Washington (CNN) - The Republican National Committee will announce Monday that veteran political strategist Alex Castellanos will assume a senior communications role at the committee, an RNC official tells CNN. Full Article at Beltway Blips

WALLINGFORD — Battered by a lingering economic downturn, mounting unemployment and ongoing financial insecurity, American consumers are increasingly pessimistic, according to a pollster and author who visited the region Wednesday. Full Article at New Haven Register

For some reason, CBS’ “NFL Today” had the political pollster Frank Luntz on to dissect which players communicated well. Luntz was billed as a “language expert” for his use of meters to register how people feel when they watch other people speak. Full Article at Outsports

America is more polarized today than at any time since Reconstruction. A major quantitative analysis by social scientists Nolan McCarty, Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal found today to be the most polarized period in 130 years. Full Article at New Geography

The former CNN host sounds like he's running for office -- and if so, he's a GOP nightmare The evening of Nov. 11, when Lou Dobbs formally ended his career in journalism, may mark the beginning of a political nightmare for conservatives. Full Article at Joe Conason

It will be no surprise to learn the central point of their essay, ironically titled "Dangerous Assumptions" (available here or here with a subscription) is "Enormous advances in energy technology will be needed to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide... Full Article at The Breakthrough Institute Blog