With the economy continuing to dominate the political discourse, Republicans are taking two tacks: Proclaiming their heroism in killing the bailout, or just plain changing the subject.

Bachmann: Pelosi's Speech Did Not Make Us Vote No
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is directly contradicting the party leadership's notion that Nancy Pelosi's speech yesterday led to Republicans voting against the bailout. "I want to assure you that was not the case," Bachmann said at a Republican Study Committee press conference yesterday. "We are not babies who suck our thumbs. We have very principled reasons for voting no."

Davis Iglesias Bashes GOP House Nominee
Here's a video making the rounds, in which former U.S. Attorney goes after Darren White, the Republican nominee for the close open seat of Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), for overzealously wanting to prosecute accusations of voter fraud:

"So I've been very disappointed in Darren. He doesn't understand his duties as a sheriff," Iglesias says. "He put -- and this is why I'm very critical about people like Gonzales -- they put loyalty to the party at a higher plane than their loyalty to the Constitution. Darren did the same thing. So I hope the voters understand that come November."

Jean Schmidt: I'm Suspending My Campaign!
Campaign-suspension fever is spreading. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) said she is leaving the campaign trail to deal with the Wall St. crisis. "While there is an election out there, the public sent me here to work," Schmidt said. Note: Schmidt voted against the bailout.

GOP Ad: Dem Wants Us To Use Dogsleds
The NRCC is going on the air in the GOP-leaning district of incumbent Rep. Phil English (R-PA), trying to seize the economic narrative against Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper:

The ad attacks Dahlkemper for saying people should conserve energy in the face of high gas prices: "Hmm, how about we use dog-sleds, too?"

Merkley Ad Hits Smith For Opposing Abortion
Senate candidate Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is playing to the Democratic base with this new ad against incumbent Sen. Gordon Smith (R), hammering him for his anti-abortion position:

Smith's campaign is objecting to the ad, calling it divisive: "Twelve years ago, Gordon said that while he is pro-life, he would not be [a] single issue senator, and on issues like medical research, international family planning and judges he's been proving that ever since."

Smith Ad: Merkley Will Fail Rural Voters
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), who has fallen behind Democrat Jeff Merkley in recent polls, has this new ad playing to the state GOP's rural Oregon base:

"Too often it's Portland first, the rest of Oregon last," the announcer says. Take this as a sign that Smith is effectively writing off his past campaign strategies of performing relatively well for a Republican in the Portland metro area, and will be trying to ramp up turnout with the party's base.

Begich To Pay Ethics Fine
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D), who is running narrowly ahead of scandal-plagued Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) in this deep-red state, has agreed to pay a $1,400 fine for failing to fully disclose his assets. While this is an exceptionally minor offense in comparison to Stevens' scandals, it does have the potential of undercutting his clean-government image on a political level.