Here we go again… another weekend, and we here at USDemocrazy are going to wrap up the week like a cheesy burrito.

First an absolutely priceless clip that has been flying around the web.This video, thanks to videogum.com, is “what you see right before you die.”

On to the other news:

New Yuck Yuck Yuck

Things have been rough for Democrats as of late. The party has been hit by a number of resignations and scandals (i.e. Massa’s alleged groping of male staffers). But things in Washington are not nearly as bad as the chaos in the state of New York.

The empire state has had a history of political corruption in the recent past… some of it humorous. One former Rep. John Sweeney who was caught drinking with frat boys. Then there was the New York City Councilman who asked for $177 dollars in reimbursement for a $7 bagel.

Other government misconduct is more serious… such as former State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s conviction on wire fraud.

Yet the saddest fact of all is that New York has no luck with governors. Their last Governor Eliot Spitzer was forced out of office by a sex scandal. He was replaced by his Lieutenant Governor Patterson who is now embroiled in a scandal of his own. (A full rundown can be found at TalkingPointsMemo.com).

Zamboni!

We here at USDemocrazy have always wanted to drive a Zamboni (we mostly just like the way the name sounds).

Well New York Times automotive journalist Nick Kurczewski (who’s name is also fun to say, do it five time fast now) lived our dream and took to the ice on one of the coolest inventions ever. (The video is worth checking out)

Speaking of Zambonis, this headline should be called Cleaning On Thin Ice.

In Colorado a Zamboni machine was cleaning the ice on Keystone lake. But this time the tables were turned and the ice cleaned the Zamboni. The machine fell through the ice. Though the driver was fine, the poor Zamboni required a crane to fish it out of the frozen lake.

Healthy Signs

The painfully long Health care debate might be close to over. Democratic aides in Washington are saying that their bosses are getting ready to pass a bill.

Democratic hold outs seem to be finally rallying around President Obama’s plan.

The Fix reports a memo from the White House suggests the plan has been gaining supporters ever since the President’s State of The Union Address last month.

The goal of the memo, which is being distributed on Capitol Hill today, is a) build some sense of momentum for the bill in advance of the White House’s March 18 timetable for passage and b) convince wavering Democratic members that their best course of action politically is to pass the bill and move on.

Go! Rush! Go!

Could Rush Limbaugh leave the country? No really… could he please?

Ahh just kidding… But we may not be far off base.

On his show recently the conservative talk show host said if health care passes he would leave the county five years from now when the provisions take effect.

That’s it for the week. We hope you are a little better informed, but if you know more than we do and thought we missed something vitally entertaining, let us know.

credit: Marvin Ady, via TwitPic

Like many,  we are following the tragic developing story in earthquake ravaged Haiti closely.

In this time of sadness and desperate need, there are some some bright stories to be found.

Most notable is the incredible outpouring of support coming from compassionate people around the world to help those suffering in Haiti.

Everyday people like us are trying to make a difference in all sorts of ways, including donating over $10 million via text messages!  Possible even more exciting?  France is pushing to help Haiti quickly cancel their $78 billion in debt, and have already canceled over $6 billion since the tragedy struck.

Super cool, right?  Nations are working together to send Haiti as much help as possible.

Pat Robertson plays the devil

But not all is good.  (In)Famous evangelical preacher Pat Robertson doesn’t seem to be helping things much.

Robertson said the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti a day earlier was the consequence of the curse that had befallen the country’s people after its founding fathers made a “pact to the Devil” in exchange for Haiti’s independence from France.

This is especially frustrating to hear, as Robertson’s remarks could encourage people not to donate to a situation that is desperately in need right now.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh decided to use the vast human tragedy in Haiti to score cheap political points:

“We’ve already donated to Haiti, it’s called the U.S. income tax.”

And he took this cynical swipe at the Obama administration

“Everything this president sees is a political opportunity, including Haiti, and he will use it to burnish his credentials with minorities in this country and around the world, and to accuse Republicans of having no compassion.”

Many thought Limbaugh reached a new low with these comments. We at Usdemocrazy disagree.

We fully expect him and others in the mudslinging world of politics to reach lower depths as the 2010 mid term elections near in November.

The Pope heads to the Holy Land. We hope the hat doesn’t make him sweat.

Cheney chooses the bigger man… I’ll take one Limbaugh, pelase.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night… shall keep the Postal Service from hiking prices!

Merci, WikiCommons

We here at USDemocrazy ponder politics quite a lot. (That’s why we get paid the big bucks — wait… we haven’t been paid in a while… Gotta go talk to someone about that.)

You know who DOES get paid? Senators… and right now things are really paying off for Democratic Senators.

Yesterday it was announced Pennsylvania’s Republican Senator Arlen Specter… is SWITCHING OVER TO THE DEMOCRATS!

That’s gotta make some people (namely, Republicans) unhappy, right? You betcha. (Michael Steele said Specter basically “flipped the bird” to Republican leadership…)

The best explanation for this monumental switch can be heard straight from the horse’s mouth (or do we call him a donkey now?), which you can see in the video above.

Now… this switcheroo is kind of a big deal.

Specter’s addition to the Democrats in the Senate would give them a filibuster-proof majority (it takes 60 votes… they currently have 59).  This will allow the Democrats to straitjacket any Republican opposition and  bulldoze through their (and President Obama’s) agenda.

This a body blow to an already reeling Republican opposition.

There’s so much news on this subject right now that we’re going to let those people who are WAY smarter than us do the talking. I mean, those journalists get paid too… So they better be doing a good job.

Here goes:

Salon explores “The Specter of a shrinking GOP”

The NYT gives us the deets (that’s hip-talk for details, we’ve been told).

Was this just a career-saving move? Some say yes.

The floor is now open for debate on what will be Specter’s contribution to the Dems.

Can he alter Obama’s financial agenda? Really?

What does this supermajority truly mean?

How’s the GOP taking this? Maybe better than we thought? (But maybe not.)

He was against party-switching before he was for it.

Finally, what does our good ol’ Vice Prez think? As a Democrat, he’s pretty happy. Here’s what he had to say:

I welcome my old friend to the Democratic Party. Senator Arlen Specter is a man of remarkable courage and integrity. I know he will remain a powerful and independent voice for Pennsylvania and the country.

Do you think party-switching should be allowed? How do you feel about Specter’s choice? We know we’re still caught up in the whirl of news stories, so we’d appreciate some opinions…

Some people just don’t want to give up their jobs. We can hardly believe it!

iTunes takes a hike. And some people are none too pleased!

Sarah Palin makes for a hot ticket! John McCain said so himself.

Don’t worry, Steele’s got a strategy. Something about yelling?

Grumble, grumble… We at USDemocrazy are hearing a lot of criticism flying around Washington… More so than usual, it would seem!

Remember yesterday (so long ago, we know…) when we talked about criticism of Obama for being reliant on his teleprompter? Well, in a talk between Lois Romano of the Washington Post and press secretary Robert Gibbs, Romano asks about that dang teleprompter and Gibbs got a little peeeeeeved, trying hard not to show his frustration with the question. 

Elsewhere, an Obama interview that aired on CBS’ “60 Minutes” has also been drawing some criticism. You see, our country’s facing some problems right now (just making sure we’re on the same page!), and Obama started laughing in the interview when talking about them. (Nervous laughter, perhaps?) And yet, some people aren’t laughing (shocking!). Obama was just trying to get people to appreciate his “gallows humor!” 

Might it be possible to laugh ourselves out of this recession? (Since we know we can’t talk ourselves out of one…) Decide for yourself by watching the video above! 

Speaking of criticism… a while back, you may recall some mutterings from Rush Limbaugh about hoping that Obama fails. After taking much flack for it (though it could be argued that he didn’t care a whole lot), Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has given his blessing to the Limbaugh lambast. He criticized those critics who were criticizing Limbaugh’s criticism. He was worried  that “political correctness had gone amok.”

All of this criticism, flying in from all directions and landing on D.C., is getting confusing. It is good to know some people are still worried about the job Obama’s doing. The smart guys at The Economist understand the HUGE learning curve Obama has in front of him, pointing out what exactly needs to be fixed by the Prez.

In an age where everyone’s got an opinion, everyone’s gonna be a critic. Some might even say that this recession makes tensions run higher.  We’d buy that!

The government wants in on Bernie’s loot. Wait, so do we!!!!!

“I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy.” Dick Cheney speaks out.

How good is your aim? It could help you with your finances.

What’s a Conscientious Objector?… find out from the BBC.

Georgia man arrested… while trying to get back into prison!

Need help with that mortgage? You might get it!

Blocking punches from all sides!  The Obama team is taking on Rush.

Obama takes his presidency even further into the 21st century. Who doesn’t love a president in Spandex?

We at USDemocrazy have always believed in the adage “The more the merrier”. But apparently more is not merry when it involves Rush Limbaugh and Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele.

Democrats, and even some Republicans, have painted Limbaugh as leader of the Republican Party. They cite Limbaugh’s recent hardline views of the current White House (like when he remarked that he hopes Obama fails).

Steele, who was recently elected Chairman of the RNC, seems to feel HE is the head honcho as he claims in the above video.

Looks like this party might not be big enough for the two of them (most of the space being taken up by Rush).

But don’t worry — the Grand Old Party is not about to become divided just yet! Steele quickly apologized to Grand Master Limbaugh.

Now Republican moderates are in a rage! They fear that Steele was not so steely when he backed down to hardliners in the GOP. They are wondering if this will be a trend in the years ahead.

For answers (or maybe more questions) on “What to do about Rush” check out this NY Times blog.

One thing is for sure… If Michael Steele wants to take the limelight from Rush Limbaugh, he is going to have some BIG (literally and figuratively) shoes to fill.