But like so many of us, Debbie Riddle had a secret. And now she’s telling America to protect us from our own trusting natures.

In the grand tradition of Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn, Representative Riddle is exposing a secret plot that endangers America and threatens our security and our future. Today’s new threat isn’t communists at the State Department or Reds writing the movies. It’s far more insidious than that.

Terror babies.

According to Riddle, these are babies born in the US when their pregnant mothers sneak in. These terrorist mothers do this to allow their soon-to-be indoctrinated offspring to return to the  United States later as citizens and attack the country they have now been trained to hate.

It’s a serious threat. And Representative Riddle says if we don’t do something about it soon our country could be destroyed.

So, how does this unassuming, God-fearing politician from Houston know this? Former FBI agents told her so. She can’t tell us who they are though. She needs to protect their identities.

Representative Riddle can’t show any evidence of who the terror babies or their mothers are either. But she knows they are being born every day and the government is doing nothing about it.

Like most visionary leaders, she doesn’t care much for questions from the media or any examination of her motives.

Debbie Riddle demands blind loyalty and absolute trust. She knows what’s best for us and here’s her plan:

We need local police to challenge those who look like they might not be “real” Americans and demand their papers. If they can’t produce them they need to be deported— especially the pregnant ones.

And we need to overhaul our outdated and broken Constitution to change the 142-year old 14th Amendment to remove the birth right of citizenship for kids whose parents aren’t legal American residents.

Representative Riddle says it’s all about protecting Americans.

But that’s why this groundbreaking law she wants to scuttle was written after the Civil War. To finally protect ALL Americans.

Black people were not citizens of the United States and could not become citizens of the United States until the 14th Amendment.

It would take 100 years more for the rights of citizenship to become reality for most African Americans, but the 14th Amendment was what made it legally possible.

The 14th Amendment allowed black men (and eventually women) to vote.

And 140 years after its passage, the 14th Amendment even made it possible for a black man to become President of the United States.

Republicans have touted it on their website as one of the great accomplishments of the GOP.

Now, from the Texas State House to the US House and Senate, Republicans are calling for the dismantling of this pillar of American fairness.

So here’s the truth…

Representative Debbie Riddle and others she echoes are terrorists who endanger Americans and our way of life. They are intent on blowing up our Constitution and wiping out our most sacred freedoms.

And when they attack mothers and scapegoat newborn children, they have finally gone too far.

When asked about former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s comments that the ongoing Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans were borrowed money and not paid for, Boehner called it insider Washington DC math. When Gregory asked how we can reduce the deficit and continue the tax cuts, Boehner accused him of just continuing with all that Washington talk. Apparently, the basic arithmetic American schools have taught kids for years in junior high doesn’t pass muster with the Ohio Congressman.

But that wasn’t the “adult” part of the conversation. John Boehner was asked about some lightly reported comments he made a few months ago on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. On NBC this morning, he used some typical Washington talk and called for a bipartisan approach, but David Gregory didn’t let him shake off the issue. Gregory asked Boehner if he favored raising the retirement age to 70 in America as he had proposed in an editorial interview in June. Boehner sidestepped and danced. He said it was time to have that “adult conversation” with Americans. Finally, Boehner used a little more Washington-speak to stop the machine gunning of questions coming from Gregory. “Look, these programs are unsustainable in their current form.”

Barack Obama’s approval rating may be at 41% right now. Democrats in Congress may be at a historic low in polling. But the more Americans get to really know John Boehner as the face of the national Republican Party, the better off progressives will be.

Here’s what Boehner and House Republicans believe:

Borrowing billions to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations is a good way to reduce our national debt.

Social Security should be invested in the stock market on Wall Street.

Regulations on Wall Street companies should be reduced.

And while the big corporations and wealthiest folks are getting those tax breaks that are increasing our debt for generations? Middle class Americans should have to work till they are 70 before they can retire and presumably collect Social Security or get Medicare coverage.

The tax giveaways that are adding to our debt and borrowing hundreds of billions are fine. But those retirees and their needs are “unsustainable.”

That’s a lot of adult talk from John Boehner. For older Americans worried about their futures, it’s almost enough to make a grown-up cry.

A lot of adages are being dragged out as Democrats look at these numbers…

It’s always darkest before the dawn…It can’t get any worse…It can only get better…He had nowhere to go but down… You’ve really got to look behind the numbers.

The truth is that I think we really need to look to Shakespeare for advice on this one: “This above all: to thine own self be true”. – (Hamlet, Act I, Scene III).

We have to be honest with ourselves and realize that this economic crisis belongs to us and Americans who are hurting don’t have confidence in our leadership.

The current facts aren’t pretty.

We have not seen a major economic upturn.

The good news is the unemployment rate nudged down below 10 percent in June and new jobless claims slowed. The economy actually added 83,000 private sector jobs. But that improvement seems tepid at best.

The bad news is that most Americans don’t feel there is a recovery going on and at least 14.6 million of them are still out of work.

That’s clear from this new poll. Almost all Americans rate the economy badly but they aren’t quite as negative as they were at the depths of despair in early 2009. But still only about a quarter of us think the economy is improving. And if Americans vote their pocketbooks, then it’s clear they are currently looking to blame all of those in power.

They took their anger out on the Republicans who recklessly ran the ship onto the rocks in 2008 now they are ready to blame the Democrats who didn’t bail the water out quickly enough and haven’t righted the vessel.

This is leading to an anti-incumbent mood that generally seems to hurt Democrats more than Republicans.  We have more Congressional incumbents in more vulnerable seats than the Republicans and GOP voters are still reportedly more enthusiastic this year about voting than their Democratic counterparts.

Despite all of this, there’s a slight glint of silver in the lining of this dark cloud. The bottom line is we may be in bad shape, but the Republicans in Congress are still worse.

68% of Americans don’t trust Democrats in Congress to make the right decisions for the country’s future. But that’s still marginally better than the 72% of respondents who don’t trust Republicans. And if more Americans get to know John Boehner, those Republican numbers could get worse.

If Democrats run aggressive campaigns, admit we have made some mistakes, and show real neighborly concern and compassion for the millions of Americans out of work and losing their homes, we should have a shot. That concern will have to be embodied in tirelessly fighting on their behalf for things like extended unemployment benefits, more help for small businesses to survive and holding massive corporations like BP accountable for what they are doing to our communities.

As the Bard once wrote: “True is it that we have seen better days.”

But remember, it’s always darkest right before the dawn.

The rap was that young voters turned out in such dismally low numbers that it wasn’t worth a campaign’s money or time to talk to them. In the 1980’s and early 90’s, we also saw that young people were just as likely (if not more likely) to vote for the Republican for President than the Democrat.

I remember one particularly colorful state senator telling me: “We’re better off with little old ladies any day over these punks.”

Surge ahead to 2008 and all that had changed. Millennial voters (ages 18-29) were enthused and engaged. And they were voting Democratic.

The buzz was that young people were participating and voting in record numbers. But the real story was a little more complicated.

Millennials who voted supported Barack Obama by a large margin–exit polls showed 66%. Many of them were more active and involved than folks in their age group had ever been. But the final numbers show Obama would have won the election without them.

While enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee was way up in 2008, young voters’ percentage of the overall turnout was up only slightly—18% in 2008 vs 17% in 2004. The percentage of young voters jumped in Indiana and North Carolina (states Obama would have lost without the youth vote), but their numbers were actually down in other key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

The key was intensity. Young voters were engaged, excited and more liberal than other population segments. They were much more willing to support then-Senator Obama and other Democrats down the ticket by wide margins.

Fast forward to 2010. The youth vote should be a significant factor for Democrats, right? Not so fast…

A recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll shows that young voters who are saying they will definitely vote in the 2010 mid-term elections aren’t necessarily our friends. 41% are Republicans, 35% are Democrats and 53% say they voted for John McCain.

That’s a pretty major reversal of fortune in less than 2 years. Only one thing can account for it. It looks like turnout among Millennials will be lower overall. Right now, young Democrats and more liberal 18-29 year olds are planning to stay home.

It’s like a flashback to the Reagan years. It would make Alex P. Keaton proud.

The eerie similarity came up when Quinn was asked about his mistakes. Remember when Bush refused to acknowledge in 2004 that he made any mistakes following 9/11? Or even more stunning, when W admitted in 2008  to only a few public relations gaffes, but nothing he would really have done differently?

Well, Quinn had the ultimate softball mistakes question pitched to him in this debate. It was a Chicago 16-incher. Right over the plate:

>>Carol Marin: “WHAT MISTAKE HAVE YOU MADE IN YOUR YOUNGER YEARS THAT MADE YOU THE MAN YOU ARE TODAY?”

A prime opportunity to be the regular guy like us.  To remind Illinoisans why they basically liked him. To eat a slice of humble pie and to take a portion of blame. And, in our current fragile and shifting society, to get the tone right and be real.

President Obama is doing it. Some CEOs (not enough) are doing it. Senators, Congressmen and other Governors are doing it. But not Pat Quinn.

Quinn’s answer:

>>Pat Quinn: “I WOULD SAY, I’VE TRIED TO DO THE BEST I CAN.

I’M NOT BIG ON SHARING MY PRIVATE LIFE WITH PEOPLE AT LARGE.

IF YOU MAKE MISTAKES, YOU TRY NOT TO DO THEM AGAIN, AND I LISTENED TO MY PARENTS AND THAT WASN’T A MISTAKE.

MY FATHER AND MOTHER WERE EXCELLENT ROLE MODELS. THEY ARE MY HEROES.

MY FATHER LIVED UNTIL 93. HE WAS IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY FOR THREE YEARS, ONE MONTH AND 15 DAYS”.

>> Carol Marin: “SO MISTAKES, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SHARE ANY MISTAKE.”

In that moment, when he went for the tired old politician’s answer Pat Quinn missed one of the better opportunities late in the campaign to reset things and connect with people.

Pundits, commentators and some political elites laughed at Bill Clinton in 1992, when he first uttered that simple line: “I feel your pain.” But it was exactly what American voters needed to hear.

This year, voters are angry and hurt. They see an economy in decline and spending on the rise with no relief up ahead. They see Wall Street executives getting massive bonuses with THEIR tax dollars. They are pessimistic and worried.

They want candidates to connect with their deep concerns, admit they are human, take the blame for at least some of the mess and explain how they’ve learned a few lessons to fix things. They need to hear that politicians are paying for this mess personally too.

Voters are fixated on the present and worried about the future. Right now, they’re not romantic for the good old days.

In 2010, it would be a huge mistake for candidates not to take that seriously—especially incumbents like Pat Quinn.

The House had impeached him a few weeks before. On January 29, 2009, the Illinois Senate removed him from office.  As hundreds of reporters from across the world clogged his quiet neighborhood to report on his shame and build his fame, Rod Blagojevich wrote the newest chapter in the sad story of redemption and rogues that is Illinois politics.

But a year later, it’s hard for anyone with a sense of history (or a sense of humor) not to think about the irony of Illinois.

The state that brought us the martyred leader who freed the slaves and saved the Union also suffered through more than a half century of corruption. Out of 9 governors who served in the last 50 years, 5 have been indicted and (so far) 3 have gone to jail.

The Land of Lincoln has fostered some of the greatest Senators and statesmen in our nation’s history—Stephen Douglas, Paul Douglas, Everett Dirksen, Adlai Stevenson, Paul Simon, Dick Durbin—and another Senator who followed Honest Abe to the White House.

The storyline was irresistible. A new, inspirational leader rose up from the Great Emancipator’s state to become the nation’s first black President.

But while America was still catching its breath, the old Prairie State schizophrenia kicked back in.

The Governor hustled to sell the President-elect’s seat to the highest bidder. Roland Burris added his portrait to the wall of shame when he traded off what was left of his soul for an office in the Russell Building.

One year later, the hustler’s trial is being scheduled. He’s getting ready to go on reality TV. His successor is struggling to hold on to the Governorship.

And a new Prairie State President is stumbling as he leads a divided nation through one of its most turbulent times.

It’s the irony of Illinois.

In 1907, in an uncharacteristically independent moment of the Gilded Age, the US Congress passed The Tillman Act banning corporations from directly funding federal candidates. 40 years later they passed further restrictions specifically limiting corporations and labor unions from using money from their general treasuries to influence the outcome of federal elections. In 2002, the McCain-Feingold Act imposed more restrictions on corporations.

Today, the Supreme Court decided the free speech rights of those corporations was unconstitutionally limited.

5 justices threw out nearly 100 years of law and their own precedents to strike down restrictions on corporations funding political activity and advertising from their general treasuries.

So what’s the real story? It took a decade, but the payoff finally happened.

On December 12, 2000, the Supreme Court selected the un-elected George W. Bush as President of the United States. He made no bones about his ties to big business.

Narrowly rejected by the American people but injected with massive power by the Court, Bush passed major corporate tax breaks. He rolled back, undermined or eliminated regulations and restrictions on corporations. His Vice President invited utility companies to the White House to craft policies on the environment and energy.

And when it was time for Bush to pay it forward, he passed on his corporate good will to future generations of executives.

He appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. They kept corporate progress on track.

Today, the strict constructionists became the ultimate judicial activists stepping far beyond the basic issues of the case to pull down generations-old laws and strike down respected precedents. Reading new corporate rights into the constitution that aren’t there.

Why? Because big corporations are finally under threat from governmental restrictions. The elected U.S. President and progressive Congress threatened to rein in banks; to stand up to insurance companies; to demand energy conglomerates find clean fuel alternatives; to support working people in their right to choose a union.

Demanding equal rights and fair treatment for all. It’s the American way.

In the years ahead, the Senator from Citibank or the Congressman from Goldman Sachs may make an inspirational speech about that.

But for individual citizens like us, it’ll just sound like a quaint old idea whose time has run out.

Republican Scott Brown is not the reason for this race being so close. He’s the fortunate beneficiary. He deserves credit for seizing an opportunity and not believing conventional wisdom that a conservative like him couldn’t win.

There are enough finger-pointers to fill Faneuil Hall right now, but here are a few observations:

1. Internal polls reportedly had Coakley comfortably ahead less than 2 weeks ago. If that’s true, they may not have been polling frequently enough or not including enough Independents. We’ve seen it too often— major campaigns can be penny-wise and pound foolish about research. When the climate is volatile, the only way to catch changes is to poll broadly and be in the field constantly. I’m a big fan of rolling trackers for these kinds of races. They show you fresh movement on a dynamic basis– not just a snapshot in time.

2. The political climate in MA and the country was ripe for this to happen now. Conservatives and the GOP were emboldened coming off November victories in NJ and VA. The President’s numbers and Democratic congressional approval ratings have continued to slump as the health care debate has dragged on and unemployment has stayed the same. Deval Patrick, the Democratic Governor of the Commonwealth, is struggling for voter support with 64% disapproving of his performance. Massachusetts has also been rocked by a series of scandals involving corrupt Democratic legislators. The party’s brand is weak.

3. Anti-incumbency rules, insiders are out. For not being one of the boys, Martha Coakley was the closest thing in this race to an insider. She allowed herself to become the de facto “career politiican” with all of the liabilities and few of the advantages. Brown succeeded in being the populist in simple but effective ways from his used pick-up to his easy-going, friendly demeanor.  But Coakley struck many voters as cold and aloof.

4. IDs matter and Independents have a mind of their own. As comfortable as Coakley was that Democrats had a more than 2 to 1 advantage in registration over Republicans, some around her seemed to forget that about half of Massachusetts voters are Independents. They took it for granted that most of these folks were just undeclared Democrats. Instead, we’re finding out that they are angry, disenchanted swing voters who are moderate in their views on most issues. Even worse, some recent polling showed Brown getting nearly a quarter of Democrats.

5. George W. Bush really isn’t working anymore. When they got in gear, it seems like Democrats just tried to feebly link Brown to George W. Bush. As the Black Eyed Peas would say that’s “so 2000-late.” We got more than our fair share of traction and mileage out of Bush in 2006 and 2008. It’s time to move on and freshen things up with some new ideas. Voters—especially disenchanted Independents— aren’t buying our tired Bush attacks anymore.

One thing is clear… Whatever happens today in Massachusetts, Republicans will be fired up and ready to go. And Democrats will be assessing blame.

With all those fingers flying, I just hope we can figure out a way to stop Independents from giving us the middle one.

We’ve talked with campaigns for years about how much likability matters. Voters can disagree with you on a number of issues, but you can win on election day if they like you and trust you more than your opponent.

George’s W. Bush’s first term is an example of this. The last 4 years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency are a testament to it. It was the foundation of Barack Obama’s campaign.

When you look at at a few of the year-end polls measuring popularity and admiration for national figures, the results are interesting.

The President’s numbers are respectable in the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll with 58 percent having a favorable view (40 percent unfavorable). Not the Mother Teresa-style ratings he enjoyed in the early days. But numbers George W. Bush would have killed for in his last years and levels many Governors covet now.

President Obama is the best-liked man in the federal government. But his former Democratic presidential rival has gained in popularity again too.

After suffering bruising hits during her presidential run, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now rates as the most popular official in the President’s administration with an approval rating of 64 percent in the CNN poll (30 percent negative). Only First Lady Michelle Obama beats Clinton with 68%, but it’s easier to be popular in that less controversial role.

Secretary Clinton’s turnaround is impressive when contrasted with her anemic 37 percent favorability rating heading into the final showdown primaries in 2008.

But Hillary’s not the only woman from the 2008 election whose numbers have been moving.

Hillary Clinton was the most admired living woman in the eyes of Americans in the year-end Gallup poll (16%) for the 14th time. But she barely edged out Sarah Palin this year by just 1 percent on the open-ended question. The former Alaska Governor came in second place at 15% and bounced up 4 points over her first appearance on the list last year.

But Palinites getting ready to measure the drapes in the Oval Office shouldn’t get too excited.

Her favorabilty numbers have dropped consistently since her high of 53% after the 2008 GOP Convention. In the last Gallup poll testing favorability, Governor Palin was at just 40%. Most importantly, more people dislike the former VP nominee than like her. 50% of respondents had a negative opinion of her.

Right now, the only thing Palin’s supporters care about is that she is popular among Republican voters and could convert that into a run for the GOP nomination.

In the end, likability matters.

Sarah Palin’s negative ratings have doubled since her national debut. She will need to do more than Go Rogue to turn things around with Democrats and Independents and have a chance to win in November 2012.

At least that’s how it looks at the end of 2009… But that election is more than a political eternity from now. It’s light years away.

Happy New Year!

FireDogLake covers US Senator Jeff Merkley’s independent vote against the Bernanke confirmation and his determination to put Main Street ahead of Wall Street again on Capitol Hill.

The Reader writes about Chicago Alderman Tom Allen’s principled stand against the shell game City Hall is playing with nearly a billion dollars in property taxes.

Senator Merkley and Alderman Allen are sticking to their guns and fighting for working people. That’s why we’re so proud to fight for them.