Sen. Ensign (R-NV) on the floor talking about the importance of honoring solemn oaths.

Police tell local members of the media they’re on Sarah Palin’s “banned list” before booting them out of Palin’s book tour in Wasilla, Alaska.

As a journalist, one of the things I enjoy most about running TPM is our ability to draw on our readers to help us monitor events with national implications at the local and even hyper-local level. We first did this with the “DeLay Rule” in 2004 and Social Security in 2005 and then again as recently this summer the Tea Party/Townhall crazy of August. Sometimes it’s writes up in the local press, or mail from members of Congress or what goes down at a public event. And even though knowing these things is critical for understanding national politics, these are events and happenings that are hard for the conventional national press to follow. Now we want your help keeping us posted on what members of Congress — particularly Dems — are saying over the winter recess about how they’re going to vote on the Health Care Reform bill. Read More