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl.

Now, Rush is taking on Michael J. Fox. Maybe Fox should call Donovan McNabb and ask how he should handle the situation. Donovan might just tell him to claim victory on the gridiron. In this case, the gridiron would be the Missouri senate race.

Right wing zealot and radio talk show hack Rush Limbaugh has accused actor Michael J. Fox of "acting" or being "off his meds" in a nationally televised ad, for the purpose of sensationalizing his Parkinson's disease. The campaign spot is in support of Missouri Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's support for legislation to garner funding for stem cell research.

Fox was in Chicago Tuesday to support House candidate Tammy Duckworth. In their report on the actor's local appearance, CBS2chicago.com interviewed neurologist Dr. Thomas Kelly. He says Limbaugh doesn't have his facts straight:

Fox's disease has progressed where he no longer only gets tremors, which can be controlled with medication, but has more erratic movements which are caused directly by his medicine.

"Chaotic, maybe writhing, dance-like movements, or dyskinesia, the movements I've seen in Mr. Fox, are due to his medications," said Dr. Kelly.

Lots of good numbers from MD and they were the polling firm that absolutely nailed it in 2002 even with the huge number of polls they published.

Senate Races

TN 45-43 +2 Corker

This now appears to be a must-win state for the GOP and the good news is that Corker is edging ahead. The state has been very friendly to the GOP in the past and Corker must be considered favored to win over Ford. Ford has had a bad week. this one's going to go Corker.

PA 51-39 +12 Casey

I continue to maintain that Santorum can do it, but a win over Casey here is looking like a David/Goliath thing. Giants usually win those fights. PA is not friendly to the GOP and tends to go blue. I'd bet on a Casey win.

Today, I saw the ad by Michael J. Fox supporting stem cell research and Democrat Claire McCaskill. As he constantly rocked from one side of the screen to the other, you had to feel bad for him. His message was brief. "They say that all politics is local but how you vote could make a difference to me." He pointed out that he supports stem cell research. He pointed out that Jim Talent tried to criminalize it.

Recent polls are showing that Talent has moved ahead of McCaskill in the race for the Missouri Senate seat. This message could be just the thing to give McCaskill a win. It is pretty hard not to sympathize with Fox.

Regardless of party affiliation, health has to be the most important thing.

Watch the ad -- what do you think of it?

As a resident of California, where our Senate race is a gimme (Democrat Feinstein), it's been fun to follow the other key races as an outsider who can't affect the outcome. One of the more interesting sources I have found is The Fix by Chris Cillizza.

Every Friday he blogs for the Washington Post and addresses all sorts of politically relevant issues. This week he wrote about key House races, but last week it was the key Senate Races. According to The Fix, those races (as of a week ago), show the Senate landscape shifting towards the Democrats. His analysis is as follows:

• Washington - Republican Mike McGavick's "free-fall" following his mishandling of a past drunk driving arrest had ended, but the damage was done. Two recent polls showed Democrat Maria Cantwell leading McGavick by 9 and 10 points.
• Maryland - Republican Michael Steele continued to impress with his unorthodox ad campaign, but his central problem is his stance as a long-time supporter of George W. Bush. Polling showed the democratic candidate, Ben Cardin, with a mid single digit lead. Steele's chances hinge on an improvement in the national political climate, a change seen as increasingly unlikely.
• Virginia - A new Mason-Dixon poll showed Republican George Allen and Democrat James Webb tied at 43 percent -- a stunning reversal for Mr. Allen, who started the year running for president in 2008. A key to the outcome may be whether the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee or the National Republican Senatorial Committee weighs in with television ads between now and November 7th.

A quick survey of competitive senate races and opensecrets data.

In Maryland, Republican Michael Steele has $3.1 million to Ben Cardin(D)'s $1.6 million. Ben Cardin is favored to win, but Michael Steele has more than enough of a money lead to keep things competitive. Which is good, because it looks like he's on his own from here out.

Lincoln Chafee is behind in cash and tied in the polls in RI. If he wins it will be because the national GOP dragged him across.

in Missouri, the GOP can be optimistic that Talent will pull it out as he has a $4 million lead over Claire McCaskill. He's also lucky that he's in a "firewall" state, in that the national GOP has picked Missouri as a state that it will defend at all costs. They are dumping a ton of money into Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee.

In Pennsylvania. Rick Santorum is way behind in the polls but has a $5 million funding advantage over Bob Casey. Whatever his problems are, he has enough money to get his message out.

In New Jersey, Tom Kean should be buried in a GOP unfriendly state, as Menendez has a $5 million dollar lead. But he has done very well in the polls as Menendez has tanked in ethics scandals.

In Michigan, I would like for Bouchard to unseat Senator Stabenow, but unfortunately he's down to $500k cash on hand vs. Stabenow's 4 million. In a nicer year for the GOP the national committee might help him out, but not this year.

In Tennessee, Corker and Ford are very evenly matched and are tied in the polls. Corker is going to get a lot of help and that plus being in a GOP friendly state will probably do the trick.

And finally, In Ohio, it's clear that whatever DeWine's weaknesses are, money is not one of them. A 3 million dollar cash on hand balance is nothing to sneeze at. DeWine and Brown are tied in the polls, but DeWine is getting a lot of help.

That's Mike Dewine (R-OH), Bob Corker (R-TN) and Jim Talent (R-OH). And they're grinning because their foundering campaigns have been tossed a lifeline, in the form of big bucks from the RNC:

the Republican National Committee is investing heavily in television advertising in Senate races in Ohio, Tennessee and Missouri in what officials describe as a firewall strategy designed to limit Democratic gains in the Nov. 7 elections and maintain the GOP majority.

It's unusual - even controversial - for the Committee to allocate money for specific races. That's typically the job of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But RNC chair Ken Mehlman obviously sees his party headed for trouble on election day... so he's throwing out the playbook and winging it.

The cash infusion for those three states has other GOP candidates asking: hey what about us?!

The move also raises questions about the priority assigned by the RNC to races in other states where Republicans are in jeopardy -- Pennsylvania, Montana and Rhode Island among them.

Sylvester Brown has an interesting column out in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he sits down to talk with Missouri Democratic candidate for Senate Claire McCaskill. Inevitably, their conversation turned to black issues.

It wasn't the topic I wanted to aggressively pursue with McCaskill. Besides, the loudest complaints I've heard aren't even about "black issues." They're about campaign dollars not going to black politicos, ministers and media outlets.

A valid concern, sure, but blacks won't get the respect they deserve from either party until they develop an all-inclusive, community-based agenda and become a formidable (bipartisan) force at the polls - period.

With Lynn Swanne, Ken Blackwell, and Michael Steele all GOP candidates for statewide office, I'm watching to see if the black vote splinters. I know that Ken Blackwell has garnered an impressive number of black leadership endorsements (see here and here) and Michael Steele has been seen with Kweise Mfume's son. On the other hand, objective polling has not picked up any significant shift in the black vote. But then again, most polls don't target enough minorities to get a valid sample size. The best indicator will be in November, as usual.

More fresh, piping hot polls this morning from Gallup and USA Today. The polling puts Dems well within range of picking up a majority in the U.S. Senate. For some reason, the media/polling team apparently chose to not poll in Montana, Ohio, or Pennsylvania.

Penn is basically a done deal, with Democratic challenger Bob Casey, Jr., expected to knock Republican incumbent Rick Santorum (and his Presidential ambitions) out of office by a wide margin. But the Ohio race, where Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown has only narrowly led Republican incumbent Mike DeWine, and the Montana race, where there is some indication that the race between Democratic challenger Jon Tester and Republican incumbent Conrad Burns is narrowing, are both still up in the air.

Still, the poll indicates good news for Democrats. Given that their challengers continue to lead in MT, OH, and PA, Dems must hold their own seats and pick up three more to get their majority. Gallup says we get 'em: