For the first time this cycle, the Rasmussen survey now shows Mitt Romney ahead of Barack Obama in Florida, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, the last by a wide margin.  Three of the four are within the margin of error, and Rasmussen surveys had a small Republican lean in the 2008 and 2010 cycles.  These state surveys were taken before the disastrous economic reports today, with only 69,000 jobs created (less than half the expected number) ,  and 48,000 fewer in the last two  months than originally reported with an uptick in the unemployment rate to 8.2%.  Somehow the New York Times front page story about Ann Romney's dressage, and the Washington Post's front page story on Mitt's pranks in high school may not be enough to prevent people from realizing that we have a failed Presidency.   What exactly has  the $5 trilliion in new federal  debt  run g up in a but over three years bought us?

I guess it could be worse. Mike Madigan could be running the country. Here in Illinois, the Democratic controlled state legislature decided to adjourn without passing any pension reform. The 85 billion shortfall remains.   The state is insolvent, and the public employee unions  will once more use their money, muscle and votes to elect Democrats and delay the day of reckoning a bit more. Or they will vote to raise taxes again.

In case you have not seen the Howard Beale like rant (from the film Network) delivered by an angry Illinois House member, here it is (warning- obscenities not deleted).