Inauguration-MLK Open Thread

Stephanie Miller/Joe Biden at Inaugural Ball

 

President invokes Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall.

 

Comments

[sparky]

There is a fabulous picture floating around Facebook that is a composite of Obama waving, and MLK waving, and together it looks like they are giving a High 5..Its been a great day...an african american president being sworn in for a second term, on the day that honors Martin Luther King, with the widow of Medgar Evars giving the invocation. Awesome!

[Walt]

I haven't seen so many smiles in a long time. This is uplifting and a nice break from all the infighting.

[TS]

The best part for me was when he left the stage after his speech and then turned around and just looked and looked and looked at the crowd. I sensed a deep humility in him at that time. Perhaps I'm projecting. Who knows. But I loved his looking. It felt so personal.

Oh I hope he proves to be the man I thought I voted for the first time.

[T-S]

Hartmann comparing the bravery "we do not need to be afraid" attitude that Obama and Biden demonstrated by walking down Pennsylvania Avenue with the fearmongering of the previous administration. He said not since Carter have the Pres and VP walked down Penn Avenue in clear view of the citizenry. I was surprised how far they walked. It was wonderful to see.

This is a new day.

[Sinbad]

Doing and saying what a POTUS must and should say at a inauguration ceremony. Many similaraties to what past Presidents (of both colors and ideologies) said previously as pointed out espertly by Dave Ross on his show this morning.
I don't know how much was and is spent on this production but with the American debt at the level it is, I would have liked it better if our POTUS had declared a more simple ceremony and presented (in a leadership fashion) a theme of cutting back until we attain a balanced budget and until each American in this country is not indebted for greater that $150K. We all take this into consideration when times are tight and we cut back on non-essential items, but our government spends no matter what the economic situation is. No wonder we didn't even make the top 10 happiest countries of the world. [Norway was #1, by the way]
I don't blame our President for this extravagance, however it's simply the mis-use of our funds and both parties (not that they're really THAT different) do it.
Not a good example for our children and the world. Moderation not excess should be our meme.

[Gentlemen Rouge]

I disagree; no one looks on inaugurations and subsequently cast the president in its economic shadow. The president is cited for how he left the country not how he was welcomed in office.

[Twofer]

I really hope that in his second term it can get handled that the President, V.P., Senate and Congress make it law that they have to abide by the same laws as we must follow. They can start with living under Obummercare.
Next they can make themselves liable for the same penalties as any other operators of Ponzi schemes.

[TS]

If anyone watched the recent Frontline and it's investigation of Wall Street, they might agree with your last item. I do.

Also, I watched Sheila Bair on Brian Lam's CSpan where he interviewed her about her book Bull by the Horns and she was riveting and her disgust for Geithner (a mechanic put in place by Rubin to make sure Citicorp did well)was apparent. Corruption everywhere among the elite. I guess they are all too big to jail.

[Gentlemen Rouge]

The trick is crafting and passing the law. Thereafter the executive is bound to execute the will of the people.

[TS]

I guess if it isn't happening on KIRO, it isn't happening.

Anyway, our honorable but weak-kneed Senator Reid gave up on the democrats and gave the Republicans and Mitch McConnell what he wanted. Quote from Tom Harkin on Huffpo: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) warned President Barack Obama that he "might as well take a four-year vacation"...

"It's a baby step. Really, it's a baby baby step," Harkin told reporters Thursday before heading into a caucus meeting on the filibuster plan.

Jeff Merkley of Oregon was actually reprimanded by Reid. Merkley should have put Reid out of commission for a few days and lobbied the senate to get real for a change. Obama finally has his mojo back and Reid straight-jackets him again.

For people who aren't paying attention, you are going to be sorry one of these days.

Now, back to KIRO. After all, it is the best soap opera in town.

[Kimmy]

“We must stop being the stupid party.”

Gov. Bobby Jindal

[TS]

Heard on Alternative Radio that the Koch Brother increased their wealth by 24% or $12 billion last year. Really good talk by Chuck Collins, grandson of the Oscar Mayer family.

Chuck Collins- How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It [Web] (December 15, 2012)

or here: alternative radio

Pretty darn interesting.