James W. Pindell's blog

Will today really be the Democratic landslide some are predicting? Dixville Notch votes may have already answered that question.

For the first time since 1968 Dixville voted for a Democrat. And it wasn't even close.

Consider that Dixville voted twice for George W. Bush. In 2000 Bush's won 21-5 and in 2004 he won 19-7.

Which makes Obama's 15-6 win this morning an ominous sign for Republicans.  Then again it was only 21 people.

Before Barack Obama's grandmother died today she cast an absentee ballot to help Obama become president. 

Under Hawaii law, though, that ballot will not count. The state law says that if the local election clerk is notified before the polls open on Election Day the ballot is invalid.

The issue is whether or not someone conveniently forgets to tell the clerk.

If Democrats wind up with 59 U.S. Senate seats on Election Day, they can still reach the magic filibuster-proof number of 60 if the new President appoints Republican Olympia Snowe to his cabinet. The Governor of Maine, John Baldacci, would presumably appoint a fellow Democrat to serve until a November 2010 special election to fill the balance of Snowe's term.

DENVER -- It was a good morning for U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy. At one point he stood in front of a full room of over 100 people gathered for an event in his honor. Next to him Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean was calling him a "true statesman" and "the conscience of the Senate." Leahy was appreciative of the remarks, but he just saw something he definately wanted a picture of.

So he grabbed his camera, leaned behind Dean, who was still speaking, and snapped a picture of fellow Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart, and Minnesota U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken being friendly.

Along with them were some of the biggest names in Vermont and national Democratic politics for his political action committee's fundraiser.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy is quietly angling to replace Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a Capitol Hill newspaper reports.

Four sources have told The Hill that Leahy is pushing to replace Byrd, who is 90 has been in the hospital frequently in recent months.

For the record Leahy denies the report.