Inauguration Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
I’m remiss for not putting this up first thing. Apologies. It wasn’t intentional – I got up late and actually forgot it was happening this early and am catching up with it now. I will say this: I know I will have a lot of disagreements with President Biden’s policies in the years to come and will bark about them here, but this morning he delivered a refreshing speech of hope for our future. I appreciated the normalcy of his words and tone. They were a relief. I pray that President Biden has a positive impact on our nation. I truly want him to succeed.
–Dana
Again, my apologies for not being more on top of this.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:02 amSeeing as I didn’t watch a minute of it, I forgive you, Dana.
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:05 amWell in that case I;ll just say what I said on the other thread. The singers were great, particularly Lopez, I really liked the poet, Biden’s speech was also good and reasonable to the occasion. And it was nice to see Pence laughing with Harris.
Victor (4959fb) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:06 amHeh, nk, I just finished watching it. It was nice. It was so different in tone than the Trump years. I was relieved. I’m under no illusions about his progressive agenda and that I will be in big disagreement with him over so much. But. Right here, right now, I appreciated all of it.
I would love to discuss the fashion choices by the prominent women in attendance but I fear this is just the wrong audience for that discussion!
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:07 amVictor,
I was meh on Lopez, but thought Lady Gaga did a sensation job. I also really enjoyed the poet too. All of it was very appropriate to the moment. Tasteful, wide-reaching, and fresh.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:10 amQAnon believers grapple with doubt, spin new theories as Trump era ends: ‘We all got played’
…….
As Trump boarded Air Force One for his last presidential flight to Florida, many QAnon adherents — some of whom had earlier this month stormed the Capitol in a siege that left at least two QAnon devotees dead and others in jail — began to wonder whether they’d been duped all along.
When one QAnon channel on the chat app Telegram posted a new theory that suggested Biden himself was “part of the plan,” a number of followers shifted into open rebellion: “This will never happen”; “Just stfu already!” “It’s over. It is sadly, sadly over.” “What a fraud!”
But while some QAnon disciples gave way to doubt, others doubled down on blind belief or strained to see new coded messages in the Inauguration Day’s events. Some followers noted that 17 flags — Q being the 17th letter of the alphabet — flew on the stage as Trump delivered a farewell address.
“17 flags! come on now this is getting insane,” said one post on a QAnon forum devoted to the “great awakening,” the quasi-biblical name for QAnon’s utopian end times. “I don’t know how many signs has to be given to us before we ‘trust the plan,’” one commenter said.
…..
One QAnon channel on Telegram with 40,000 subscribers noted that the last sentence of Eric Trump’s farewell tweet — “ … the best is yet to come!” — was also a common slogan for QAnon adherents, failing to mention that the phrase is a commonly used cliche. Another QAnon channel with 35,000 Telegram subscribers, devoted to the “Great Awakening,” highlighted Trump’s final remarks as president: “We will be back in some form — Have a good life. We will see you soon.”
“It simply doesn’t make sense that we all got played,” one QAnon channel on Telegram said.
……After Biden’s inauguration, Ron Watkins — the longtime administrator of QAnon’s online home, 8kun, who critics have suspected may have helped write Q’s posts himself, a charge he denies — said on Telegram that it was time to move on.
“We need to keep our chins up and go back to our lives as best we are able,” said Watkins, who in recent months had become one of the loudest backers of conspiracy theories suggesting Biden’s win was a fraud.
“We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility as citizens to respect the Constitution regardless of whether or not we agree with the specifics,” Watkins added. “As we enter into the next administration please remember all the friends and happy memories we made together over the past few years.”
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:17 am…….
It was all a dream!
Last night, Harris and Biden went to a ceremony at the reflecting pool intended as a memorial for the 400,000 dead. It was surprisingly refreshing to see something so *normal* — an official memorial for the dead — and retroactively shockingly that the President hadn’t been doing similar things for the last ten months.
aphrael (4c4719) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:28 amDana – I thought Lady Gaga’s outfit was *stunning*.
aphrael (4c4719) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:28 amThere was an inauguration? I thought the JFK Jr. was going to arrest all the democrats and have military tribunals on live tv where the lizard people would be revealed and the real American flag would be restored….
Seriously, I will be glad to (hopefully) see some sense of normalcy return to our public discourse.
Did not watch it, but did catch a youtube replay of Gaga’s rendition of the anthem. Not her biggest fan, but her singing about bombs bursting in air in the very spot that flash bangs and tear gas was deployed to preserve our nation… very moving. Literal tears in my eyes.
Glenn (fe43bf) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:38 amMy daughter said she liked Bernie Sanders’ outfit.
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:38 amAphrael! I just texted some other fashion watchers I know the same comment! Spectacular. Such a unique marriage of conventional and unconventional that really worked. The gorgeous red silk faille full skirt that looked like a modern take on an antebellum skirt to the wonderful blue jacket and stunning golden dove made up for a unique look. So refreshing after so many conventional solid colored dresses with long coats.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:40 amGotta admit, my first thought was ‘at least it’s not made out of meat.’
Glenn (fe43bf) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:41 amSo I Googled it. https://www.thecut.com/2021/01/bernie-sanders-inauguration-mittens.html
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:42 amIOW, “It doesn’t make sense that we were all idiots.”
Now that I can agree with. I’ll probably take a breather before going back to complaining about bad policy instead of the fact that the president is a sociopath and a maniac.
I haven’t watched it; I’ll do that in evening. But maybe you can relate to this, Dana: I have no interest in the Academy Awards or similar events, but I always look at the dresses later on, and pick out a few that aren’t dreadful.
Radegunda (20775b) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:49 amDana,
I admit Gaga had a stronger singing voice than Lopez, but I liked Lopez’s dress better – classic. And as a radical left marxist communist communalist socialist Leveler, I also have always enjoyed This Land is Your Land, and thought she did a good job of making it personal.
But still, I respect your love for Gaga and in the spirit of unity will join in her praise.
Victor (4959fb) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:56 am@ Radegunda,
Same. I usually spend time slicing and dicing the awful, and studying the details of the sublime. I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts later. And just a few of mine: love Mrs. Obama’s raspberry suit but wish the color block was broken up with a skirt and black tights and boots instead of pants, and I also would have liked VP Harris’s hemline to come up an inch or two. It’s a stunning color but the length is too dowdy for her.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:57 amI’ll have to find the transcript of the speech and read it in its entirety, but the quotes that Fox News put in their account sound typically platitudinous, as one has come to expect from Joe Biden. NRO reports that our new President suggested that the deep divide in America started exactly four years ago today. If Mr. Biden isn’t willing to reflect upon and acknowledge all that his prior administration did to contribute to the divide, then I don’t have much optimism that things are going to get any better.
But Dana, I’m glad to hear you say that listening to the speech live gave you some sense of a return to normalcy. While that won’t solve all of our problems, at least it does set people slightly at ease.
JVW (ee64e4) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:00 amVictor,
We are going to have to agree to disagree, both about Lopez’s rendition of an American classic *and* her outfit! But I appreciate the spirit of unity with which you concede that Lady Gaga killed it – both in song and sartorial selection!
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:03 amHere’s a ranking of Trump’s swampiest pardons, which I agree with except he left off war criminal Eddie Gallagher, who should probably be in the vicinity of the Blackwater Four.
Paul Montagu (77c694) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:09 amDana, no need to apologize. 😉
I will probably bark at 95% of what Biden does… but, you gotta feel for the man. It was a long journey for his desire to be President and he’s finally here.
I hope he restores some grace in the office and I pray that the Senates moderates that worst extremism that is infecting the Democratic party.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:12 amThe man won’t make it 4 years. May God have mercy on us for what we have done.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:20 amFor anyone bored with the Biden administration so far… 😉
Here are the first batch of EO by Biden:
Topic Reversal Summary
Nothing surprising.
Disappointed in the efforts to include non-citizen in the census.
But, I think the “rejoining” the Paris Accord will be met with court challenges.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:20 amHere’s a pardon that didn’t get much attention, involving Jeanine Pirro’s ex-husband, who was convicted of fraud. Now she owes the ex-president.
Paul Montagu (77c694) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:20 amStyle over substance. Bread and circuses.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:21 amLet the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed… to a plagiarist.
“What America needs are leaders to match the greatness of her people.” – The Big Dick, August 8, 1968
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:27 amI hope and pray that our country will continue to do well in the future. We have usually done well with some missteps, sometimes big missteps. There is a great need for some improvements, but in general we are fortunate to be US citizens. Our positives our much greater than our negatives. Let’s fill our hearts with gratitude not anger.
Fred (00ef70) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:39 am“The other side is partisan, not us” is a familiar routine in politics.
But Trump really amped up the idea that Americans who didn’t march behind him were enemies. The media were “enemies of the people.” Everything in government was “corrupt” unless it was fully subservient to him. His opponent could not conceivably have won the election legitimately. Biden “was voted on by a bunch of stupid people” — but if you criticized Trump, you were attacking all his voters, and they’re the real patriots (or so they believe).
Trump’s use of the term “patriots” was divisive, implying that you’re not a patriot if you don’t support him uncritically. He emboldened a part of the electorate already inclined to believe that people who favor a different policy direction are intent on destroying the American Republic, and that political give-and-take is a form of treachery, or at least cowardice. He gave fuel to the idea that drastic action is needed to save “patriots” from the large portion of the citizenry who disagree with them.
Biden is far from perfect, and like most people he will believe that his own biases are simply the correct way to view things. But unlike Trump, he isn’t congenitally disposed to take an “us vs. them” — or “I against the world” — approach to governing.
Radegunda (20775b) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:39 amGuess it doesn’t ‘count’ w/t talking heads in muddled Medialand that The Big Dick was sorta pre-disposed and missed attending the swearing in “inaugural” of Gerald Ford.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:40 amwhembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:20 am
That’s the way it’s always been done.
Even foreign diplomats are counted in the Census.
It doesn’t amount to a treaty – or anything at all except an administration’s policy.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 11:59 amYeah, Trump really loved those rallies and the adoring crowds. That was the essence of the job for him, along with watching Fox or Newsmax or OANN to hear people praising him. He had much less interest in learning about the substance of policy issues, and after the election he basically stopped doing his job at all. His main concern was messing up the transition if he couldn’t prevent it altogether.
Trump has always cared more about getting credit than about doing the work (though others in the administration did care about doing their job). He wanted credit for the development of vaccines, but couldn’t be bothered to care about an efficient distribution system.
That was all fine with his fans, who mostly wanted to hear someone trashing their enemies through the biggest megaphone in the land.
Radegunda (20775b) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:01 pmWhembly
I thought the constitution called out free persons, not citizens?
Time123 (6e0727) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:04 pmCan you point to a previous president that had what you felt was a properly substantive inauguration ceremony?
Time123 (6e0727) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:06 pmThe first is an insane abuse of power. The 2nd is just a bad idea.
Time123 (6e0727) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:06 pmLook if you Biden thinks he can pretend he isn’t any worse than Trump he must think we are all idiots.
For those who might not remember:
Biden retweeted someone saying “Kill all republicans.” The media would have never stopped telling us that if Trump had done that.
Biden shared a video of one of his supporters chanting “Black Power?” The media wouldn’t let us forget it if Trump had done the same with White Power.
Biden called people who didn’t agree with him enemies of our country.
Now that’s divisive. Let’s not pretend it’s just one side.
Oh wait, those were all Trump and they barely register as memorable because they were just run-of-the mill for him.
nate (1f1d55) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:18 pmSo on his way out the door, he says this:
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:25 pmTime123 (6e0727) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:04 pm
“according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.”
It even includes foreign diplomats. (they drink water, too)
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:28 pmSammy, thank you for brining the details!
Time123 (36651d) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:43 pmAnother wasted business day by American royalty on the taxpayer time and dime.
Where’s the Covid vaccine; where’s the $2000 emergency Covid relief for suffering citizens. How soon they forget why their castle was stormed. Get your asses to work.
If you crave pomp and circumstances, leave that to the Brits; they’re much, much better at it.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:46 pmA good security team would have vaporized Al Roker (are Walkaway and Turning Point disbanded now?) for that fist bump stunt.
urbanleftbehind (bf82dd) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:49 pmBiden and family, and others, loosely bunched, wearing masks, walking along the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue (some people more crowded more crowded standing behind the police line – Biden stopped for a second to talk to one or two of them.
Norah O’Donnell says new fencing has been put in front of the White House, It now looks like a medieval castle or a fortress.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:53 pm38. DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:46 pm
They’ve all gone back, a little, to ceremony and tradition – Donald Trump even left a note for Joe Biden, after all.
A lot was left off the menu today, like inaugural balls, and that’s good. Nothing was lost.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:58 pm@35. LOL Sing it, Dino:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL1KbQU30-4
“Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone.”
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 12:58 pmRagunda, please stop. Certainly we can evaluate the Biden Administration on its own merits without continually resorting to “But Trump!” arguments. If not, then it’s going to be a pretty ridiculous four years.
I stand by the point I originally made: If President Biden truly wants to bring the nation together, one thing he can do is reflect upon the divisiveness sown from 2009-17, including by hisownself (as they say in Texas). A good place to start would be to apologize for the “They’re gonna put y’all back in chains!” remark he made during the 2012 election.
JVW (ee64e4) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:00 pmDonald Trump even left a note for Joe Biden, after all.
“Any loose change you find under the cushions is mine.” – DJT. 😉
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:01 pmAnother wasted business day by American royalty on the taxpayer time and dime.
At least nobody has to suffer through an MTV/Rock the Vote Inaugural Ball this time around.
JVW (ee64e4) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:01 pm@39. Yeah, but ‘Amos ‘N’ Andy’ have been doing that street theatre routine for NBC for years. 😉
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:03 pmThere’s an actual real value to this kind of ceremony. I wouldn’t want it every day, but there’s a time and a place for it, and the ritual transfer of power is one of those times and places.
aphrael (4c4719) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:08 pm@45. Alas, Prime Time TeeVee Special tonite: ‘Celebrating America’ hosted by Tom Hanks & Eva Longoria.
I’ll be watching TCM. 😉
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:10 pm47.There’s an actual real value to this kind of ceremony.
Value is relative; it’s ‘valuable’ to a hungry media ever searching for programming content they don’t have to pay to produce and package commercials around. Right now Covid vaccine and $2000 Covid relief has much more value to the ‘folks’ actually paying the freight.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:15 pmWhembly @22-
I think the “rejoining” the Paris Accord will be met with court challenges.
What litigant would have standing to sue over what? Trump should have submitted it as a treaty and have the Senate vote it down, but that would have required strategy and planning.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:21 pmThat would be good, but it won’t help much.
As long as the republican base is nursing grievances that are in many way imaginary or exaggerated by their leaders I don’t think Biden will be able to move the needle very much.
I’m not trying to reduce the need for Biden to take proactive steps. I just don’t think there’s much he can do.
Time123 (36651d) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:21 pmDisappointed in the efforts to include non-citizen in the census.
A plain reading says “persons” not citizens.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:24 pmI was reading about all the Black women who paved a path for Harris, but saddened to see that the Black woman who held the highest office previously was never mentioned, while one whose claim was to have lost election was.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:30 pmAnother wasted business day by American royalty on the taxpayer time and dime.
Speaking of American royalty on the taxpayer’s dime:
Trump extended Secret Service protection for 14 members of his family as he left office
…….
…….Trump issued a directive to extend post-presidency Secret Service protection to 14 members of his family who were not automatically entitled to receive it.
Under federal law, Trump, his wife Melania and their 14-year-old son are the only members of his immediate family entitled to Secret Service protection after they leave office.
The couple will receive it for their lifetimes, and Barron is entitled to protection until he turns 16. Former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence will also receive continued Secret Service security for the next six months under the same law governing protection.
But Trump wanted every family member who had been protected by the Secret Service during his administration to be covered for another six months, according to the people familiar with his directive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe security arrangements.
That means the expensive, taxpayer-funded security will continue for his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, their three children, his son Donald Trump Jr. and his five children, his son Eric Trump and his wife Lara and his daughter Tiffany Trump.
The 24-hour protection will focus on Trump’s grown children. His grandchildren will receive protection that derives from being in proximity to their parents and will not be as extensive as it was during Trump’s presidency.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:32 pm…….
The perk for the Trump family is expected to cost taxpayers millions of dollars and further stress the elite federal security force, which in the past four years had to staff the largest number ever of full-time security details — up to 42 at one point, according to former senior administration officials.
……
It’s going to be tough for Trump to create a new political party when he loses his core supporters….
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:35 pmA plain reading says “persons” not citizens.
“Citizens” was not Trump’s dividing line. It was “lawfully present.” Only those admitted by the laws that Congress (with the sole power to do so) has passed should be counted.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:36 pm@27
Really?
It was “Obama vs. them” while he was VP.
What makes you think he’ll deviate from that?
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:39 pmTranscript pf ZPresident Joe Biden’s Inaugural address:
https://www.yahoo.com/now/full-transcript-joe-bidens-inauguration-175723360.html
He stumbled over the word rural.
You could critique this somewhat.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:39 pmIt’s going to be tough for Trump to create a new political party when he loses his core supporters….
I know that Rip is intending to mock, but his supporters would be better off finding someone smarter, wiser and better connected to carry their message.
And calling the Proud Boys his “core” ignores the other 73,999,500 votes he got.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:39 pmWhen Democrats take office, it’s a time for us to come together. When a Republican does, it’s a time to #resist. They should lead by example, when it doesn’t favor them.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:40 pmSince when?
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:40 pmBut unlike Trump, he isn’t congenitally disposed to take an “us vs. them”
When out of power, he had no problem with it. When in power he wants it all to be “us.”
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:42 pmIt even includes foreign diplomats. (they drink water, too)
It never has, as they are, like some Indians, members of a different state and untaxed. Nor are their children citizens.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:44 pmAnd calling the Proud Boys his “core” ignores the other 73,999,500 votes he got.
True, but were they willing to go to the barricades for Trump? Apparently not.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:44 pmI appreciated the normalcy of his words
I appreciated their brevity.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:49 pm@31
I’m pretty sure the constitution says “person” and otherwise silent on whether or not citizenship is required.
I don’t believe our founders foresaw the immigration challenges in our times. I don’t believe they’d support the open border polices that Democrats now advocates.
My opinion is that only legal residents (citizen+various green card holders) should be counted for apportionment and that EVERYONE should be counted for policy reasons.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:50 pm@50
Anyone or company harmed by the Biden administration policies justified under the Accord.
It’ll be litigated under the premise that it is NOT a confirmed treaty, as such the Biden administration doesn’t have the authority to execute it.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:55 pmTrue, but were they willing to go to the barricades for Trump? Apparently not.
My problem is that you have no problem using the whackjob fringe of Trump’s supporters to demonize and other the rest of them. If it was about Trump, you’d be right to do so, but it is not right to impugn the 99.9% of his supporters who did not storm the capitol.
155 million votes were cast, but there was not a range of choices. There was a hard Left Democrat Party with a milquetoast front man, or a formerly right-of-center party which a whackjob front man.
The real story is that the whackjob almost won. THAT is how weak the Democrats really are.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:56 pmI think this would be better then what the constitution actually say and would support an amendment to make this change. But the constitution says persons.
Time123 (6e0727) — 1/20/2021 @ 1:58 pmCongress (with the sole power to do so)
Since
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:00 pm1) Article I, Sections 8 and 9, and
2) 1808.
But the constitution says persons.
..excluding Indians not taxed. As something separate from normal inhabitants. If I try, I can find meaning in that.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:03 pmAnyone or company harmed by the Biden administration policies justified under the Accord.
It must be a particularized injury in fact, as we have seen in the recent election cases being dismissed on lack of standing. Good luck getting that in front of a jury. If your position is correct, it would have been litigated during the Obama Administration.
Source
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:05 pm@69
I know that.
Question: What is the constitutional term “free Person”? As in, what is the context of that language at the time it was written.
Hear me out… like the 2nd amendment, the most controversial phrase there was “A well regulated Militia”. Which people commonly misinterpreted as having the National Guard. The phrase “well regulated” meant “well prepared” and Militia was every-abled man with additional statutory definition. Besides, the Nation Guard did exist at the time.
What was the context of “free Person”? If they meant everyone, why the “free” adjective? Why not just say “…whole Number of all Persons” or just “…whole Number of Persons”.
But, then again…latter in the text there’s this: “…three fifths of all other Persons.”
So, they obviously had something in mind in certain “types” of Persons.
In other words, what did the intend to mean by stating “free People” and “other People”?
I’m not convinced an amendment is needed. If anything, I think Congress could define those terms, rather than fighting it out in Courts or letting the Executive branch determine what is meant.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:15 pmWhat is the constitutional term “free Person”?
Not a slave.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:17 pm@72
I believe some aspects *were* taken to courts a several courts enjoined them from being implemented.
I search the web, but I think some aspect of The Clean Air Act was also enjoined.
Point being, it’s a treaty. An unratified one.
So, the Biden administration should not be able to justify their policies under that treaty. They must ALSO show that other legal/constitutional powers allowing them to do so.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:20 pm@74
*doh*
Yeah, that’s gotta be it.
Well, that changes my thinking quite a bit. It’ll take an amendment to change it then…
Unless we amend it, this will be something that’ll continually fractionalize our politics due to this disingenuous incentive by some states to maximize illegal immigration.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:24 pmWhembly @75-
Source
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:24 pm@3. And it was nice to see Pence laughing with Harris.
Honor among thieves.
“Never give a sucker an eve break or smarten up a chump.” – WC Fields
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:25 pmBut, then again…latter in the text there’s this: “…three fifths of all other Persons.”
So, they obviously had something in mind in certain “types” of Persons.
In other words, what did the intend to mean by stating “free People” and “other People”?
The ‘three-fifths of other persons” referred to the slave population, as the South wanted the entire slave population counted for apportionment purposes. It was a compromise. The part of this clause relating to the mode of apportionment of representatives among the several States was changed by the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 2.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:29 pmIf by normalcy, you mean a fawning media, then I agree. Why just in the past 24 hours I learned: Biden was the best football player in Delaware; Harris the most awesome VP ever because she is the first black, South Asian, and female VP; that the problem with Washington and politics in general lies with Republicans; and the US cannot fail under Biden’s proposals.
So it is a trip down memory lane to 2008…Democrats cannot fail says the media, they can only be failed.
Hoi Polloi (139bf6) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:34 pmWe needed groceries, so I made a point of it to go be at Kroger at noon. I was afraid that I had not taken long enough, and that the infernal inauguration would still be on when I got home at one, but, thankfully, it was over.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:35 pmMr Finkelman wrote:
This is where President Trump and Senator McConnell erred. President Obama had it structured to not be a treaty, because he knew it would never be ratified, but that did not stop President Trump from submitting it to the Senate as a treaty, and ask for a ratification vote, knowing that it would be rejected. Senator McConnell could have taken the agreement, on his own, and assigned it to the Foreign Affairs Committee for consideration as a treaty, to reject the infernal thing.
The younger President Bush made the same mistake, by ‘unsigning’ the Kyoto Accords. It would have made more sense to submit it to the Senate for a ratification vote. Kyoto was a treaty, which President Clinton would not submit to the Senate for ratification, because he knew it would be rejected.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:44 pmMr Finkelman noted:
It should be remembered that there were no illegal immigrants in 1789. In fact, we had no illegal immigrants until the latter part of the nineteenth century, when the first restrictions on Chinese laborers were passed. Those faded away, and we had open immigration until the 1920s, when the first real restrictions on immigration were put into law.
But with all of the other information gathered in the census, citizenship and immigration status should have been included as well.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:50 pm@77
I totally understand that.
What Obama did and now Biden doing is an executive agreement.
But the provisions within the Accord can ONLY be applied to the US, so long as the Biden Administration use some legal justification other than the Paris Accord as a “treaty”.
The executive agreement isn’t a workaround from the Senate’s Advise & Consent. So, technically speaking, the Paris Accord itself has no legal grounding in the US. It’s only propped up by current executive branch’s own separate powers.
That’s why Trump was able to simply rescind it during his term…
My point, is that going the executive agreement route is chaotic on something that is universally recognized as a binding Treaty.
whembly (62ebef) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:52 pmWhy remove the masks for the speeches?
Wasn’t there a basketball player who ‘dribbled’ maskless into open microphones and got/spread the Covid last year? Seem these nitwits did the same thing.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 2:53 pmMr Murdock wrote:
When there are 25,000 armed National Guard troops stationed, you exercise caution.
Here in the Bluegrass State, we have had two demonstrations, one in the spring, against Governor Andy Beshear’s (D-KY) executive orders shutting down so much of the state, and one on January 9th, in support of President Trump. In both cases there were many men visibly armed, but in neither case was a single shot fired. Our wimpy Governor called the first demonstration domestic terrorism, because they hanged the Governor . . . in effigy.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:01 pmMr 123 wrote:
The Constitution says that we must count all persons, but it does not say what we must do with the information beyond apportionment. It does not specify that we may not count those here illegally for apportionment, as long as they are counted for the enumeration.
More, it does not say that we may not use the information to exclude the illegals from consideration in apportioning benefits to states . . . especially since the Constitution never really contemplated federal payments to states.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:07 pmHere’s the thing about persons not legally present: They are supposed to be deported upon discovery. If their presence it normalized in some way, or they are awaiting some proceeding and have leave to remain until that happens, then they should certainly be counted as they ARE legally present.
But counting those who are legally supposed to be deported as inhabitants is a distortion.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:17 pmThank you, President Biden.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:19 pmSo, Biden scraps the Keystone XL project as a sop to his “Earth First!” base. He also promises to block fracking anywhere it requires a federal permit. What do you think the chances are he will include modern nuclear in his Climate Change” proposals? Slim or None?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:32 pmThank Trump, President Plagiarist.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:41 pm“I give you my word. I’ll always level with you.” – President Plagiarist, 1/20/21
Or maybe other people’s word– if you can get away with it.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 3:46 pmSo I Googled Lady Gaga at the inauguration. “Stunning” is not the word that comes to mind for her outfit. Collapsed side show tent with a marching band struggling to get out … yeah.
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 4:06 pmshe did a good job on the song mr nk
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 4:15 pmShe is a gifted singer.
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 4:17 pmI know it’s hard to believe, but…
Fact check: True to form, Trump makes multiple false claims in his final comments in office
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 4:55 pmhttps://pjmedia.com/instapundit/427152/#respond
1776 project deleted by Biden. Can’t have true history reported by the government. False, anti-American propaganda must not be challenged.
NJRob (1b2aa6) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:01 pmYes, Rob, we definitely need civics lessons from the man who tried to fraudulently throw out the votes of tens of millions of Americans, and sent his mob to kill police, terrorize law-makers and sack the Capitol to because he lost an election.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:20 pmI hate to be the one to break this to you, but I’m guessing the National Garden of American Heroes is next to go.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:28 pm“1776 project deleted by Biden. Can’t have true history reported by the government. False, anti-American propaganda must not be challenged.”
It was literal government funded propaganda. Not a single historian was involved.
Davethulhu (f31045) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:46 pmFact check
Jan 21, 2021
Atlanta
CNN today announced the closing of their “fact check” office since Biden had promised he will never lie and so the office is redundant.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:48 pmYes, Rob, we definitely need civics lessons from the man who…
Trump did not actually write it, you know. However, the fact that even this clown knows American history better than the propagandists at the NY Times does not reflect well on the NY Times. Or their defenders.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:51 pmNational Garden of American Heroes is next to go.
Well, the name should go at least. I for one am not actually hostile to the notion that there are American heroes.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:52 pm64. No, foreign diplomats are counted in the Census (although their children are not covered by the citizenship clause of the 14th amendment.
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/291673.pdf
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:54 pmI think we can all agree that [insert date here] Projects of the last year have been utter dreck. I don’t know if the 1619 or 1776 were worse, but at least the terrible one from this week can be binned and we’ll never see again. The 1619 one is going to live on.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:55 pm@104
Well, Trump was wrong. They are not subject to our laws and pay no taxes. They might as well be Indians.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 5:58 pm@93. Semi-inflated Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon seems more apt; but at least it wasn’t a meat dress.
Still, of all the hot air expelled in Washington today, Gaga’s rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner remains the most memorable- easily bigfooting the swamp gas expelled by President Plagiarist.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/20/2021 @ 6:04 pmMr M wrote:
The United States is the world’s number one producer of oil and natural gas, thanks to hydraulic fracturing. So, get rid of fracking, we produce less oil and natural gas, and then we have to import more, sending American dollars overseas. Just f(ornicating) brilliant!
Why has natural gas supplanted coal as the primary fuel source for electric power plants? Because fracking made gas cheaper than coal! Make natural gas more expensive, and power plants convert back to coal.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 6:40 pmEight hours in and we’re already complaining about Biden. Isn’t it wonderful?
nk (1d9030) — 1/20/2021 @ 6:44 pmI suppose it was only a matter of time before Cancel Culture came for something I care about.
lurker (59504c) — 1/20/2021 @ 6:48 pmThe inhumanity…..merica, no longer great
AJ_Liberty (a4ff25) — 1/20/2021 @ 7:01 pmI’d like to note that we are now paying a press secretary do a job, rather than to avoid doing it. Good. I think people should do the job we are paying them for.
@Dana (not the kentucky one :P) I liked the bright colored coats, and I think the long A-lines looked really classic. You are right that Michelle probably would’ve been better off in a skirt, maybe just above ankle length and black leather boots. I also think Nancy’s skirt should’ve been longer if she was going to wear the shorter coat, a flowier, longer skirt would’ve looked nice under her jacket. Ella Emhoff looked ridiculously cute. Even Hillary didn’t look dowdy. Too often it’s a sea of black with maybe one woman in red or white, today it was much more colorful, and I appreciate that.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:14 pmWhy has natural gas supplanted coal as the primary fuel source for electric power plants? Because fracking made gas cheaper than coal!
Methane also has the lowest ratio of carbon to energy of any hydrocarbon. Coal is filthy stuff, with all kinds of impurities like sulfur and nitrogen that are released into the air along with lots of CO2. Methane (CH₄) Produces one CO2 for every 2 H2O molecules produced. Everything else is worse.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:19 pmBiden on a firing spree-
Bidens quickly fire White House chief usher installed by Trump
Biden Fires Labor Arbiter In ‘Unprecedented’ First Move
Surgeon General resigns at Biden’s request
Rip Murdock (f56c1e) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:20 pmFirst they came for Chik-Fil-A, but I did not object because I don’t much like chicken
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:26 pmThen they came for MyPillow, and I did not object because it’s a crappy pillow
Then they came for Bed, Bath & Beyond and I thought it was really funny.
So, Biden is now firing people in roles where previously their terms spanned administrations. Because someone gave him $25 million in campaign funds.
How is this not corrupt?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:30 pmBecause someone gave him $25 million in campaign funds.
Someone really wants to be chief usher. Do you have a link to the campaign donation?
Rip Murdock (f56c1e) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:33 pmScrew It, Trump Is Banned From Twitch Too
Rip Murdock (f56c1e) — 1/20/2021 @ 8:38 pm……..
On Wednesday, the live streaming platform for gamers announced that after disabling Trump’s account for two weeks following the violent uprising, it had decided to make the suspension permanent in light of Trump’s departure from the White House. In an email to The Verge, a Twitch spokesperson clarified that the decision to indefinitely ban the channel had been made in part due to “the ongoing risk of further incitement of violence.”
……
Twitch’s decision to ban the former president comes days after the platform made significant tweaks to its policies around harassment and hateful conduct, including updated guidance about words and phrases that are banned from the platform if they are used as insults.
@116 Frankly, I would be fine with Biden totally cleaned house. Given Trump’s history of hires, I can’t say that I believe anyone he hired to be competent. OTOH, the Usher was a long term Trump organization employee so there may have been a perceived loyalty problem and Biden has always been a union supporter, I don’t know why it would be strange for him to fire the anti-union Labor Arbiter. The only one that I can see as it having been possible to last was the Surgeon General.
@117 Unions tend to donate to Democrats. The Labor Arbiter is an anti-union guy.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:10 pmJVW, please don’t presume to tell me what I can and cannot say on an open thread. I didn’t respond to your impertinent remark earlier because I was working.
At of the time of my comment, the Biden administration had barely begun, if even that. The Trump administration had barely concluded. I reject the weird notion that we must immediately stop saying anything about a presidential administration once it’s over. One commenter on this blog is forever trashing Reagan. Did I miss your “please stop” in response?
My comments were directed toward double standards: Now that Trump is just barely out, Biden is expected to meet standards that some commenters would never hold Trump to.
I was planning to make a fashion commentary, but it really annoyed me to be addressed in such a demeaning way. I’m not a child who needs to be disciplined by you.
Radegunda (20775b) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:22 pm@ nic,
Totally agree. I thought the same about the little slip of a poet who spoke too. All the jewel tones sure brightened up a dreary few months. I noticed Laura Bush went for comfortable low heels. Smart move given all the stairs. I noticed the others were teetering, clutching hubs and handrails going downstairs.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:44 pmRadegunda,
I’d still like to hear your thoughts.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:45 pm@Dana Yes, the poet looked super cute too. There’s also a lot of marble IIRC, which is very slippery, esp for heels. Really heels are a hazard in general. smh.
(er, smh is shake my head, in case someone hasn’t picked up that piece of net-speak)
Nic (896fdf) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:55 pmYes, marble steps, and the eyes of the world watching. Yikes.
Dana (fd537d) — 1/20/2021 @ 9:57 pmIt’s not her first rodeo.
Dave (1bb933) — 1/20/2021 @ 10:11 pmRIP Murdock – the $25 million was specifically in reference to the firing of the arbiter, and was mentioned in the link you posted about the firing of the arbiter.
The Surgeon General was going to be fired for his role in the former administration’s pandemic response. That was baked in.
aphrael (4c4719) — 1/21/2021 @ 12:19 amDana
I’ll wait for Camille Paglia’s comment on Lady Gaga’s dress. In her book of collected essays, Provocations, when discussing fashion at the Academy Awards, Paglia asks (in paraphrase), do any of these women know female impersonators? You know, cross dressers, men in drag; those guys know fashion.
Men’s fashion hasn’t changed in over 200 years. A suit is a suit. The only variants are whether it’s a two or three button single or double jacket. The tailoring is all that matters.
Women’s fashion changes with the seasons. You can always tell when it’s Spring, because the girls all start wearing florals.
Women’s fashion is designed to accentuate the body. Every woman has a different body. Fashion is designed tp accentuate the best parts of it.
Men’s fashion doesn’t change. It’s just a tailored suit, year after year.
Women’s fashion change with the seasons. It’s always about what looks best on her.
I don’t think Lady Gaga’s dress looked best on her. She can sing, but her dress was awkward. More political than fashionable.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 1/21/2021 @ 2:55 amThe Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/20/2021 @ 6:40 pm
Regulations prevent that, although more expemsive atural gas might slow the loss.
What environmentalists (a word no longer much used) seem to be in favor of is solar and wind and batteries to take care of peaks. Batteries have their own environmental problems, but since long term battery storage is not perfected, they can ignore that because there’s nothing specific you can say about them.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 3:57 amMore mostly peaceful protesting (we’ll be back to ACAB before you can say BLM) while in other news, on the same day, 4000+ people died from COVID and Biden has fireworks and a very important photo op. At least the photo op was glamorous.
I wonder how many people could have been saved if they’d have used the money they spent on those fireworks for more vaccines?
frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:20 amThe 1776 Report was supposed to recount American history, yet no actual American historians wrote it, and it contained no footnotes or bibliography. It’s government-funded political propaganda, not scholarship.
Paul Montagu (77c694) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:29 amThere are issues with the 1619 Project, but the 1776 Report is a not a corrective.
And Biden is running hard left as fast as possible. Destroying energy independence, compromising the NLRB, going all in on climate hoaxes, but this is what many voted for. The next 4 years are going to be awful for our nation.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:34 amIt would be interesting to compare the pomp of the Biden inauguration (paid by donations) with the cost of Trump’s departure and 21 gun salute (paid by taxpayers). Or the cost of fixing the Capitol from damage left by the MAGA mob (paid by taxpayers). Or of every single thing Trump did over the last couple weeks that cost money and annoyed me. Think of the lives that could have been saved, etc, etc…
(Note to frosty — this line of argument is seriously unserious)
Appalled (1a17de) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:35 amFrosty, from the reporting I’ve seen it’s pretty clear that the protestors/rioters in Portland strongly dislike Biden and don’t see themselves as part of his team. seems like this is evidence that Biden hasn’t been on their side or supporting them, which lines up with the statements he’s made.
Time123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:46 amMy bigger complaints is the bad on evictions, which is huge over reach, and the pause on college loans. I’m worried it will lead to loan forgiveness which will further accelerate the increase in college cost.
I think the 15$ minimum wage is bad idea also, but I don’t think it will be as harmful as the other 2.
Time123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:48 am@frosty@129
Well, most of the non-Trump people have been saying all along that Biden isn’t a far left puppet, so it isn’t surprising that the far left isn’t super-happy.
This is ridiculously petty. Biden’s people have to get up to speed on what is going on before they can move on the vaccine logistics problem and neither Biden nor the photogs are directly giving shots to people or anything.
None. Inaugural activities not related to the swearing in ceremony are paid for by private donations to the presidential inauguration committee. It wasn’t government money that paid for the fireworks.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:00 amPresident Biden just cancelled the Keystone Pipeline, which will cost thousands of jobs.
This is the idiocy of the greenies. The oil the pipeline would have carried will still be used. But, rather than being moved by electric pumps, it will be transported to refineries by diesel-powered trucks and rail.
This is because the greenies don’t think things through! And they don’t think things through because most of them are economically ignorant.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:04 amNic wrote:
Judging from his executive orders of yesterday, I’d say that Mr Biden is going about proving “most of the non-Trump people” wrong.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:06 amNope. This was a big part of why he won. They knew it going in. They had all day yesterday for to get up to speed. Now I want to see the plan and know when they’re expecting results.
Time123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:11 amAntifa disagrees with you
Time123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:12 amMr Biden issued an executive order mandating masks on all federal property . . . and then promptly appeared on federal property without a mask.
I would point out here that the White House, including the President’s private residence, is federal property. The President’s bedroom is federal property. The residence bathrooms are federal property. Mr Biden will have to wear a mask 24/7/365 for the next four years. Can’t kiss his wife goodnight, can’t brush his scummy teeth, can’t do squat without his mask on.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:15 amMr 123 wrote:
Antifa are the real life version of Al Capp’s SWINE: Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything. Antifa do not think, because their median IQ is somewhere in the mid forties. They demonstrate, they riot, they destroy simply to demonstrate, riot and destroy.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:18 amTime123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:12 am
Are we talking about Antifa the idea?
frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:19 am@136 The anti-fossil fuel people might be on board for canceling the pipeline for their own reasons, but that wasn’t the original problem. The original concerns over the keystone pipeline wasn’t the oil energy, they were eminent domain, the water table, the aquifer, and Native American rights. It’s been halted in lawsuits forever and there was some state of NE stuff they needed to fix as well.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:29 amAppalled (1a17de) — 1/21/2021 @ 8:35 am
After the last 4 years, this is probably the most unserious attempt at serious criticism of a sarcastic comment I could think of. If this is the typical reaction to some mild mockery the next few years are going to be painful for some people.
As to the rest of your comment; good for Joe that he can still work the shakedown machine and get him some “private donations”. It still doesn’t look good to have puff pieces about how well dressed the Biden royal family is at the Lincoln Memorial while there are riots in WA.
frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:34 amA look inside Biden’s Oval Office
……
The Oval Office is synonymous with the power and majesty of the American presidency. All incoming presidents change the decor of the largely symbolic room to offer a sense of their personality and the type of presidency they hope to have. Biden’s is notable for the sheer number of portraits and busts of well-known American historical figures.
…..
Some are paired, with paintings of former president Thomas Jefferson and former treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton hung near each other — the two men frequently disagreed and were placed together to illustrate the benefits that come from differing views. Biden’s office said the paintings were twinned as “hallmarks of how differences of opinion, expressed within the guardrails of the Republic, are essential to democracy.”
….
Busts of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy flank a fireplace in the office. ……
Biden is also nodding to segments of the Democratic Party’s base via historical references. Behind the Resolute Desk is a bust of Cesar Chavez. The office also includes busts of Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt and a sculpture depicting a horse and rider by Allan Houser of the Chiricahua Apache tribe that once belonged to the late Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) — the first Japanese American elected to both houses of Congress.
A painting of Benjamin Franklin is intended to represent Biden’s interest in following science. …..
The room also includes paired paintings of former presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and a bust of former senator Daniel Webster, who forcefully defended the Union.
Biden kept the gold drapes that hung in President Donald Trump’s office, which had previously been in President Bill Clinton’s Oval Office. The dark blue rug was also in the office during the Clinton administration ……
……
Gone are the flags of the branches of the military that Trump displayed behind the Resolute Desk. Biden has installed an American flag and another with a presidential seal.
Also removed was the portrait of former president Andrew Jackson that Trump hung in his office. Trump and Jackson both ran as populists, and Jackson proposed ending the electoral college.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:41 am…….
One aspect of the office that hasn’t been touched: The Resolute Desk…….
This is tiresome, I should have said “the people rioting in WA disagree with you.” but it doesn’t change the point.
Time123 (dba73f) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:48 am136. The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:04 am
Just about economics?
The legal grounds for cancelling the permit for the Keystone pipeline weren’t the real reasons. The real reason is because they didn’t want the U.S. government to do anything help oil production, and this was an opportunity, albeit for irrelevant reasons, and they wanted to keep all the oil they can in the ground. It won’t keep this in the ground, although lower prices could, but this maybe might deter future projects.
This was a campaign promise. The government of Alberta, and other people, wanted to contact the Biden transition team, but they didn’t want to talk to them because Biden’s call to defend the truth and defeat the lies doesn’t apply here and in some other places.
Biden weighed the costs and benefits and decided he didn’t want to not do this. The lies on which this revocation are based aren’t so important; the stopping of the pipeline doesn’t matter too much in the scheme of things – there will still be oil; and the benefit to him of satisfying his political supporters, or at least of them not complaining of betrayal, are significant.
The U.S. government will be sued and may have to compensate investors in the pipeline.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:02 amAt the start of the day yesterday, the inauguration activities were running behind schedule, perhaps in an effort to avoid a split screen wth Donald Trump’s departure, but later it was running ahead of schedule. Kamala Harris was sworn in at 11:43 am and Joe Biden at 11:48 am.
I kind of liked the fact he used the word “folks” in his inaugural address – it’s the way he talks – but the New York Times thought he used it less than usual.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:09 amSammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:09 am
He’s slurring his speech more and having difficulty with the teleprompter. They’re probably tweaking his speech’s to avoid calling attention to that.
frosty (fc141b) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:30 amMr Murdock wrote:
President Jackson did not like the electoral college because though he won a plurality of the popul;ar and electoral college vote in 1824, he did not win majorities in either, and John Quincy Adams won in the House of Representatives.
President Jackson accomplished something no other President had before, or has done since: he paid off the national debt in 1836. Neither President Trump nor President Biden deserves to have President Jackson’s portrait hanging in the Oval Office.
The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:51 amInauguration first:
1789 – first speech (Washington) The shortest. The longer was in 1841 (William Henry Harrison)
1789 – First use of a Bible.
1801 – First inauguration in the city of Washington (Jefferson) He walked both ways.
1809 – First inaugural ball (Madison)
1817 – Firat inaugural address delivered outdoors (Monroe)
1837 – First time the outgoing president and the incoming president rode together to the swearing in (Martin Van Buren was Andrew Jackson’s vice president)
1845 – First speech transmitted by telegraph. (Polk)
1865 – First time African-Americans took part in an inaugural parade.
1881 – First parent of an president-elect present at an inauguration (Garfield. His mother) Calvin Coolidge’s father swore him in when Harding died in 1923 but these irregular events don;t really count here)`
1897 – First speech recorded by motion picture cameras (McKinley) No sound.
1917 – First time women participated in the inaugural parade (Wilson II) In 1913 there had been a protest march by women the day before)
1921 – First incoming president to arrive at the Capitol by automobile (Harding)
1925 – First speech to be broadcast on radio (Coolidge)
1937 – First inauguration on January 20, instead of March 4, as was the case from 1793 through 1933. F, D. Roosevelt II)
1949 – First speech to be broadcast on television (Truman)
1961 – First time both parents of a president-elect were present at his inauguration (Kennedy) It probably happened again with Bush 43 in 2001.
1961 – First poet added to the proceedings.
1965 – First use of a bulletproof, closed limousines (Johnson)
1977 – First time incoming president walked a long distance on Pennsylvania Avenue (Carter) This year Biden walked about two blocks, late in the day.
1985 – First use of a camera inside the limousine (Reagan II).
1989 First note left by an outgoing president for an incoming president (Reagan to Bush, who was his vice president.)
1997 – First inauguration livestreamed on the Internet (Clinton II).
(Among ther sources, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/18/us/politics/presidential-inauguration-history-facts.html
There are some mistakes there. Truman had only one inauguration although he was president nearly eight years. I assumed they meant 1949
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:08 amTime123 (dba73f) — 1/21/2021 @ 9:48 am
The violence is getting more than tiresome. WA isn’t the only place with recent violence.
I was wondering if the narrative would flip back after more BLM/A violence. It looks like it has.
frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:22 amThe Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:51 am
And he required payment in specie for land in 1837…and created a severe depression.
(better known to history as the Panic of 1837)
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:57 amAndrew Jackson was a “hard money” man. The Democratic Party had exactly the opposite position in 1896.
The fact that gold was discovered in the Transvaal in south Africa in 1897 and in Alaska in 1898 ended the depression resulting from the Panic of 1893.
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:59 am* 151
Correction:
I misread it.
Actually, the shortest inugural address was Washington’s second in 1793. 135 words. William Henry Harrison probably delivered more than his prepared text of 8,400 words.
2009 – Oath repeated privately because of possible flub
1877, 1917, 1957 and 1985 – Inauguration date postponed and oath taken privately on correct day, because Inauguration day was a Sunday. That also was the case in 2013, but my source doesn’t say anything about it, (it was also in 1821 and 1849)
https://www.aoc.gov/what-we-do/programs-ceremonies/inauguration
Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:32 am<eet the Press Jan 17:
The CDC can’t completely duck the responsibility for that. They didn;t emphasize that it was not strictly required, or even legally binding, and there was the implicit or explicit threat not to give vaccines to states that ignored the guidelines.
And you don;t find people assorted nto these established groups.
They shouldn;t have made a big fuss abot these guidelines – they maybe shouldn’t have isssued them at all.
By the way it is only with a special syringe – not universally at hand , that you get 6 doses. The vaccine is shipped with a syringe that gives five.
Sammy Finkelman (7bb55f) — 1/29/2021 @ 3:43 am