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In a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) called on protesters to “scare” members of Congress into killing the proposed health care reform bill.

If the protesters succeed in scaring lawmakers, Bachmann said that it could cripple efforts to restructure health care for a decade.

“Nothing scares members of Congress more than freedom-loving Americans,” Bachmann said.

Political Animal can’t help but notice that the date chosen for her “rally” is November 5th.  What’s important about that date?

And when has Bachmann scheduled her Capitol Hill soiree? This afternoon — November 5 — a date widely known as Guy Fawkes Night. (You know, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November.”) In other words, Bachmann wants to rally right-wing activists, label them an “insurgency,” and encourage them to roam the halls of Congress deliberately “scaring” members of Congress, on the infamous date that marks an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

From a security perspective, if Capitol Police aren’t operating at a heightened state today, they’re making a mistake.

From a political perspective, I wonder if Republican Party leaders are glad to see a right-wing, deranged lawmaker lead an angry far-right mob through the Capitol. Nothing says “American mainstream” like Bachmann and a confused horde shipped to D.C. by corporate lobbyists.

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Early estimates put the cost of Sarah Palin’s midterm resignation as Alaska governor at a minimum of $40,000, not including a special legislative session partly linked to her departure.The preliminary figures obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request show it cost the state almost $14,100 for the July 26 swearing-in ceremony of new Gov. Sean Parnell.

The price tag for moving Palin – the former GOP vice presidential candidate – and her family from the governor’s mansion in Juneau amounted to roughly $3,328.

Palin’s spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, says suggesting the resignation cost the state is “incredibly misleading.” She says the resignation ceremony was added to a previously scheduled governor’s picnic and was organized by the lieutenant governor’s office.

The tally doesn’t include the estimated $100,000 it cost for a one-day special session last month in which lawmakers approved Palin’s pick to replace Parnell as lieutenant governor and overrode her veto of federal stimulus funds intended for energy efficiency projects.

• Palin Showing How Dumb She Is, Again
• Palin Thinks the 1st Amendment is Under Attack
• McCain Reacts to Party Under Palin
• Obama vs McCain/Palin
• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin

Late-term abortion doctor George Tiller was gunned down at his church in Kansas Sunday morning in a thoroughly evil, cold-blooded act of domestic terrorism. Yes, terrorism. Not “extremism.”

As Steve Benen writes:

We’re dealing with an act of politically-motivated violence, against a law-abiding American on American soil, intended to scare, intimidate, and change U.S. policy.

One can support or oppose abortion rights; one can defend or reject the legal medical services Tiller provided for his desperate patients. But whether yesterday’s murder constitutes domestic terrorism isn’t an especially tough call.

In other news regarding the assassination, the right wingers were showing their true colors on twitter.

When reading things like those tweets and seeing heinous acts of violence performed in the name of the Christian God, I have to think of the great Gandhi quote:

I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.

At what point do we realize that these far-right Christian fundamentalists are no different than fundamentalists of other religions and ideologies?

• Palin’s Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds
• Top 10 Signs You’re a Fundamentalist Christian
• Florida politician caught soliciting gay sex in mall restroom
• GOP Lawmaker Resigns Amid Sex Scandal

House Republican leaders called a press conference Thursday to unveil their “alternative budget.” While it was thin on specifics, it does include one major policy proposal: a huge tax cut for the wealthy.

Under the Republican plan, the top marginal tax rate would be slashed from 35 to 25 percent, facilitating a dramatic transfer of wealth up the economic scale. Anyone making more than a $100,000 would pay the top rate; those under would pay 10 percent. Source

How will the country run without all this tax revenue? Do the Republicans really want to see America crumble? It appears so.

• A Quick Political Rant
• The Theocracy Party
• More Racist Hate from the Republicans
• Greenspan Says America Can’t Afford McCain Tax Cuts
• GOP Trying to Block Voters in Michigan

Gov. Sarah Palin is refusing to accept more than 30 percent of the federal economic stimulus money being offered to Alaska, including dollars for schools, energy assistance and social services.

The news Thursday drew anger from those who accused Palin of putting her national political aspirations ahead of the state’s interests, and admiration from others who say she has courage to turn down money that would expand government. The state Legislature will have an opportunity to override her decision.

Palin is not taking about $288 million of the $930.7 million that Alaska is due in the federal stimulus. Palin said she is accepting the federal stimulus money that would go for construction projects, but not funding directed at government operations.

The Anchorage Daily news is even reporting that the biggest single chunk of stimulus money that Palin is turning down is $160 million for education. There’s also $17 million in Department of Labor funds (vocational rehabilitation services, unemployment services, etc.), about $9 million for Health and Social Services and about $7 million for Public Safety.

Doesn’t she realize she’s not relevant anymore? Even the Republican Party can’t be stupid enough to see her as their future. Someone needs to tell her. Really, how dumb is this woman? I guess she thinks that if she turns down the education money her constituents will be as dumb as her and keep electing her and supporting her. What a joke.

• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin
• Palin Doesn’t Understand the Economy
• Palin Still Costing Alaska
• Palin Thinks the 1st Amendment is Under Attack
• McCain Reacts to Party Under Palin

• Then and Now – Bush vs. Obama
• A Quick Political Rant
• Truly Inspirational
• Obama vs McCain/Palin
• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin

There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better “ground game” and superior campaign organization.

I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I’m not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.

Let me make it clear: I’m pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn’t run again.

I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I’m white, 55, I live in the South and I’m definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.

I am the dreaded swing voter.

So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.

At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn’t the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.

Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.

We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, “Who is it?”

“We’re from the Obama campaign,” we’d answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.

Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.

Young people came to the door rubbing sleep from their eyes to find out where they could vote early, to make sure their vote got counted.

We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day’s work.

I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the “big things.”

It’s not about taxes. I’m pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.

It’s not about foreign policy. I think we’ll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don’t want us there anymore.

I don’t see either of the candidates as having all the answers.

I’ve learned that this election is about the heart of America. It’s about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It’s about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don’t know what it’s going to do for the Obama campaign, but it’s doing a lot for me.

• Then and Now – Bush vs. Obama
• A Quick Political Rant
• The Day After
• Obama vs McCain/Palin
• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin

ABC News’ Steven Portnoy reports: In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by “attacks” from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

No Ms. Palin. They are not attacking you. They are reporting the truth. You know, that thing where your claims can actually be backed up by evidence. Not that bile you spew forth on the campaign trail. You are a disgrace.

• Palin Still Costing Alaska
• Palin Showing How Dumb She Is, Again
• McCain Reacts to Party Under Palin
• Obama vs McCain/Palin
• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin

John McCain does not appear to be making up ground in Ohio, the key battleground state that is crucial to keeping his White House hopes alive.

According to CNN’s latest poll of polls of the state, the Arizona senator now trails Obama by 6 points there, 50 percent to 44 percent. That gap is two points wider than it was Monday and double what it was one week ago.

No Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio, and barring a major upset in another big state, the state’s 20 electoral votes are a must win for McCain. The Republican presidential candidate is expected to spend two full days there later this week.

The latest Ohio poll of polls consists of recent surveys from LA Times/Bloomberg (October 25-27), Reuters/Zogby (October 23-26), and CNN/Time/ORC (October 19-21). CNN Poll of Polls do not have a margin of error.

Meanwhile, a new poll of polls in Florida shows a similar story. The Arizona senator trails Obama by 4 points there, 49 percent to 45 percent. That gap is 3 points higher than it was earlier today and is largely due to a newly released survey from LA Times/Bloomberg showing McCain down 7 points in the state. The Florida poll of polls also includes surveys from Suffolk University and Reuters/Zogby.

Hopefully that will widen even further in Obama’s favor before the election. I hope tonight’s 30 minute ad buy by the Obama campaign can help out in some of the areas where the lead by Obama is within the margin of error. I’d really like to see Obama carry Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, and Virgina to put a nail in McCain’s despicable campaign.

• Obama-Biden take 8 Point Lead
• Obama vs McCain/Palin
• New Ad Hits McCain on Economy, Palin
• McCain Responds to Obama’s Fundraising Ability
• McCain a deer in headlights at debates