Dan Billings takes a look at what might have happened if Pat McGowan had won his close race against Olymia Snowe in 1990.

Proving that racism is still a hot topic, links to today's post on Dan Billings' comments about Colin Powell have popped up all over the internet.

I looks like MyDD was the first, followed by The Huffington Post, OpenLeft and a dozen other left-leaning blogs (and one Houston Rockets message board).

Traffic is about 10 times higher than normal for a Sunday.

Writing on the conservative message board As Maine Goes, Republican attorney Dan Billings responded to Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama today by accusing him of racism and stating that "If Obama was a white man, Powell would not have made the endorsement."

Billings is a Republican activist who recently served as lawyer and spokesman for the Chandler Woodcock gubernatorial campaign and is currently counsel for the Republican state senate effort and a columnist for the Kennebec Journal.

He's also a frequent commenter on this blog, and I look forward to his public explanation.

I received my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday from the Orono town clerk. Here's our cat Chase (named after a certain Republican senator) helping me vote.

One thing that strikes me about the ballot is the fact that I've personally met almost every candidate for statewide or local office, and have had good conversations with most of them. That easy access is one of the great things about living in a state like Maine.

The only candidates I haven't met are the woman running unopposed for register of probate and Valerie Carr-Winocour, the Republican candidate for state senate.

I always try to be a fully informed voter, so I looked up Carr-Winocour's campaign website. I almost didn't make it past her slogan: "Working for the rights of the average citizen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" but when I did I found this :

I am a hands on candidate who is there with you in the midst "LISTENING" and you don't even know I am there. I AM! I listen to what you say in a casual conversation when you are enjoying bean suppers...

I won't be voting for her, and I'm going to be looking over my shoulder to make sure she's not sneaking up on me.

Update: I'd like to apologize to Dan Billings for hurting democracy by mailing in this ballot.