In a tweet posted shortly after noon, Sen. George LeMieux commended President Barack Obama's decision to put a two-year freeze on federal civilian employee pay.

But he then quickly went on to call for more action to trim the nation's bloated budget.

From his tweet:

"Pay freeze for federal employees good start. Now, adopt hiring freeze and cut all federal agencies by 10 percent. Half measures not enough!"

Could Mark Foley be making a comeback?

The Palm Beach Post is reporting the former Republican congressman is considering running for mayor of West Palm Beach, especially as a number of big names have opted out of running to replace term-limited Mayor Lois Frankel.

First elected to the U.S. House in 1994, Foley is best known for resigning his seat in 2006 after it was revealed he was sending sexual instant messages to a congressional page.

Politico.com has a fascinating piece titled, "Democratic South Finally Fails," which reports on historic GOP gains in the region during and after the 2010 elections.

The Obama administration's liberal policy agenda-- especially Obamacare-- has made it almost impossible for white Democrats at the local level to be seen as moderates or centrists, says Emory University political science professor Merle Black. Just being a Democrat immediately puts many of the white Democratic politics on the defensive.