Where is the outrage?
One hundred seventy million dollars to swear in a President. Are you kidding me? In a troubled time we are going to spend $170 million so that someone -- no matter what their color or political party -- can swear on the Lincoln Bible to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States? Haven't you then already violated that sacred oath?
Where is the red brigades of the mainstream media now? Where is the outrage at excess so common associated with Republican assholes and fat cats? Is it OK because now it is our party's party? Are we complete hypocrites? Assholes ourselves? Does no one find this completely or even partially unacceptable?
Barack: I have cautiously supported you even though most of my support was initially targeted at denying Hillary any finger on the button of power. But now you are in the hot seat. You are meant to lead our country out of this mess ... and you have already stepped in a pile of poop in condoning this orgy of self-congratulation. Why? You were meant to be the change, the hope. Instead you are the epitome of Democrat "do as I say, don't do as I do" thought and practice.
Roosevelt in 1945 had his inauguration at the White House and served cold cuts afterward. Wilson barely had anything at all. Even Dubbya's 2004 shindig cost only $40 million. Why this? I don't give a rat's ass if you are the first African-American President: that is not a reason to squander money in an economy near free-fall. You are a symbol and so is this inauguration -- and so far, you are screwing it up. Imagine how presidential you would have looked if you had stood up and said that this was the wrong time to celebrate, that we serious things to do and problems to solve.
On the other hand:
This whole mess costs less than one F-22 Raptor. Any fighter jock can eject out of one of those after a goose-strike. It costs less than a day's fighting in Iraq. It costs less than (or about the same as) the golden handshake from Merrill for its outgoing CEO after he and his cronies killed off a venerable institution. It costs less than Bill Gate's weekly income. It costs less than the billions Bernie Madoff made off with -- or that he stole from charities in 2008.
Perhaps this is a feel-good operation to make the whole country proud. To show the world (like some bloated advert) that only in America could this story come to pass.
But really, the driving force must be the need to slake the thirst/venom of the Liberal Left accumulated through 8 years of Boosh. Pelosi needs her victory dance, Reid his celebratory strut, Dean his final boogie in the sunshine of publicity. This is the reward for 8 years of careful character assassination, deceit and lies designed to shift power leftwards once again. The faithful had to be rewarded no less than the Roman Emperors needed to provide the games of the Colosseum. Michelle Obama would castrate Barack if he tried to do away with her world-class gloat.
But what about Barack? Where is he really in terms of his development? Is this Macbeth? Is he a Dane? He is going to be somewhere where only a lunatic would want to trade places with him. The world is literally resting on his shoulders, not an enviable place. He is going to have to provide concrete solutions, a clarity of vision that so far has not been present. He inherits Iraq (basically solved -- if he does not now screw it up), Afghanistan (a real mess, largely due to Pakistan being a hotbed of perfidy) and Russia.
Barack has to get our economy moving again, solve the balance of payments problem, convince other countries to buy our debt, avoid either or both deflation and hyperinflation. Try to avoid a deficit beyond what is actually necessary, protect us from Islamic nut-jobs bent on our demise, and provide leadership to the World.
The papers (NYT) have portrayed him as the next best thing to the Messiah. He will need to be.
Where is the red brigades of the mainstream media now? Where is the outrage at excess so common associated with Republican assholes and fat cats? Is it OK because now it is our party's party? Are we complete hypocrites? Assholes ourselves? Does no one find this completely or even partially unacceptable?
Barack: I have cautiously supported you even though most of my support was initially targeted at denying Hillary any finger on the button of power. But now you are in the hot seat. You are meant to lead our country out of this mess ... and you have already stepped in a pile of poop in condoning this orgy of self-congratulation. Why? You were meant to be the change, the hope. Instead you are the epitome of Democrat "do as I say, don't do as I do" thought and practice.
Roosevelt in 1945 had his inauguration at the White House and served cold cuts afterward. Wilson barely had anything at all. Even Dubbya's 2004 shindig cost only $40 million. Why this? I don't give a rat's ass if you are the first African-American President: that is not a reason to squander money in an economy near free-fall. You are a symbol and so is this inauguration -- and so far, you are screwing it up. Imagine how presidential you would have looked if you had stood up and said that this was the wrong time to celebrate, that we serious things to do and problems to solve.
On the other hand:
This whole mess costs less than one F-22 Raptor. Any fighter jock can eject out of one of those after a goose-strike. It costs less than a day's fighting in Iraq. It costs less than (or about the same as) the golden handshake from Merrill for its outgoing CEO after he and his cronies killed off a venerable institution. It costs less than Bill Gate's weekly income. It costs less than the billions Bernie Madoff made off with -- or that he stole from charities in 2008.
Perhaps this is a feel-good operation to make the whole country proud. To show the world (like some bloated advert) that only in America could this story come to pass.
But really, the driving force must be the need to slake the thirst/venom of the Liberal Left accumulated through 8 years of Boosh. Pelosi needs her victory dance, Reid his celebratory strut, Dean his final boogie in the sunshine of publicity. This is the reward for 8 years of careful character assassination, deceit and lies designed to shift power leftwards once again. The faithful had to be rewarded no less than the Roman Emperors needed to provide the games of the Colosseum. Michelle Obama would castrate Barack if he tried to do away with her world-class gloat.
But what about Barack? Where is he really in terms of his development? Is this Macbeth? Is he a Dane? He is going to be somewhere where only a lunatic would want to trade places with him. The world is literally resting on his shoulders, not an enviable place. He is going to have to provide concrete solutions, a clarity of vision that so far has not been present. He inherits Iraq (basically solved -- if he does not now screw it up), Afghanistan (a real mess, largely due to Pakistan being a hotbed of perfidy) and Russia.
Barack has to get our economy moving again, solve the balance of payments problem, convince other countries to buy our debt, avoid either or both deflation and hyperinflation. Try to avoid a deficit beyond what is actually necessary, protect us from Islamic nut-jobs bent on our demise, and provide leadership to the World.
The papers (NYT) have portrayed him as the next best thing to the Messiah. He will need to be.
posted by Zaphod at Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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