Inauguration

[William Thornton]

Random stuff. I didn't watch any (had a burn permit and was clearing behind my house) but saw and read news reports.

Rodeo clown (Charles Krauthammer's phrase for Trump when he announced) sworn in. No one saw all this coming, although it makes sense in retrospect.

The 'lock her up' stuff was rude and classless. Riots and burning cars was criminal.

Give the Obamas and Clintons credit for recognizing the gravity of these events and believing the fabric of our political system should be maintained even when losses are unexpected and keenly disappointing. John Lewis and cohorts are diminished but the system can endure such spectacles.

So, what was in the blue box?

Obama's favorite word: "I". Trump's: "We". Look it up.

The exhibionist Trump had far less inaugural balls than Clinton or Obama.

Obama is just a likable guy. Too bad his words and actions often seem detached from reality.

It's ovah. Deal with it. No, wait. Trump haters can move back to the next defensive line. Election, recount, electoral college...yadda yadda...ad nauseum.

Thanks for the additional $10 tril in debt, Barack.

Ironically, trump seems to offer rust belt resident and pro unionist Sandy more optimism about jobs than Obama. What Obama did can be quantified. Apply the same to Trump and compare.

Health insurance pre-Obamacare was a mess. Obamacare is a mess. No one knows where this is going.

One party gummit is tricky. It's what we have in my state and the Republicans stink. Democrats score just a little higher on the pungency scale or I'd be a Dem.

A hundred million Americans rejoice that they will not have to hear about the Clintons every day.

Looks like civil religion will be a large part of the years ahead. Not good for either cons or mod/libs.

Perhaps hostility towards traditional morality will be held in check, though.

I might register here as "fake keithsandyfox et al". I believe I can write posts exactly as they can, though it would be a challenge to make as little sense as fox does at times.

Make a note. In the group of us that go back a couple of decades here, none voted for Trump... I think.

[Dave Roberts]

One comment on the inaugural address--by the time Trump finished, I was beginning to feel sorry for the three Presidents who most recently served as Trump described the country as going down the tubes while his arrival was the cure to all things. By the time he finished, I even felt sorry for George Bush.

[William Thornton]

[Tim Bonney]

I don't have high hopes. But then I've become pretty skeptical about any politician keeping their promises. It is darn easy to say, "I'm going to fix everything." The proof will be in the pudding.

We will see, but my suspicion is that ultimately the very people who voted for Trump will be the people who get the shortest end of the stick.

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

You guys might want to see what happens on K street. One thing seemed predictable: Hil was going to be business as usual with the moneyed class, the Street, and such. Trump not so much.

Obama never reached 3% GDP (probably Bush's fault), which accounts for some of the $10 trillion. Let's see if trump can. In case my mod lib friends don't notice, I'll keep a lookout.

[KeithE]

[Dave Roberts]

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[Jim]

The big news in my newspaper this morning was that the crowd on the mall for the Trump inauguration was much smaller than the crowd for Obama’s inauguration in 2009, complete with photos of each to show the huge spots bare of human habitation.  The paper didn’t mention, however, that half the population of D.C. is black, which comprises a significant part of the reason or that blacks were bused in from everywhere for the first-black inauguration, or that part of the mall was covered and couldn't be used, not that any of this actually matters.
 
Congressman John Lewis, Senator Booker (NJ) and congressional black caucus chairman Richmond practically guaranteed this circumstance when they publicly at the conclusion of the Senate hearing concerning AG nominee Jeff Sessions tabbed Sessions as a racist, never mind the considerable evidence determined to the contrary, an incident that according to the media was unprecedented.  Chairman Grassley acceded to their demand to be heard but furnished three black witnesses who actually knew Sessions and had worked with him over many years (40 years, for one of them and 20 for another).  They blew Lewis and company away, not that it mattered.
 
Clinton lost the election so something had to be done about that and Lewis took care of it by claiming Trump was not actually the winner, notwithstanding that there was/is no proof that anything untoward happened in the voting process.  She simply lost through not gaining enough votes from the folks she labeled as deplorable—people like me.  Blacks have been brainwashed and manipulated for years but always come back for more.
 
Clinton had the black vote locked down, as is always the case since blacks almost en masse vote for the democrat no matter who he/she is.  There are 305,000 blacks in Washington, and a sizeable number would have showed-up if Clinton had won.  With Lewis’s help (that black icon thing), more than 60 House democrats also avoided the inauguration, thus further discouraging blacks to attend.
 
A huge number of blacks profit from one welfare program or another, as well as a huge number of whites, but these folks vote their entitlements, not their paychecks.  They would never dream of attending an inauguration of a republican, let alone voting for one.
 

[Haruo]

I saw in NY Magazine that Trump claimed that God made the rain stop while he was speaking. That's really impressive, y'know.

[Dave Roberts]

[Jim]

From Charisma News:

Rev. Franklin Graham took part Friday in the inaugural ceremony for the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump. Addressing Trump, Graham noted the weather may be a sign of things to come.

"Mr. President, in the Bible, rain is a sign of God's blessing. And it started to rain, Mr. President, when you came to the platform. It's my prayer that God will bless you, your family, your administration, and may He bless America.

I was watching at the time. That's what happened. This is hilarious to the Graham haters like a number in the Forum, so it might be good for a laugh.

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[Sandy]

Many of the neighborhoods in DC which were pretty run down, lots of abandoned houses and high crime, back in the 70's have "gentrified" since then. I interviewed for a school position there in 2009, and the east-central area of town, which was the scene of some of the 60's riots, and 70's blight, has really re-developed nicely. It would have been unheard-of for a private, Christian school to locate in that part of town even twenty years ago, now the one I interviewed with is one of several. The restored row houses east of 16th street and west of Georgia Ave. go for about $3,000 a month for two bedrooms, one and a half baths, and about 800 sq. feet. The condos and apartments in the new buildings are a bit less, not much. If you want to buy the 800 sq. feet, and have a basement garden apartment to rent out at $1,800, it will run $500,000. Prices go up west of 16th St. The area around the school had a mixed population, some African American, some Latino, some Asian, some white, probably equal percentages. There was never a time I didn't feel safe walking from place to place, even at night. It was the cost of living issue that was a major factor in my turning down the offer. If I hadn't been as close to retirement as I am, I'd have done it. At any rate, since both Obama and Clinton got more than 90% of the DC vote each of the last three elections, and Trump got fewer votes than the "others" did this time, the percentage of African Americans in the area is irrelevant to the turnout.

Using race as a means of determining why the turnout was so much larger for one President than for another is un-American. 1.8 million people is more than 450,000, regardless of whether they are white, black, purple or green with antennae. The only loser in this battle of wills is Trump, whose character is clearly too fragile to endure the truth, and whose obsession with it is already affecting his ability to be the President.

[Sandy]

I hope everything is OK around William's home and community. Haven't seen a post from him since the storms blew through Georgia.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Am enjoying not seeing Obama and Clinton on front pages. I have declared a "delicate snowflake free zone" around here.

Storms were in South Georgia, far from me. Thanks for the concern, though.

[Haruo]