I couldn't come up with a good list for this week. Also, all of the top five lists that have inundated facebook have me a bit sick of lists right now. So I'd suggest that people make some small talk about what the hell is going on in Washington D.C. Barack Obama is snapping at reporters, Michael Steele can't keep his foot out of his mouth and looks like a complete bafoon, and the Republicans have waited a month after Obama laid out his plan to roll out their... blueprint. A blueprint which features charts like this:

I really have no idea what that chart means. There's the road to recovery and there are all the core concepts that are going to fall by the wayside? Wave to them as you pass!

Obama likes to conjure up images of Lincoln but the an overlooked aspect of Lincoln's presidency is that he was a member of a new party and his election was almost a form of Democratic revolution, pushing a new group to the top and shaking up the power structure of politics. After watching both sides bungle one thing after another, I think it's pretty obvious that shaping up the parties isn't going to work and that we need a new voice. Perhaps the moderate Democrats can team with their Republican cohorts but I'm not sure if people who are already in politics can make the change we need.

Can American politics be saved? More and more it looks like the new American adage should be: "If you can't do teach. And if you don't want to work that hard, go into politics." Even Obama, as inspiring as he may be, is more moving with his words than his actions.

Then again, will anyone notice? People seem to enjoy the bipartisanship. Most people tune into agenda-driven personalities like Keith Olberman and Sean Hannity. Can a new party really emerge without selling its soul to someone who can finance their campaigns? A revolution needs to start at the grass roots or state level which makes it even harder to organize. Part of me thinks the new party won't be based around ideology as much as it will be focused on basic competence.