The AP is reporting that Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re-election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats closer to a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority.

Stevens' loss falls on his 85th birthday and marks an abrupt realignment in Alaska politics and will alter the power structure in the Senate, where he has served since the days of the Johnson administration while holding seats on some of the most influential committees in Congress.

As the Senate Democrats gleefully rejoice over sticking it to the base that helped put them into office and gave them the majority they now enjoy, they might be wise to keep in mind the fable of The Scorpion and The Frog:

The Scorpion and the Frog

One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.

The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Every time Joe Lieberman undercuts the Democratic agenda--especially in the realm of foreign policy--the senators who voted for Lieberman can at least take heart that they got to make "The Left" look foolish today.

In exchange for surrendering his position on Environment and Public Works, Joe Lieberman got to remain in the Democratic caucus and stay on as chair of  Homeland Security / Governmental Affairs and head of the Armed Services / air and land power subcommittee.

Big props to netroots hero and "Countrywide VIP" Chris Dodd for negotiating the deal !

You know there are many things to dislike about this deal with Lieberman. But you know what, as much as we despise the deal, the Senate Democrats were entitled to do what they wanted. I would have preferred they made their votes public so we can know who to  boycott for donations. This diary is not about the stupdity or cowardice in rewarding lieberman with the chairmanship. This is about how the Democratic senators have been treating Joe and referring to him as a fellow Democrat. And how Democrats have made it tougher for a legitimate Democratic challenger who follows all the rules to beat Lieberman in 2012.

But Harry Reid crossed the line, my friends, when he referred to Joe Lieberman as a democrat. This is not a trivial statement. This is a lot more offensive than merely giving him the chairmanship when we needed him for a majority. That was a practical deal. Calling him a democrat on the heels of a shameless vote is going beyond practicality and actually shunning democratic processes. That is a slap in the face of all the democrats that voted against him the Democratic Primary. WHY HAVE A FUCKING PRIMARY IF YOU AS A PARTY ELDER HAS NO INTENTION OF RESPECTING IT? Lieberman got elected as a senator from CT and he is entitled to it as unsavory as that election was. But once he declined to honor the results of the Democratic Primary, he ceased to be a Democrat no matter who he ended up caucusing with. And there is a difference between a senator striking a deal with Lieberman for practical purposes and Democratic senators actually treating him like he is still a Democratic senator and he had to just overcome an additional hurdle which was something insignificant to them like the will of the Democratic party voters.

My question is this. It is widely known that most of the Democratic Party senators wanted Lieberman to win the general election against Lamont. People like Obama supported Lamont only because they didnt want to risk the wrath of angry democratic voters. If the primary only attracts fringe voters in the minds of these democrats (funny how they dont mind primaries when they are running as aspiring senators), why not scrap primaries when there is a democratic incumbent? Why not nominate challengers to incumbents only if the party elders dictate so and be done with the pretense that primaries mean something.

Making deals with Lieberman to invite him into the caucus doesnt invalidate a primary when you need him for a majority because the status of the inclusion is clearcut. But when you do it needlessly, you are getting closer. And when you make such comments on top of such a questionable move and combine that with behavior by the likes of Bill Clinton on Larry King(doesnt matter if it's lieb or lamont) or other senators giving him standing ovation during the lamont fight(pretty much saying "good ole boy, just find a way to get back here, and nothing will change, fuck the masses"), you definitely have achieved the same result as that of a primary having never taken place.

This is not just the lieberman issue. This is a warning to any Democratic voting block that they dare not fuck with a Democratic incumbent because they will ignore your vote and do whatever it takes to welcome future spoilsport incumbents.

Begich, Mark     150728     47.76%
Stevens, Ted     147004     46.58%

Begich is now up by 1.18 percent, well outside the .50 margin where Stevens can call for a recount.

This one is in the bag.  Congratulations, Senator Begich.

"Gay is the new black" is one of the mottos of the movement to redefine marriage to include two people of the same sex.

The likening of the movement for same-sex marriage to the black civil rights struggle is a primary argument of pro same-sex marriage groups. This comparison is a major part of the moral appeal of redefining marriage: Just as there were those who once believed that blacks and whites should not be allowed to be married, the argument goes, there are today equally bigoted individuals who believe that men should not be allowed to marry men and women should not be allowed to marry women.

It is worth noting that the people least impressed with the comparison of the gay struggle to redefine marriage with the black struggle for racial equality are blacks. They voted overwhelmingly for California's Proposition 8 which amends the California Constitution to define marriage as being the union of a man and a woman.

MORE AFTER THE FOLD

This is no brainer too.

Cuba is just a red meat issue to raise funds for republicans.

No help to Big Three...then no help to Big D...in the form of contributions and campaign organizing.

This is a no brainer!