Stevens was convicted last month on seven felony counts in federal court and he is locked in a re-election battle with his Democratic challenger, Mark Begich.

Two weeks after the election, vote counting still continues in Alaska. Begich currently leads by 1,022 votes for Steven’s seat, which he’s had for 40 years. Reports say there are 24,000 votes still left to be counted, as well as absentee ballots from overseas. Still no word on the number of votes stuck in the ’series of tubes’ that Senator Stevens has worked for a lifetime to keep flowing free.

Back in Washington, Senate Republicans could vote to expel Stevens from the senate which could also strip him of his committee assignments if he survives and is re-elected.

Happy Birthday Senator!

The next few months will be interesting. We’ll have a new President tomorrow, we still have a few more companies releasing quarterly earnings over the next week, and we’ll get a better idea of how consumer spending trends during the 2008 holiday season as the month of November closes.

Tonight is election night – what better night to start of our blog posts?

With the troubling economy fresh on people’s minds, which man will be better able to guide the country through the current financial crisis? Is John McCain truly in touch with the American people? Will Barack Obama’s planned tax increases on the wealthy and corporations stunt any growth that economists are predicting in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2009?

These questions will be answered shortly as voting centers begin to close across the country. The first polls have already closed in parts of Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire. By 7:00PM EST, all polls in 3 battleground states – Indiana, Virginia and Georgia – will be closed. Two more key states – Ohio and North Carolina – will have all of their polls closed by 7:30PM EST. Ohio is huge for McCain as no Republican nominee has ever won the White House without winning Ohio. Pennsylvania and Florida polls will close by 8:00PM EST. Once we get a sense of where these states are going, it will give us some insight into how the election night will play out. If Obama happens to win more than 1 or 2 of these key states, it could mean a long hill to climb for the best political closer in the game, John McCain.

However it all turns out, the 2008 Presidential election will be a historical one. If Obama wins, the country will have elected its first ever African-American President. If McCain wins, we will have our first ever female Vice President and our oldest first-term President.

Most states expect record voter turnout, so the problems that face the country are clearly being taken seriously by the electorate. Having your voice heard is the only way to achieve positive change in this country. And it appears that most eligible voters are taking that step to have their voices heard. Stay tuned throughout the night for election updates and a detailed analysis of how the President recorded the 270 electoral college votes to secure the White House.