For the last year or so, I've been conducting an experiment. Now, don't hold me to the scientific method because it's been a really informal experiment. But the results have been both scary, enlightening and not very surprising. Cutting to the chase, for almost exactly the last 12 months, I've been applying for various jobs via one of the popular online job search sites.

Some background first. I'm self-employed. I write about politics, I produce videos, I make cartoons. But last year when the market tanked and the really serious recession began, I began to seriously worry that my small business work might not endure through the economic slump. So in a panic, I started up a profile at the job search site, uploaded my resume and began to look around.

Fortunately, I've been able to keep busy enough to pay the mortgage and haven't needed to take an actual job somewhere. But just for curiosity's sake, once my studio and writing work appeared to smooth out, I decided to keep sending out applications through the job site for the balance of this year. Just to see what would happen. The experiment.

Here's the result. In a full 12 months, I wasn't called in for a single interview.

No calls. No emails. No interviews. Nothing.

The biggest problem with the Democratic Party and its prospects in next year's midterms might not be the economy or jobs or health care after all. The problem might be rank stupidity.

A new poll from Research 2000 indicates that Democratic turnout on Election Day was low because, quite simply, Democrats didn't run as Obama Democrats. Creigh Deeds, for example, ran for governor and was completely destroyed on election day by Republican Bob McDonnell -- a disciple of evangelist and leg-press titan Pat Robertson. It's also worth noting that McDonnell once wrote that a woman's place is in the kitchen, and he opposes contraception. This guy beat the Democratic candidate in an increasingly progressive state that went for President Obama in 2008.

How did this happen? No, it wasn't the economy, as we previously thought.

If you ask a progressive on the president's left flank, they'll probably tell you that the House health care reform bill that passed the House on Saturday is, in fact, a weak bill with a public option that's doomed to fail.

I don't necessarily agree. The bill clamps down hard on insurance companies by capping out-of-pocket expenses, banning discrimination for pre-existing conditions, banning rescission (rescinding a policy as soon as you become sick or injured), creating health exchanges to encourage competition, stripping the insurance companies of their tasty anti-trust exemption, and, of course, there's a public health insurance program. There are also government subsidies to help us pay for insurance -- offering financial assistance to families earning up to $88,000 annually.

There's a potential disconnect between the Obama administration, the unemployment rate and the deficit, and I hope there's some sort of resolution or else you and I could be looking at high unemployment for some time to come -- not to mention a backslide on the greenshoots and economic growth we're beginning to see.

The unemployment rate jumped to 10.2% last month, the first time unemployment has breached 10% since 1983. While monthly job losses are significantly declining since early this year, 10.2% is still a scary threshold.

If you're wondering why it takes Congress so long to move forward with even the most popular legislation, look no further than the extension of unemployment benefits that passed the Senate yesterday.

It passed with 98 votes but the popularity of the final vote doesn't reflect the shenanigans that the measure had to endure in order to get there.

According to Huffington Post's Ryan Grim, first the Republicans tried to festoon the extension with unrelated amendments -- some of which having to do with further sanctioning ACORN, which, let's face it, isn't worth holding up unemployment checks for hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans.

Despite mainstream media predictions about the election hinging on the president's performance, it appears as though the economy was a much greater factor in the two key gubernatorial races yesterday. The economy was the anvil that crushed the chances of Democrats Jon Corzine and Creigh Deeds.

According to exit polls in Virginia and New Jersey, around 90% of voters said that they're concerned about the economy, while only around 18% said that their vote had anything to do with President Obama's performance so far.

Huzzah! We have a new record.

Open Secrets reports that lobbyists have dropped more money in the third quarter than during any other quarter since spending disclosures began -- $849 million to be exact. In three months.

Total for the year so far: $2.5 billion. Naturally, the health care sector is leading the year so far with $396 million.

If you've been wondering why the Republicans are insane and why too many of the Democrats are acting like, well, Republicans, this is your answer (I'm looking at you Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh).

Firstly, as we all know, lobbyists own Congress, but in terms of the big issues this year, ranging from energy to health care, the Republicans are being well-paid to flail and obstruct and generally thwart any efforts for reform.

Meanwhile, some of the Democrats who've muddied and watered-down the health care reform bill are equally as guilty of following orders from the people signing the checks, so they're stalling reform but not with the same fury as the Republicans.

Ten years ago, the health insurance providers and HMOs spent around $20 million on lobbying. This year, they're rapidly approaching $60 million. Just one of the expenses you finance with 30% of your monthly premium.

More good news on this front. The Supreme Court is deliberating the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case to determine whether a corporate-financed anti-Clinton documentary from 2008 is considered political speech. If the Court rules in favor of Citizens United, the Court will effectively give corporations free license to use money as political speech. In other words, the lobbyist scene could end up a whole lot worse than it is right now.

Here's you. You're looking for work and wondering how you're going to buy health insurance for your kids. Meanwhile, more than 13,000 lobbyists are scurrying around the Hill -- coercing your representatives to ignore you. Who wins that tug of war?