D.C.: Prepare ye the way of Glenn Beck, et. al.! The Maine Tea Party has prepared a very helpful guide to navigating D.C. that’s worth your review.

It’ll cost you $80 to snap a pic with Blago. If you had a face like that, you’d charge too.

Thanks to Wikicommons.

Storm in the Tea Cup? Organization kicked out of Tea Party due to racist remarks.

Half a Billion! Facebook connects 500 million people.

Hip to run shine? Illegal distilleries reappearing in the US.

http://www.amusebouchellc.com/ninja.jpg

This week we are all over the place. From liberal Tea Partiers to supper ninjas we got you covered.

Liberal Tea:

It wasn’t long ago when the now famous Tea Party was born. As it has grown, the movement has largely positioned itself to the right than the traditional Republican party. Now it seems the Tea Party folks may be too liberal for America.

Take Rand Paul the Tea Partier in Kentucky who is now the Republican candidate for Senate.  A new Public Policy Poll finds that more Republicans think he too liberal than too conservative.

Frankenstein:

Ever wanted to play God? Well scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute are playing at it. They have succeeded in creating a synthetic life form. The process took 15 years and $30 million. What did they create? Bacteria.

You might think that for 30 mil they could do a little better than giving us a new strain of the flu.

Ninja Vigilantes:

A mugging in Australia was stymied this week by a gallivanting group of ninjas. The brilliant muggers chose to carry out their crime right outside a ninja school. The ninjas who witnessed the attack, rushed to save the victim and proceeded to scare the bejesus out of the assailants.

Nelson The Ancient:

Comedians love to make old people jokes about John McCain but what about Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson? Nelson recently admitted to the world that he has never used an ATM.

What will come next? Angrily shaking his fist at kids who come on his laws, watching Jeopardy, yelling at clouds?

Speaking of which here is our Weekly Caption Contest!

The Simpsons

What would you (or Sen. Nelson) be saying to that no good cloud. Leave us your caption suggestions or we will shake our fists at you!

Thanks to Wikicommons.

By now, most folks have heard about the infamous “Tea Party” movement. With the 2010 mid-term elections for Congress creeping up, US politicians (particularly Democrats) are getting worried about re-election. In the months ahead, Republican hopefuls may be looking to Tea Party participants for party favors.

In a wonderful, albeit long, article for the New York Review of Books Mark Lilla thinks that

Right-wing Republicans hope to lead the [Tea Party] movement by following it. Establishment Republicans will make fools of themselves trying to master a populist rhetoric they don’t know and don’t believe in.

Lilla doubts whether the Tea Party movement can actually advance the Republican’s as Tea Partiers are

convinced that they can do everything themselves if they are only left alone, and that others are conspiring to keep them from doing just that.

Over at Democracy in America, E. G. Austin questions Lilla’s view on the ineffectiveness of the Tea Party as a political tool as

they are working within the system, holding rallies and raising money to fund primary candidates; that suggests a certain level of trust in the institutions themselves.

This begs the question then could  the Tea Party, and other voters, be looking for a third choice?  Recently the Tea Party stopped three term Republican Senator Robert Bennett’s reelection hopes and Florida’s Governor Charlie Crist is hoping that Tea Party votes will help his independent reelection bid.

In an Op-Ed for the Washington Post, Mark Penn points out that Americans

peer at more than 100 varieties of coffee drinks at Starbucks and wonder why they have only two bipolar choices in politics.

Penn goes further to say that American’s are finally getting fed up with only two options.

socially liberal and fiscally conservative voters believe, especially after what happened with health care, that they have no clear choice: They must sign on with the religious right or the economic left. It is just a matter of time before they demand their own movement or party.

Challenging Penn’s view on the wants of the masses, Jonathan Chait of the New Republic asserts “pro-government social conservatives” rather than what Penn describes are

the cohort that’s being ignored, both by the Democrats, who are more socially liberal than their base, and the Republicans, who are far more economically conservative. The parties are more responsive to their elites, who lean more socially liberal and economically conservative than the voters.

Chait further states that not only is there a lack if demand for Penn’s “Third Party”

first-past-the-post voting and the electoral college makes third-party campaigns extraordinarily difficult.

We at US Democrazy still aren’t sure; what are you’re thoughts?  Do voters want a new choice?  Do they just want changes within current choices?  Is the Tea Party the political party of the future?  Or in a simple summary what do American’s really want?

You know who could answer this question better than we can, you the readers.  So why don’t YOU voice YOUR opinion.  It’s the next best thing to voting.

The original Tea Party (OTP) in Boston Harbor, thanks to Wiki Commons.

We at USDemocrazy would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of our readers a happy TAX DAY!!

What’s so happy about paying the government money? Well, not much according to a certain political movement –namely, the Tea Party.

Sure, they’ve gotten a lot of lip service since they launched their cause a year ago, but a recent poll has really helped the country understand the views and the people of this Party.

But first… There’s a name dispute to settle. One Florida dude registered the Tea Party as an official political party, which has upset other unaffiliated Tea Partiers because that dude is confusing the public! Hate to say it… but there’s a lot more that the public is confused about when it comes to this movement!

Anyway, the New York Times and CBS poll seeks to put a face on the movement, and came out with some interesting results. The article from the NYT explains,

Most (members) describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, despite some conservative leaders urging a boycott.

Interesting. So if they’re so similar to the general public, what exactly sets them apart as a movement?

Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.

The article also explains that an overwhelming 90% of the Tea Party’s supporters don’t see America headed where it should be as a country, compared with the 60% of the other Americans polled.

There’s more that is interesting about the Tea Party, but those are the basics.

This post from The Atlantic talks about the just-released “Contract From America” that the movement conjured up to outline its platform. The Contract makes its main points on Individual Liberty (not government-dictated), Limited Government (there should be less government intervention in stuff), and Economic Freedom (preserve capitalism!).

It also outlines 10 more beliefs that they all agree upon, the most important of which include repealing legislation that raises taxes that go into effect soon and re-doing the current tax system so that it is simpler and fairer.

So, in honor of Tax Day, we’re asking you for YOUR opinions or questions on what the Tea Party stands for and why it is important in American politics these days. Let’s have it!

Apparently conservatives like to dress up… either that or Ben Franklin has invented a time machine.

More awesome Mardi Gras pictures at thedailybeast.com!

Who dat leading the Mardi Gras celebrations?!

Let’s talk… Just not in public… says Steele to the Tea Party guys.

Bye bye, Bayh! Oh come on, that was too easy.

TMP Photo Gallerie

We have all seen the Tea Party rallies all of them complete with friendly signs and nice people. Equipped with teabag earring this man is either here to skewer Democrats, or do their gardening for them.

courtesy of TMP Photo Gallery

There is honestly too much going on in the world of politics for any one person to follow (At least without getting a massive migraine).

So equipped with pain killers and a stack of cold compresses, we at USDemocrazy have set out to provide highlights from the wonderful world of partisan politics.

On Thursday, thousands of angry protesters descended on our nations Capitol. This rally was organized by the conservative activist group known as the Tea Party.

Inspired by Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, the rally was intended to show lawmakers (liberal or not) just what can happen when three thousand tea baggers wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

There were speeches, chants, signs, and songs (God Bless America seemed to be the most popular).

Republican representatives took the stage to offer their opinions on healthcare. Minority Whip Eric Cantor assured the crowed there would be no Republican votes for the Bill, while Bachmann preached revolution.

But What does this all mean?

Tea baggers insisted their voices be heard. Thousands gathered in front of the Capitol Building then made there way to visit members of Congress. It’s unlikely any one on the hill made it through the day without an ear lashing.

The question is: Did they make any difference?

The DNC has released a statement highlighting the apparent extremism demonstrated in the rally, including the arrest of ten protesters.

The Tea Partiers’ goals for yesterday were to pressure representatives into voting down healthcare.

With the vote scheduled soon, it won’t be long until we’ll get to see the impact of this “last ditch effort.”

Thanks to Wikicommons.

That’s right President George H. W. Bush, the father of our previous President, has invited current President to speak at The Bush Presidential Library located at Texas A&M University.

Not only that, but good ole H. W. has asked, in an open letter, that the Texas A&M students act as good hosts. President Bush points out that Obama is coming to campus to speak about community service

not about politics.

This was in response to a planned tea party protest being organized

to make sure Obama gets a very clear TEXAS SIZED MESSAGE to stop the liberal assault on our country.

US Democrazy is glad to see that despite the shrill political divide in much of the country today, there are some Republicans and Democrats longing to partake in civil discussion rather than civil war!