This was written pretty much in real time over the course of the whole day. The television has rarely left CNN so I have taken liberties calling out CNN personalities as I see fit. This starts at 11:30am or so. First, I'm declaring that I'd rather be at work today. This is true ESPECIALLY since I have cable in my room at school and could have squeezed 1-2 hours of work today around watching 6-7 hours of TV coverage. Second, I still enjoy driving in snow and listening to Metallica JUST like when I was 17. I did listen to some Fleet Foxes too. That makes me feel slightly more mature. Third, I've decided to burn today getting into the Barackathon on CNN. Our schools were supposed to have a work day today, buuut that got cancelled by the chilly precip. Pictured above. To prepare, I rolled out of bed at 8AM. I went to get groceries and laugh at people stranded on the side of the road. Also, after spending $40+ I decided to get Bojangles on the way back. Yum! To the coverage...
CNN is showing views across the US of people gathered to watch Barack take the oath. All pretty uneventful. Did anyone else notice in the shot of Harlem there seemed to be one white guy? I find this funny. It's like me in my classroom some days. Yes, it's funny there too.
Wouldn't Election Day and Inaugeration Day make great holidays? Holidays where you actually have stuff to do... unlike Labor Day or Memorial Day. "Hey, is it Labor Day?" "What is Labor Day?" "A day of no labor!" "Uhh... GREAT!"
Anyone watching CNN and see #41 waddle penguin-esqe on the walkway in? New Batman villian? Proof of his villiany: http://blog.indecision2008.com/2009/01/05/former-president-bush-talks-about-possibly-one-day-president-bush/ I also find it amusing to call 43 by this monniker "George Walker Texas Ranger Bush." We can just call him T.R. Bush for short. This feels so obvious. Someone has to have already covered this.
I know I am over-protective and possibly (probably) a worrier. I worry about the kids at school. When someone dates, or even associates, with a shady character, I find it hard to keep silent. I think of potentially damaging reprocussions from events that has a remote chance of happening. This leads me to this point. I get nervous when Obama is around HUGE crowds. One of my (African-American) friends insisted that protecting Obama is going to be more difficult than protecting previous presidents. I argued that (T.R.) Bush is WAAAAY more hated and therefore more of a challenge to protect, completely ignoring that the progressive side has a huge lead over the status quo in numbers of martyrs - MLK, JFK, RFK, and Ghandi. I'm feeling saucy enough to lump Jesus, Abe Lincoln, and Malcolm X in there too as proponents of change.
How anti-climatic was it for Wolf Blitzer to whisper over the beautiful classical music telling us that Obama is President now. So the oath matters not. Does that bother anyone? I thought oaths were a pretty big deal. You can't testify in court without taking one. Hmm.
HA HA, North Carolina racists! At least your snow is still white.
What happened to inaugerating a president and getting the hell on with it? Did this ever happen? Did the Gershwin or Fred Astaire go on before FDR was sworn in? This is like the Super Bowl. I really don't care to see Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, John Mellancamp, or Bruce Springsteen. I'm watching for the main event. I feel like an extra at the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "GET ON WITH IT!"
Chief Justice John Roberts had one job and botched it. D'oh! At least someone knew the (apparently irrelevant) oath.
I wonder if the ranch in Crawford will depreciate in value as much as the dollar has in the past 8 years.
How does T.R. Bush not explode/implode with all the things Obama said that are basically a repudiation of all T.R. has stood for? Does he even know? Maybe he's daydreaming. What kind of job is T.R. Bush qualified for now? Maybe... bankruptcy counselor? "Ok, I'm pretty sure all your money is gone. Can't screw this up now, can I? ... You look concerned."
Pretty solid speech. Not Shakespeare, not timeless. But dead on addressing RIGHT NOW. Congrats to whomever found the oldest man in the US to give the benediction. I heard he served in the Wilson Administration.
Wolf Blitzer says Barack Obama has great handwriting. Steller journalism! I have this theory that on a 24 hour news station there is about 60-90 minutes of news a day. "If it may please the court, let me enter exhibit 10056..."
Onion break
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/obama_inauguration_speech_ruined http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/hillary_clinton_mouthing
Hard hitting stuff from the crew at CNN. George T.R. Bush didn't receive a warm welcome! Really? No me digas! I'll bet Clinton didn't see an excessive amount of love 8 years ago.
Wait! T.R. could run a major sports franchise! He's been with the Rangers of Texas. Franchises that he could run without causing any obvious damage: 1) the Oakland Raiders, 2) the Memphis Grizzlies, 3) Detroit Lions, 4) the Los Angeles Clippers, 5) the Kansas City Royals.
Wow! Senator Byrd and Senator Kennedy. Geez. I am not making jokes about this.
Anderson Cooper pointed out that in Statuary Hall (not making jokes about that either) there is a Jefferson Davis statue. YEAHHHH, THAT Jefferson Davis! He was immortalized by the state of Mississippi. Aroused curiousity leads me to find Zebulon Baird Vance and Charles Brantley Aycock are the two represented in North Carolina. Further research indicates that both of these men have ties to our dark past - Vance served as an officer for the Confederacy and Aycock was openly racist. Later them became "progressive" proponents of education. One (Vance) gave his name to the county where I work; the other's name is on a school in the district. Couldn't we find someone else to have immortalized in the Capitol? One of the Wright brothers? Billy Graham? Jesse Hel... nevermind! Elizabeth Dole? Richard Petty? Clay Aiken? (Barely typed the last few with a straight face.) How 'bout the UNC guys - MJ and the Dean??? Or, in all seriousness, Terry Sanford and Sam Ervin? Thanks, Wikipedia!
Interesting that Obama chose the Lincoln Bible. What some other presidents have done: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_first_Prez_to_use_Lincolns_Bible/articleshow/4008813.cms
I find it bothersome that CNN (and presumably other networks) are tracking Obama down the parade route. Can anyone else see the potential for disaster? I think I am worrying too much again. Isn't this the same parade route that TR Bush DIDN'T walk in 2001? Was there ever a t-shirt "I egged the Presidential motorcade"? I can't get over how it's so loud! Like it's a friggin concert or something. Barack is bigger than the Beatles. And Jesus. Combined.
Would it have made a bigger statement to speed through the parade route? That would show he really wants to get into the office and do some actual work. Or at least read some important briefs while in the limo? Maybe the thousands of people in the parade would have objected. This just in, the unemployment rate went up at noon today. No one cared.
DAVID GERGEN SHARES MY THOUGHTS!!! That was REEEEEALLY risky for Obama to get out and walk a bit in that open area. The Reverend Jesse Jackson also suffered an increase in blood pressure (I infer) based on the comments he made.
I'd like to have dinner with Donna Brazile.
Is CNN covering the first official bathroom trip as part of their extended coverage? My daydream: "Wolf Blitzer reports,'President Obama always washes his hands and uses warm water with soap. He has excellent personal hygiene.'" I really need to go back to school. This is ridiculous.
I have an awful gut feeling about the two ailing Democratic Senators. :[
4pm and this is already up. --> http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/
Further research shows that Tom Daschel is about to be employed again. (I took a hiatus from Obama-watching.) I wonder if it was the line under Senate Majority Leader that read "provided token opposition to President Bush" that got him in. If Obama is pulling in people from all walks, he had to get one non-stud.
Can we put a sign up outside the Crawford ranch that shows how many days it has been since the last worker accident?
So you're home in the White House. What do you do first? Call the chef? Explore all the rooms? Nude strut? Identify and locate all the cool stuff (i.e. kitchen, secret passages, basement... Does the White House even have a basement?)?
Senator Kennedy seems to be ok. And there was no real issue with Byrd. Geez, am I a pessimist?Whew! http://blog.indecision2008.com/2009/01/20/robert-byrd-fine-ted-kennedy-recovering/
Bush says he is back in Texas and there to stay. We can only hope.
After a solid 8 hours of doing this (in addition to other things), I'm spent. For all the people that think change is going to happen overnight, keep dreaming. Not a bad Day One.
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