We’ve had a lot of back and forth on national politics, but it might interesting to look at what’s going on in state governments across the country. Pew has this Stateline.org report

Stateline.org has culled the accomplishments of the first 29 legislatures to wrap up their work for 2007. Besides spotting ways that citizens’ lives are being changed by the shift in political winds last year, what also stands out are ways the states are ahead of federal policy on issues from health care to immigration to global warming. Policymakers in Washington, D.C., may get more attention, but the action is in the states.

The Democratic takeover of US Congress may mean gridlock, but Democratic gains at the state level seems to have fueled quite a bit of creative lawmaking at the local level.

You’ll also find a handy map that charts the shifts in party balance and control across the nation, and which reveals that we should be careful about using the red-blue distinction to figure out national politics.