We officially have a new Prez

[potsherds]

[quote name='TrackerNeil' post='1655537' date='Jan 20 2009, 20.24']Let's hope so. With strong Democratic majorities in Congress and Barack Obama firmly in place in the White House, it's time to aggressively pursue a progressive agenda. We should reach out to the opposition where possible, but when the issue is sufficiently important (health care) we need to make the best legislation we can and then ram it through. Republicans who want to obstruct should be steamrolled.[/quote]
Heh. I support this in my fondest wishes, but doing this will likely decrease the time that Democrats maintain power, so...it's probably not a 'pragmatic' idea, or a strategic one, even if I would like to see some serious progressive goals steamrolled in over Repubs, such as a more nationalised health care system.

[S John]

I just got back to my apartment. My stomach won the battle of food vs. parade so I'm going to go watch it on tv from a bar, but I did make it there to see Obama take the oath and hear his speech. All in all, I'm really glad I went.

To say there were a lot of people there would be the understatement of the year. I'd like to see an aerial shot becuase from the ground I couldnt get a good idea of the how far the crowd went. I got there fairly early and walked around a bit then I made repeated attempts to get onto the mall and couldnt get in there. I ended up right underneath the Washington Monument. I took a ton of pics. Here are a few if anyone is interested:

[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3213533780_c235cd343b.jpg?v=0"]1[/url]
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[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/3212682167_7997f58a3f.jpg?v=0"]5[/url]
[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/3213528310_9a81f5eafa.jpg?v=0"]6[/url]
[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/3212680391_91e7f3c626.jpg?v=0"]7[/url]
[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3433/3212679445_9e6094b7e3.jpg?v=0"]8[/url]
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[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3212678581_18d841b29b.jpg?v=0"]10[/url]
[url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3213513158_b08c5376b9.jpg?v=0"]DC is out of coffee[/url]

[TerraPrime]

[quote name='Lady Whitestripe' post='1655541' date='Jan 20 2009, 13.26']Some a$$hole in my neighborhood is flying their American flag upside down and at half-mast today. :rolleyes:[/quote]

They have yet to benefit from the wisdom of Tempra, apparently.

[Lord of Oop North]

Oh my god. Even the furries made an appearance!

[SwordoftheMorning]

[quote name='Lady Whitestripe' post='1655541' date='Jan 20 2009, 13.26']I liked it. Hope and change, it's what we need.

I went home to snuggle with my honey on the couch and watched on CNN. Some a$$hole in my neighborhood is flying their American flag upside down and at half-mast today. :rolleyes:[/quote]

Skunky, I LOVE running into people like that. Stuck in their own lil time warp, hoping and wishing for days long dead and buried, never to return. When I first went to the south in the 70's, I'd see the hateful glances of the ex-KKK types longing for the good ole days, which weren't that far gone back then actually. But they still were forced to gnash their teeth and swallow much of the hateful venom they'd been free to spew less than a decade previously. If I ran into an "azzhole" like u describe today. I'd tape the biggest Obama pic I could get my hands on in the window of my car and park it in front of his house ..... but then, I'm twisted like that. LOL

[potsherds]

[quote name='TerraPrime' post='1655550' date='Jan 20 2009, 20.32']They have yet to benefit from the wisdom of Tempra, apparently.[/quote]
:rofl:

[Xray the Enforcer]

[quote name='Lord of the North' post='1655551' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.32']Oh my god. Even the furries made an appearance![/quote]

OBAMA IS BEHOLDEN TO THE FURRY AGENDA!!
:stunned:

(edited to remove a really unfortunate choice of words. damned jetlag.)

[Bronn Stone]

Anyone expecting the Democrats to be able to 'steamroll' legislation through, doesn't understand the difference between 41 Republicans in the Senate and 39. There is some hope that the Repubs in battleground states can be persuaded, but steamrolled? Not a chance.

There is plenty a President can do without the Legislature, but I don't think that Obama is going to be as willing to callously disregard the Constitution as his predecessor was.

I remain hopeful. The international arena is one where the President has great latitude.

Had I been Obama, I would have had an aide hand me a piece of paper and signed it without a word, on the podium, directly after the oath and before the speech. The speech would have mentioned that it was his orders on closing the detention facility at Guantanamo and replacing it with whatever he intends to replace it.

[angie]

[quote name='S John' post='1655547' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.30']I just got back to my apartment. My stomach won the battle of food vs. parade so I'm going to go watch it on tv from a bar, but I did make it there to see Obama take the oath and hear his speech. All in all, I'm really glad I went.[/quote]

You, ser, are braver than me. I've been watching happily from my home in the 'burbs all day. But thank you for the pics. :)


[quote name='Bellis' post='1655486' date='Jan 20 2009, 13.48']Unfortunately, because of a staff meeting that for reasons unclear was deemed more important than the inauguration, I missed most of it. Watching replays now. Did catch the poem. I wasn't sure whether it was the oral presentation of it, whether it would work better on paper. But it didn't sound much like a poem. Glad I wasn't the only one who though this.[/quote]

Yeah, didn't care much for the poem either - thought maybe it was just me and my lack of poetry knowledge or something. I'm glad I'm not alone in that, though.

[tzanth]

Whats with all this nonsense about today being a solemn day? A joyous day, certainly, but not so much solemn or sober. I too was nauseated by all the religious mumbo-jumbo. Certainly to be expected, but disappointing none the less. Warrens hypocritical bull shit was also totally inexcusable.

Overall though, found it pretty good. Hurrah for the end of Bush! :cheers:

[Elrostar]

[quote name='Angie' post='1655581' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.50']Yeah, didn't care much for the poem either - thought maybe it was just me and my lack of poetry knowledge or something. I'm glad I'm not alone in that, though.[/quote]

I think the poem was just... kind of bad. It was certainly not improved by her extremely clipped speech, which made it seem really forced and awkward. I couldn't really focus on the words because everything felt like it was being ripped forcefully from her mouth.

As my dad said when I was talking to my parents on the phone "She's no Robert Frost".

[Tempra]

[quote name='SwordoftheMorning' post='1655528' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.19']Potsherd didn't say she was "nauseated over religion", she said the "religiousty" of a secular event. I'm in the camp of Americans that wince when I see it happening, but have come to expect it. All in all, it coulda been worse, so I can overlook it. There are those that choose not to, and thats a valid expression. But to state her viewpoint is an "attack on religion" is completely incorrect.[/quote]


What made you think that was a secular event? The event was Obama's to do with it as he pleases and he may include or exclude religious invocations/benedictions/references as he pleases. All that was done today is upheld by the First amendment. Feel free to read the Newdow thread and TheKassi's posts in particular to understand why that is so.. And these same type of comments come up time and time again when an individual, be it Obama or Bush, make comments involving religion. It's a hostility towards religion. Potsherds herself is quite free with her hostility towards religion. But that as far as i care to stray into personal remarks, i don't care to get into a sniping contest in thread after thread. Hint Hint, Mr. Prime.

[Brude]

Ugh, Teddy Kennedy and Robert Byrd had to be taken from the luncheon after the Inauguration. Kennedy had a seizure and it sounds quite bad. Byrd is apparently not in nearly as bad shape.

[Tempra]

[quote name='Brude' post='1655595' date='Jan 20 2009, 15.04']Ugh, Teddy Kennedy and Robert Byrd had to be taken from the luncheon after the Inauguration. Kennedy had a seizure and it sounds quite bad. Byrd is apparently not in nearly as bad shape.[/quote]


Scary. Hope they are both ok.

[alguien]

[quote name='tzanth' post='1655591' date='Jan 20 2009, 15.59']I too was nauseated by all the religious mumbo-jumbo. Certainly to be expected, but disappointing none the less. Warrens hypocritical bull shit was also totally inexcusable.[/quote]

I didn't mind Warren too much, but my co-workers and I were certainly puzzled over the way he pronounced the names of Obama's daughters.

"Sa-SHA"

The Chicago pub I was in cheered fairly loudly twice: once after the oath was administered and then again after his speech.

Great event.

ps. did anyone else notice the resemblance between the wheelchair bound Dick Cheney and Potter, the evil banker from [i]Its a Wonderful Life[/i]?

[Bronn Stone]

[url="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/01/20/obama_lunches_with_congression.html"]Kennedy's seizure[/url] does sound pretty bad.

[Ser Hot Pie]

If The West Wing has taught me anything, Obama is currently facing about a jillion phone calls, a stack of papers, and a dizzying round of meetings coordinated by Rham to deal with his Cabinet confirmations, legislative agenda, and foreign policy dillemas all while gearing up for rushing around to a dozen Innagural Balls.

Meanwhile, I imagine that Joe Biden is napping on a couch somewhere in the OEOB.

[TrackerNeil]

[quote name='Bronn Stone' post='1655565' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.40']Anyone expecting the Democrats to be able to 'steamroll' legislation through, doesn't understand the difference between 41 Republicans in the Senate and 39. There is some hope that the Repubs in battleground states can be persuaded, but steamrolled? Not a chance.[/quote]

I do indeed know the difference between 41 and 39, and I also know that it's harder to keep 41 people together than it is 40*. That's the fact that perhaps hasn't been addressed: To support a filibuster, McConnell must keep [i]every single Republican[/i] on board. If one defects, the filibuster fails. As I said in my previous, Obama should reach out to those Republicans who can be persuaded, but some of them will have to be simply pushed aside. That's fact.

[i]*Naturally, this assumes Franken is confirmed the winner in Minnesota.[/i]

[IheartTesla]

[quote name='Tempra' post='1655593' date='Jan 20 2009, 14.59']What made you think that was a secular event? The event was Obama's to do with it as he pleases and he may include or exclude religious invocations/benedictions/references as he pleases. All that was done today is upheld by the First amendment.[/quote]

And this board is populated (overrun even) with atheists and secularists who may post as they please regardless of the appropriateness of the occasion as long as they dont fall afoul of board rules. No post has been deleted so far. I'm glad we all understand each other.

On topic, Warren's invocation made my bile rise.

I hope Kennedy turns out ok (and Byrd too).

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='TrackerNeil' post='1655617' date='Jan 20 2009, 12.17']I do indeed know the difference between 41 and 39, and I also know that it's harder to keep 41 people together than it is 40*. That's the fact that perhaps hasn't been addressed: To support a filibuster, McConnell must keep [i]every single Republican[/i] on board. If one defects, the filibuster fails. As I said in my previous, Obama should reach out to those Republicans who can be persuaded, but some of them will have to be simply pushed aside. That's fact.

[i]*Naturally, this assumes Franken is confirmed the winner in Minnesota.[/i][/quote]

If you establish a siege mentality, you end all hope of cooperation. Republicans have a resource that Democrats do not have when it comes to forcing party unity. Conservative talk radio. If Rush, Hannity, et al. get on the backs of a candidate, he's doomed in that party.