Well as the Tea Partiers continue to prove they may be more than just a passing trend - at least in the fast-approaching midterms - we ask, where did the Democrats go so wrong in mobilizing their base? Did Obama's pandering to the center and big business alienate too many voters who believed in change? And what could he have learned from Howard Dean in building a movement?

Ari Berman and Karen Finney discuss why the Left has lost its base and how to regain it. Then, Greg Mitchell takes us back to the origins of media campaigning with Upton Sinclair's bid in California's 1934 gubernatorial race. And a commentary from GRITtv regular John Nichols on write-in candidates.

The Nation magazine contributor and GRITtv favorite John Nichols gives us some food for thought about write-in candidates.

"We didn't have sponsors when we came to Washington in 1963. We didn't have sponsors when we marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The young people that came to Mississippi in 1964, and three of my colleagues died, didn't have sponsors. We came out of the feeling that we wanted to redeem the soul of America."

"We didn't have sponsors when we came to Washington in 1963. We didn't have sponsors when we marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The young people that came to Mississippi in 1964, and three of my colleagues died, didn't have sponsors. We came out of the feeling that we wanted to redeem the soul of America."

Due to the recent wave of kids - especially gay teenagers - who've been bullied to the point of taking their own lives, the U.S. media's begun talking about bullying & teen suicide. It's so horrible that Americans have finally begun to do what we do best - fight with each other over what to do and never accomplish anything.

Rachel Corrie was an American activist with the International Solidarity Movement. In 2003, she took a plane to Israel to act as a human shield, preventing Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes and property. In Rafah, she was kneeling in front of a home when a bulldozer aiming to demolish it crushed her to death.

The controversy over home foreclosures is spreading--today, the White House blog and twitter announced that President Obama would not sign a bill that could have an impact on foreclosure documents because of the ongoing problems. In a nutshell, huge numbers of Americans have found themselves foreclosed on by banks that had faulty or incomplete documents. Three major firms have actually declared freezes on foreclosures, and Congress is calling for an investigation.

The controversy over home foreclosures is spreading--today, the White House blog and twitter announced that President Obama would not sign a bill that could have an impact on foreclosure documents because of the ongoing problems. In a nutshell, huge numbers of Americans have found themselves foreclosed on by banks that had faulty or incomplete documents. Three major firms have actually declared freezes on foreclosures, and Congress is calling for an investigation.

The ninth year of the US war in Afghanistan began with an apology. “We deeply regret this tragic loss of life and will continue to work. . . to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” The apology wasn't to the people of Afghanistan, for invading back in 2001. Or for the loss of civilian life in reprisal for civilian loss of life, on American soil for which no Afghans were responsible.