I watched so you didn’t have to
12:00 PM January 20, 2017. Sitting at my desk, sobbing heavily and quietly into a napkin. I had no idea that was going to happen. It just welled up in the midst of a bite of lunch.
I had to watch – I feel it’s my duty in order to resist to study The Enemy. It’s on my phone via huffpost right now.
Here are the lowlights to a brief, (it ended at 12:19PM) catch-phrase-filled address: (transcribed in real time so apologies for any inaccuracies)
“…an education system flush with cash…” that’s news
“…the crime and the gangs and the drugs…American Carnage” new movie? Or the theme of your admin?
“…Oath of office = Oath of Allegiance to all Americans…” I don’t like that word
“…refusing to defend our borders…” who did?
“…wealth of the middle class ripped from their homes and reDIStributed (misprounounced) across the world…”
he’s stealing from Kennedy then says “from this day forward, America First.”
more hypocrisy over foreign products yadda yadda
“winning” yadda yadda
“…bring back our borders (?)…” where did they go?
a list of infrastructure
“…people off welfare and back to work across our country with American hands and American labor…” but not with with American Labor
“…we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone…” ha!
“…unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism which we will eradicate from the face of the earth…” here comes the boom! Plus “eradicate” sounds very Final Solution-y
“…total allegiance to the United States of America…” that word again
“…when America is United, America is totally unstoppable…” TOTES dude
Now he’s singing “can do, can do, this guy says America can do” not really but he may as well
“…black, or brown or white, we all bleed the same red…” there’s some colors missing, and bleeding sounds ominous
“…you will never be ignored again…” can’t say the same for “ignorant”
“We will make America [list: Strong wealthy proud safe great]”
God yadda yadda, the end
A very short speech full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, except this
He wants total allegiance to the United States, which he thinks is now him. The disturbing meaning of the speech is that a shroud of muscular authoritarianism has fallen over our bright land, and people who belong in the penitentiary now control every lever of power we have.
12:30 and it’s all over. Get ready to resist.
Thank you for taking one for the team, Primo. Where should we send bottles of your favorite and an industrial size hazmat toiletry kit?
Who would have thought that a day without hearing “shots fired” would be a disappointment?
1I didn’t watch it. Heard that the crowds were much smaller than Obama’s 2008. Don’t know if it’s the truth or not.
2Thank you for your sacrifice. I honor you for ‘taking the bullet’ for the rest of us who couldn’t bring ourselves to watch.
3I think the protesters out number those there for the coronation. Crowds are very small. Restaurants in DC were not busy last night. We were seated for dinner last night at a very popular DC restaurant within 5 minutes of arrival and no reservation.
4Heil, Tweetler.
5Willkommen im Vierten Reich!
Sieg Heil, Heil Trump!
GOP Űber Alles!
Nationalsozialistische Amerikkka Reichsplukotratpartei™ Űber Alles!
Willkommen Das tausendjährige Reich!
Сказал вам так…
6It was reported that Trump wanted a very militaristic parade with tanks and missiles a la Moscow, but the military thankfully said no. If there was any doubt about his intentions that clearly shows what Dat Guy is about. Thanks for taking one for the team, Primo. Unfortunately we will all have to witness what’s coming and protest loudly.
7Husband at home watched since I’m at work and have a good excuse not to. Couldn’t have stomached it anyway. Said it was the smallest crowd since Buchanan or maybe Coolidge. Said it was the darkest and meanest inauguration speech ever. He also said that the House remained in session through the whole ceremony, which is unheard of.
8The pretenders talk was a campaign speech – not appropriate for the occasion. He in effect told the world he was going to change the country from the mess Obama made. A slap in the face.
9Papa, yes, it’s true. Can I get a link in here? If this doesn’t work, google Obama Trump crowd comparison:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/comparison-president-trump-and-barack-obamas-inauguration-crowds/
Also: it was 47 degrees and raining today, and 30 degrees with wind chills in single digits on 1/20/2009.
10Not an emphatic word from Himself……demeaning to most sitting around him……and I bet not a clue about how he projects himself……..I am going to buy a case of cookie butter while I can.
11Spent that hour making a charity quilt.
12Somebody will need it.
So Drumpf lies.
13Thanks, Primo, for giving us a recap that is more concise then I suspect the Talking Heads will be having later on tonight.
14I have been grocery shopping, emptied trash, delivered birthday cards to folks in the building where I live, had lunch and have had a wonderful time watching Animal Planet’s Too Cute Puppies and Kittens.
One of the gentlemen in the building was on the elevator with me as I was taking the trash out and he said, “Well, we have a new president!” I just gave him a look and curled up my lip in my best female impersonation of Elvis’s sneer … didn’t have to say a damned word!! LOL He, however, raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh!” That covered it!! LOL
Thanks so much. Spent the hour working from home (writing up cancer trials).
15I would rather poke sharp objects in my eyes than watch Sunkist Stalin’s coronation. Печальный день для Америки.
16I spent the hour helping a doctoral student plan her research on Alzheimer’s, then helping my grandson with algebra homework. I expect I contributed more to medical research, college education, and k-12 education in one hour than Trump and horrid DeVos will contribute in 4 years (assuming he isn’t impeached and she is actually approved.) Next up: caring for my 100-year-old dad and intake at the homeless shelter, thereby more help on healthcare than Price and on housing than Carson. Sadly, outdoing their record on education, medical research, healthcare, housing, or anything else is likely to be a very low bar.
17From the sublime to the ridiculous.
Sigh.
18IMO, don’t think much will happen vote-wise until those who voted based upon abortion, homosexuality, race, religion and low-info mainly will not likely change until they are hit between the eyeballs with the proverbial 2×4 to get them awake to these other things in life that have much more impact upon their lives. I have family and friends who literally vote this way because of their ignorance, prejudice.
19Maybe best not to rescue them from this oncoming pain. The rest of us reasonables are going to suffer anyways so why stop this impending lesson?
In the meantime, it would appear to be most effective time-wise to concentrate upon senate in 2018 since there is no gerrymandering. House will take longer game plan ala Dr. Dean’s 50-stater. Thanks, dnc, for doing away with that.
Need a change of guard with dnc leadership towards real progressives vs typical entrenched power suckeruppers.
Play real hardball without the repubs’ dirty, dishonest methods.
As a small cheer-up, here’s an article with photos about planeloads of women, many in pussyhats, heading to the DC protests!
http://mashable.com/2017/01/20/planes-full-nasty-womens-march/
20Rhea, thank you. Excellent change up from all the cute cat & puppy videos to watch a plane load of intelligent and beautiful women exercising their rights. Jane and I think we know one of the ladies in the top picture. Amazing woman incredibly near or over 80 years young. Whenever we see her she is as elegant as any of the Motown divas in their prime. She sure could teach Messalina Drumpf a few things.
21Decided to protest the takeover of our country by buying into the local solar power array – less money for the oil & coal lobby and less carbon dioxide (to make up for the Bloviating Yam in the oval office).
22What a joy and inspiration to read what some of you here did today. You shame me.
Tomorrow I babysit two sweet Rotties for the next week as my friend goes on a trip. Funny, both the country and I will be going to the dogs. So I can’t join The Women in DeeCee though I’m just outside of town in PW County.
Know this, there will be too much glazing put on this man (Mr. Trump. He will NOT get the P-title from me!) and his administration by the media. It will be undeserved. The Trump voters I know are gobsmacked. They will not mention him. If you do, they defer. “Buyers Remorse” would be the kind way of describing it.
This is something we can use to our advantage. Do not disparage. Tell them, “OK. You screwed up. Now, how can we fix this?” Believe me, they’re just as sad and disappointed as all of us. The hardliners? They’re beyond redemption. Don’t bother with them.
We will move forward. Saturday is just the beginning. Ever see the painting “Liberty Leading the People” in the Louvre? Put a Pussy Hat on her and you’ve got the spirit of what tomorrow is all about. As in the past, once again women will lead the way.
Support them and the tens of millions of men who share their values.
We are better than this man and his ilk.
23Rhea: planes full of nasty women are better than binders full of women, any day. My 23 year old daughter is going to the march in Trenton, NJ tomorrow. She said she will be handing out literature for Planned Parenthood. Makes her mama proud!
24Is that “Springtime for Hitler and Germany” I keep hearing?
25OK. So I am probably not supposed to compare every inaugural speech with JFK, but I just can’t help it, especially when an inaugural speech sucks swamp water! CJ thinks he is still on the campaign trail, so it was bully all the way! Only the dysfunctional would have cottoned to what he spewed! Its not that he has no sense of history or even the sacred,he is simply without sense period!
26van59 you’re right. Who is your Democratic precinct committeeman?
27I am with so many of you today – totally ignored the transition. Just got back from Canada yesterday and today needed to get groceries into the house, laundry done, and most importantly, do not turn on the TV! Alexa serenaded me with soft jazz to keep my heart rate down. I fear I may actually see or hear something that will force me to react, so trying to stay quiet and out of the loop a little longer.
But I do thank you, Primo, for watching so I didn’t need to watch! You deserve a few good stiff shots after such an onerous job.
28Jane and I would like to take a moment to thank all of you! First and foremost the beautiful Mrs. B. who hosts the WMDBS, aka JuanitaJean Herownself, the most excellent guest writers, daChipster, Primo Encarnación and El Jefe. Last and certainly not least, all of you who comment here and give us hope. All of your many kindnesses and insights are appreciated and will sustain us.
Today was certainly a lousy day and the next few weeks will not be pleasant. But we can do this with love and solidarity buoyed by the humor all of you exude. Thank you!
😀 and please do not stop calling and e-mailing your Congress critters as Jane and I promise to do the same in solidarity with you. We love ya’ll!
29Wait a minute . . . are you telling us that the Bible did not burst into flames?
30Well, Primo, here’s the info you inquired about for where I live in The Woodlands, Tx, Montgomery Cty, just adjoining north of Houston.
90 chairs for the repubs
http://www.mcrp.org/PrecinctChairs.htm
0 chairs for the dems
http://www.mcdptx.org
No dems have run here for the last 20 years. The tea party is open and has quite a few members here. This county is one of the wealthiest counties in Tx and so conservative that Attila is looked down upon as a normal wussie.
31Slipstream? What makes you think it was the Bible? Anybody can put a fake cover on softcover book.
32I mean within the Democratic party, who is the member responsible for your precinct. Looking at your link, in county precinct 1 for example there are 14 precincts filled and 10 empty. If yours is filled who’s the guy or gal?
33Estimate of Trump inauguration attendees is 250,000. President Obama estimates were 1,800,000 and 1,000,000.
34I am in error on the dem chairs for my county. Thanks, Primo, for bringing this up. I didn’t check the party site as normally only a token dem will run in this area as it is so heavily repub.
35There are 90 precincts with 38 unfilled within 4 County Precincts. The Woodlands, where I reside, has 24 precincts with 10 unfilled for a 94k pop out of 456k for the county.
I am in precinct 32 per registration card. I know few here who will admit to being or voting dem. The placards at the voting place do not, as far as I can recall in the last 16 years, have the word “democrat” displayed. The dem party here is basically token.
With trump giving the oil patch new life, I don’t see anything short of financially breaking these people that will get them to change their party votes.
I spent the day getting ready to drive to Albany for the march tomorrow–and I am excited because I am meeting up with a young woman who came out from NYS to California to help me as a nanny some 35 years ago. I have not seen her since that summer, but now that I live in NYS we are meeting up to join with so many other women in this march. Such amazing, timeless contacts that we establish as mothers and caregivers, different than contracts and political strategies…
36Heard about some big ugly Tiffany box dumped onto Michelle O’Bama by… ( nothing polite here so will leave blank).
37Make a guess/Bet of 2 things
1) the usurper coerced it free from tiffany in return for “exposure”.
2) The only “exposure that box and contents will get is as a charity auction item for, oh I don’t know many worthy orgs/causes that would troll at same time, lets say the Wobblies ( One Big Union) or any of the many others, Planned Parenthood,ACLU, Legal aid for indigents to stand up to legal terrorism, but I like the Wobblies.
None of which will fulfill in principle what “exposure” Tiffany’s was probably promised.
( Outside guess, Garish, at least gold highlignts or more, some member of the usurpers family is on it, made out of some endangered species hide/pelt/skin)
Good thinking, JAK. Probably not a Bible at all. Probably his treasured copy of Mein Kampf.
Probably autographed.
38Sacrifice your sensibilities and watch his speech. It is stomach churning and upsetting. However, you will forever know what you face. You can never be told that he did or did not say that because you witnesses it directly. Don’t turn away. This is too important.
That glimpse into his mind shows you where he will try to drag this country. At a visceral level. Your opponent grants you knowledge. Use it.
39That idiotic “education system flush with cash” comment, in and of itself, is enough for me to join in a revolt. I have teacher friends who have dipped into their own meager salaries over the years to buy school supplies for poor kids. Unbelievably clueless.
40Van 59 – If your precinct chair is unfilled, you can fill it. Go through the state Dems Party if you have to to get access to votebuilder. Print out a list of the dems in your precinct, and call them all for a gathering….potluck at a house with an open floor plan or a big family room works here, but a community hall or garage will also work. Then decide where to go from there.
You can field a candidate, or knock on doors to register Democrats (if you tell them that’s who your looking for up front, you won’t be registering the Dark Side), and make phone calls during the election. If there’s no one to vote for in your county, you can call into a more Dem-leaning county down the road.
Resist. Organize. Fight back.
41Mel: Thanks, but I knew who Trump was 5 years ago. There’s nothing new to see. It’s just scarier because stoopid Americans gave him the keys to the kingdom. #NotAnyKindOfAPresident
42Traitor trump 250,000
President Obama 1.8 million
That by itself says volumns.
I M P E A C H!
43Hussy, you’re stealing my thunder here, been working on a column saying exactly this, but I’m thinking much, much bigger. Watch this space.
I will say this, though. If you decide to do voter registration, register everyone. I would have to check the laws, but I don’t think you can do voter reg that way. In’08 we were instructed to reg anyone. We knocked on doors, identified ourselves, and registered every one, even if they were anti-Obama. Won a few over I am sure.
We need to build.
44@JAK: I agree that most of us on the board know who Trump is.
However, a real example just poped up on a TV sound bite interview of a protester at the LA march. The TV guy asked “why are you here?”. The reply, “i am here to protest” followed by a drawn out silence. Next question, “did you watch the inauguration speech?”. Reply, “no”. Fade to another interviewee.
Had this person watched, i am willing to bet the response would have been a bit different.
45Thanks, Hussy, for your suggestion. This am I visited with one of the insiders of the politics and power structure here in the Woodlands reviewing a kerfluffle a week ago with some agitated residents here with their rep kevin brady over his plan, as head of ways and means committe, to repeal and replace ACA starting in Feb which will undoubtedly be less than the present since what and when are currently unknown.
46My insider friend stated that there will not be any change here in the conservative makeup that owns this place short of an epiphany moment; eg, they start losing much of their wealth. These educated people are rabid right-wing ideologues with which empathy and compassion for the have-nots are sadly lacking. Yet many proclaim themselves ‘great crist-ians’ micro focused on abortion, homosexuality and ‘non-americans’ as they sufferingly luxuriate in their wealthy surroundings.
Sean Spicer, new press sec, just laid into the press for picking on poor cocksplat. They made it look like not many people came to poor cocksplat’s inaug. Awwww. Poor baby.
First presser- whining about those numbers, but nothing about governing, policies, etc. That’s going to be routine. C’mon press! Grow some ovaries and stand up to him!
47