The headline in the LA Times said it all: "Charities Can't Keep Up with Deepening Poverty."

America is facing a vicious charity Catch-22: the harsher the downturn, the more people in need of help but the fewer stepping up with donations. "As resources vanish," wrote the Times, "the threads...

A dark cloud hung over this Thanksgiving week. The protracted horrors of Mumbai dominated the headlines. Getting less attention was the growing pain here at home, as food banks and charitable organizations across the country reported having to turn away thousands in need of a meal. A ray of hope...

Happy Sandwich Day -- aka the Day After Thanksgiving. As you prepare your leftover turkey sandwiches, our HuffPost bloggers have fresh food for thought: their takes on what we have to be grateful for, and where we can do better. In the meantime, we can't let the moment pass...

Happy Thanksgiving. Even in these economically hard times, there is much to be grateful for as we mark the end of America's Dark Ages and begin a new era. I'm particularly thankful for all the non-political teachable moments we are getting from the Obamas: It's not worth holding a grudge...

It's too early to tell what changes Hillary Clinton will bring to Barack Obama's foreign policy, but she's already had an enormous effect on his brand. Her addition to his team has turned "No Drama Obama" into "Mo' Drama Obama."

Hillary's appointment isn't even official, but the Obama/Clinton narrative...

This week was filled with talk of presidential pardons. Remember Marc Rich? He's baaaack -- with his pardon arising as a possible obstacle to Eric Holder's confirmation. Meanwhile, Bush has received 658 pardon applications in the last 13 months, including requests from Michael Milken, Marion Jones, and "American...

On Monday afternoon I got a blast email from the Obama campaign. I immediately wondered what I was going to be asked to do: Donate to the Franken campaign? Make calls for Jim Martin down in Georgia?

It turned out to be neither. The campaign was letting me know...

Thank you for all of your great suggestions for tonight's Rachel Maddow show, which I'll be guest hosting. They've been incredible and, as you can see from the emerging lineup, we're listening: Google CEO Eric Schmidt will join me to discuss the ways Obama can harness the Internet to...

My favorite story of the week was the news that Michelle Obama's mother will be coming to live with the first family in the White House -- there to help Malia and Sasha make the transition to a new school, new friends, and the presidential spotlight. As my own mother...

So, $290 billion into his bailout plan, Hank Paulson is calling for a do-over. Now there is a confidence booster.

Providing "I-told-you-so" talking points to the what's-the-rush crowd, the Secretary of the Treasury announced yesterday that the government is no longer going to use any of the $700...

''On or about December 1910," Virginia Woolf wrote, "human character changed.'' We can be much more specific: "On November 4, 2008, just after 11 pm Eastern, America changed" (human character remains rather intransigent).

The change was driven by two things: our country's remarkable capacity for regeneration, and Barack Obama's remarkable...

In the wake of Obama's overwhelming victory, and Democratic gains in the House and Senate, conservatives are desperately trying to convince the world that these results are meaningless. "Democrats should not make the mistake of viewing Tuesday's results as a repudiation of conservatism," insisted John Boehner. "Barack Obama understands...

Here is a collection of my posts and videos from this amazing, historic week:

Obama Wins: Why All Americans Have a Reason to Celebrate

Watch: Election Night Reactions: Arianna Talks With Norman Lear, Laurie David, Marty Kaplan And Madelaine Lear

Tuesday's Second Biggest Winner: Democracy

Along with Barack Obama (and the other winners I've written about), there was another big winner on election day: democracy.

Based on initial numbers, it looks like over 133 million people turned out to vote on Tuesday -- 11 million more than voted in 2004 - producing the...

WINNERS:

The Davids - Axelrod and Plouffe: they spearheaded a near flawless campaign.

Katie Couric: her multi-part interview with Sarah Palin was the turning point in how the country saw Palin -- and by extension John McCain. And she did it in a way that left no room for accusations...

Even if your candidate didn't win tonight, you have reason to celebrate. We all do.

Ten months ago, when Obama won in Iowa, we had a glimpse of what was possible and what became real tonight. What I wrote then about one state is now true for the whole country:

Okay, all the arguments have been made. And I am ready to declare a winner in the 2008 race.

The Internet. (The other winner will have to wait until Tuesday night).

From the way campaigns connect to supporters, to the way those campaigns are covered, to the way voters...

Update: This Election Forecast Contest was originally going to be a one-day challenge, but the response has been so great we decided to keep it going until the polls open Tuesday morning. So get your predictions on the record!

On Sunday, I normally use this space to look back at...

Here is picture that sums up much that is wrong with American politics. Five governors of California, Democrats and Republicans, joining forces to oppose something that is indisputably in the public interest.

This is an image that could be repeated, with different faces, in region after region of our country,...

With eight days to go before Election Day, both sides are worried.

Republicans, while still holding out hope for a "McCain Miracle," are increasingly worried that McCain is losing in a way that, as David Frum put it, "threatens to take the entire Republican Party down with him." As...