Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Let there be snark.

Donald Trump, welcome to your everything, everywhere, all at once.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

In after Baud. Damn.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

ha ha ha! Nice try weird people.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Everyone is in a bubble, but some bubbles model reality far better than others!

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Madam Vice President Kamala Devi Harris

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261Comments

  3. 3.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    OMG

    OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG

    We got here. Joe is President. Kamala is VP. It’s over.

    I’m loving the performances too. And J-Lo’s shout-out (literally) in Spanish, “One nation under God with liberty and justice for all!” was perfect.

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    President Joseph Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris.

    It’s been a long road, but looks like we made it.

  10. 10.

    Rob

    Hooray! I think I’ll join my (verklempt) wife in watching it, now that I paid online a utility bill I mailed 21 days ago that hasn’t arrived at the provider.

  11. 11.

    Martin

    Y’all are going to love the United States of California.

    And let a million memes blossom with Biden’s bible.

    Edit: just read that it’s his family bible he’s always sworn into office on. Never noticed before. Wednesday must be arm day for Jill.

  16. 16.

    dmsilev

    “Greetings to everyone except That Guy, whose name we’re all going to avoid mentioning ever again”

  17. 17.

    piratedan

    and as the Commissioner comes up to the Podium, it appears that there’s been a trade.  The United States trades the entire 45 Administration of the United States to the Russian Federation in return for the Womens Figure Skating program and Alexsander Navaltny and a 2022 first round draft pick.

  20. 20.

    Alison Rose

    I’m waiting for RWNJs to insist Kamala isn’t really VP because of the mispronunciation, like they did when Roberts and Obama had to redo his oath because he reversed a couple of words.

  24. 24.

    lamh36

    @dnfree: whatever.  anyone who knows me konws I’m the biggest KDH fan, official KHive member and I say so what…at this point no one cares.

    No need to call her by her first name now unless it’s personal…call her MADAME VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS.

  26. 26.

    Almost Retired

    I can’t stop chuckling over Trump’s fury regarding the star quality of Biden’s inauguration, coronavirus notwithstanding.  I mean, Biden gets Lady Gaga performing the best version of the national anthem I have ever heard.  Trump had some runner up from one of those reality singing shows.

  29. 29.

    MisterForkbeard

    I missed her swearing in (due to work), which I’m really sad about.

    I’ve got my inauguration shirt and two Kamala buttons today. I may be a fanboy. Possibly :)

  30. 30.

    dmsilev

    It’s so sad to see the Mall empty of the crowd that should by rights be there.

    Thanks, He Who Will Not Be Named.

  31. 31.

    Alison Rose

    @RobertS:

    Grammatically, Madam is the correct term. In an English-speaking country, Madam is used in front of a title and denotes authority, while Madame (“ma dame”) is typically only used as the French equivalent of Mrs, and was (until recently) reliant on a woman’s marital status.

    So sayeth Google.

  34. 34.

    narya

    Joe! calling out domestic terrorism!
    I cannot believe this whole day. I never thought I would get to see a woman as VP, much less a black/asian-american woman, and my heart is full.

  42. 42.

    jackmac

    Loved how President Biden saluted former presidents on hand (plus a shout out to Jimmy Carter) but not a mention of Trump.

  45. 45.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    It’s being carried live on Greek TV stations. And we just popped the bubbly here in Athens.

  48. 48.

    lamh36

    @lamh36:

     

    Anyone trying to make any of SCOTUS Justice Sotomayor not quite saying Kamala’s name right is just trolling.

    You can damn well know it was a slip up and nothing more. Nothing blatant like the bastard Perdue or the Repubs did.

    I didn’t cringe at all…I was too excited to be able to say Vice President Harris rather than President-Elect.

    Anyway…at even worth derailing the happiness or history!

     

    LET’S GO JOE AND KAMALA

  49. 49.

    Nicole

    Oh my God, that lunatic doesn’t have the nuclear football anymore.

    I could just hear Sotomayor’s mental voice: “Comma- La.  Comma-La.”  And then her mouth: “Kah-MALA.” And then her mental voice again, “GODDAMNIT.”

    I bet she was nervous.  I would have been nervous.  Fortunately, the oath of office is still valid. :)

  56. 56.

    Geeno

    Was I the only one who noticed that bit of shade Joe threw when he was talking about his predecessors and then qualified it with “the Presidents here”?

    Mrs. G and I were laughin’ out loud.

  58. 58.

    Martin

    @dmsilev: Probably would have been necessary regardless. The key to not  being overrun by covid is not doing things that will result in  you being overrun by covid.

    I like the flags, though. That was a nice idea. There’s  one flag for every 2 Americans who died of Covid.

  59. 59.

    Punchy

    It’s official.  No nukes on Newport News, no wall-to-wall winger wackiness in Walla Walla.

    I feel like I just woke up from a really long dream.

  64. 64.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I watched the countdown clock tick off the final 60 seconds to noon, even though both oaths had been administered. Just because I wanted to make sure what’s his name no longer had an active nuclear football.

  66. 66.

    Prometheus Shrugged

    Especially righteous vibe to that photo: “Talk to the back of the hand, McTurtle”

  72. 72.

    Rob

    The little bit of President Biden’s speech I heard before our stream froze was very uplifting. It’s the first inauguration I’ve caught live in decades.

  76. 76.

    Bluegirlfromwyo

    For the first time in four years, I fully exhale. This was for all the marbles and honor prevailed today.

  78. 78.

    BGinCHI

    @Just Some Fuckhead: HEY! I was asking about you a while ago.

    Great to see you here, and I share the sentiment.

    Someone go to Schumer and say: LOOK, BUB. Remember this feeling. Don’t compromise with bullies.

  79. 79.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Is McConnell looking nervous during the talk about lies or am I just wishful thinking?

  80. 80.

    gene108

    As a child growing up in the southern state of Kerala in India, Sindu Gopalakrishnan helped her mother draw kolams with rice powder outside the family abode on festival days. The ancient Indian art form of geometric patterns is a sign of welcome and new beginnings.

    In the waning days of 2020, the 43-year-old Phoenixville resident who works in investment banking once again drew kolam (pronounced KOHL-uhm) designs. This time, it was to welcome the new Biden-Harris administration, and particularly Kamala Harris, the country’s first vice president who is a woman, and who has roots in South India.
    Along with her 18-year-old daughter, Devika Nair, Gopalakrishnan used markers and paints to color 17 pieces of 12-by-12-inch cardboard as part of a project to create a giant kolam art installation in the nation’s capital. “This is a tradition usually seen in India,” she said. “We never knew we would be designing kolams here … for one of the American streets in D.C. It’s welcoming a new day.”

    Known as the 2021 Kolam Project, the grassroots effort celebrates not only Harris’ heritage, but serves as a way to “showcase the multicultural heritage of America,” as well as the new administration’s promise of a “presidency for all,” say the organizers on the http://www.2021kolam.com website. Originally, the 2,500-square-foot, 47-dot kolam was planned as an installation outside the White House, but security concerns made that impossible.

    SNIP

    At last count, 2021 Kolam Project had received more than 1,800 tiles from people around the country, plus many more submissions through a call for selfies taken with a kolam, said Roopal Shah of Washington, D.C., who is one of the project’s volunteer organizers. The selfies will form a virtual mosaic photo that is expected to post to the group’s website Wednesday.

    Participants, ranging in age from 5 to 95 years old, were encouraged to use the backs of old campaign signs (of any stripe) to create the tiles. Yoga studios, classical Indian dance students, and 10 D.C. public schools, in addition to hundreds of ordinary people, all contributed, incorporating bits of themselves into the designs.

    https://www.inquirer.com/news/kolam-project-2021-inauguration-kamala-harris-south-asian-indian-20210120.html

  84. 84.

    Miss Bianca

    I just finished my article for the paper and I am now listening to PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN laying it out. Oh, good golly, Miss Molly – I have been waiting for this moment.

  88. 88.

    lamh36

    Joe Biden quoting from the Black church about “joy coming in the morning…” makes my heart feel so full right now!

  93. 93.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @BGinCHI:

    Someone go to Schumer and say: LOOK, BUB. Remember this feeling. Don’t compromise with bullies.

    The good news is, even with Manchin, King and Feinstein, Schumer’s shaky fifty is a lot less collectively stupid (catch-all for the sake of brevity) than the blue-dog infected 60 (59) that Obama and Reid had to deal with.

  99. 99.

    Feathers

    @Nicole: I have ADHD with auditory processing issues. One of my reverse super powers is pronouncing people’s names correctly when referring to people in conversation, but incorrectly to their face. The brain uses different circuitry for these two interactions. One of the differences between “introverts” and “extroverts” is whether their brains prioritize focusing on content conveyed or the social cues and interactions.

  102. 102.

    Another Scott

    @C Stars: A great speech.  He covered all the bases, and you can tell he means it.

    He’s going to be a very busy man.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  104. 104.

    BR

    My great hope is that Obama and Biden will go down in history as Teddy Roosevelt and FDR did (which is which doesn’t matter to me)…

  107. 107.

    Martin

    I’ve followed Kamala Harris on Twitter for ages. Just added @VP.

    Interestingly, Andrew Weissman waited until 12:01 to drop a piece that says Trumps pardons were poorly written and leaves most of them still vulnerable to prosecution.

  108. 108.

    Matt McIrvin

    @mrmoshpotato: I expect a lot of revelation of just how bad it was. Kind of like the reckoning when Warren G. Harding keeled over and everyone learned how much corruption there had been.

  110. 110.

    Kent

    Why is Garth Brooks performing a Negro Spiritual on my TV?  I mean he’s OK.  But still.  It it supposed to be a nod to the white MAGA folks?  I mean didn’t Aretha Franklin do the same thing for Obama’s inauguration?

  111. 111.

    TaMara (HFG)

    @Nicole: Again, as someone whose name is similarly pronounced, we are used to it. I mean, I can introduce myself and the person will say, “nice to meet you Tamra” like I didn’t just give them the correct pronunciation.

    I take no offense.

    And no one pronounces it as lovely as my MA father, who has the most unique take on it and always has. <3

  112. 112.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    man, Obama turned Amazing Grace into a national hymn, didn’t he? I don’t ever remember it being so prominent in politics

  113. 113.

    gene108

    @Leto:

    hey, that’s my neighboring town! About 10 mins away. That’s so cool!

    Phoenixville’s about an hour away from where I am in South Jersey, but we’re all part of the greater Philly area.

  116. 116.

    lamh36

    @pfunk1130

    ·
    17m

    Here’s the part where some folks need to be reminded that the President’s job is, in part, to be America’s biggest cheerleader. Being overly critical of this inauguration speech is like focusing on the wedding and giving no thought to the actual marriage.

    @pfunk1130

    ·
    9m

    Joe Bidden be hittin these speeches HARD, tho. Beneath the platitudes, he tryna fight.

    Are we seriously already at the point where this needs to be said.

    Seriously go back and read, listen whatever to the Chump inauguration declaration of war speech and compare it to Biden’s.  Biden did what he needed to do in this speech to drive back over that bit of carnage from Chump.

  117. 117.

    dmsilev

    @Martin:

    Interestingly, Andrew Weissman waited until 12:01 to drop a piece that says Trumps pardons were poorly written and leaves most of them still vulnerable to prosecution.

    I’m shocked.

    No, wait, I’m vastly amused.

  119. 119.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Kent: Ahead of time he said he was going to go with something less rambunctious than his hits.  He’s a wise man in that regard.

  125. 125.

    piratedan

    so now, we have an officially sane POTUS, an able and adept VPOTUS, new Dem Senators from CA and GA.  The official business of the country will now be disseminated via news conferences with questions being asked and answered.

    Casual Cruelty is out, Compassion is in….

    and while I may not agree with every decision and nuance of policy, at least I can rest knowing that someone, somewhere gave some thought as to its implementation with other considerations outside of “what’s in it for me?”.

    I feel like I’ve lived a couple of decades worth of stress these last four years and here’s to the uplifting of our nation and our neighbors.

  126. 126.

    Spanky

    Am I the only one who thinks the guy sanitizing the mikes looks like Denny Hastert in a mask?

    I sure hope I am.

  131. 131.

    Another Scott

    “… we braved the belly of the Beast…”

    [snerk]

    She’s (Amanda Gorman) great.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  133. 133.

    JMG

    @Kent: Brooks has performed at every inaugural since Carter’s (except Reagan’s). He’s really into the bipartisan unity idea. BTW, I interviewed him back in my sportswriter days when he tried out for the Padres and he was both nice and interesting).

  135. 135.

    West of the Cascades

    Roy Blount says something good (reminding the people of President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” at the memorial service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney).

  141. 141.

    Martin

    From what I’ve read Garth is a Dem.

    If they wanted to calm the savages they’d have invited Jon Voight to come scream about pedophiles, ChiCommunists and then piss his pants.

  146. 146.

    Nicole

    @Feathers:

    One of my reverse super powers is pronouncing people’s names correctly when referring to people in conversation, but incorrectly to their face.

    Oh my God, I feel seen. I do this, too.

  150. 150.

    Feathers

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I can imagine there will be a big Secret Service party tonight. The whole thing about no bathroom was ridiculous. People who have Secret Service protection know part of the deal is choosing a home with room for a Secret Service detail. I lived nearby when Gerald Ford became Vice President and then President. The Secret Service took over his garage and built it out into their command center. I remember being very jealous of the local Girl Scouts who apparently made a killing selling cookies to the Secret Service and TV crews.

    ETA trivia: Gerald Ford was a fan of the old Roy Rogers fast food place. We used to see him sitting there alone, reading papers and munching on his hamburger. This is from when he was a Congressman. Nobody really noticed him.

    Just another note, Congressmen and Senators used to live next door to public school teachers and federal workers. I had two congressmen on my block. They sent their kids to the local public schools. This is one of the signs of how inequality has changed our world.

  151. 151.

    Patricia Kayden

    Lol Garth Brooks has been a liberal for his entire career but I love watching the right freak out every time they're reminded— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) January 20, 2021

  152. 152.

    Amir Khalid

    I would have liked to hear my favourite verse of Amazing Grace, which would have been so fitting here:

    Through many dangers, toils and snares
    We have already come
    T’was Grace has brought us safe thus far
    And Grace will lead us home

  155. 155.

    Kent

    She is all of 23 and according to Wikipedia, America’s First National Youth Poet Laureate.

    Why have I not heard of Amanda Gorman before?

  165. 165.

    Kent

    @Patricia Kayden: So you think the Biden folks are subtly trolling the MAGA world by having Brooks sing?  It’s not like the couldn’t have gotten anyone else they wanted from Bruce Springsteen to Beyoncé.

  179. 179.

    lamh36

    Howard Univ statement on Kamala Harris and ringing the campus bells in honor of their Bison alum!

    Statement: https://twitter.com/HowardU/status/1351935386990374916?s=20

    @GarciaReports

    The bell at
    @HowardU
    , VP
    @KamalaHarris
    ’ alma mater is ringing 49 times as she’s sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States. It will be followed by “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, the Black national anthem.
    https://twitter.com/GarciaReports/status/1351934515195883524?s=20

  180. 180.

    VeniceRiley

    That looks like Bill Barr cleaning the podium between speakers. And I thought “That suits him.”

    Our Youth Poet Laureate kicks *SS!

  183. 183.

    Martin

    They should have picked me to be the inaugural podium disinfectant guy. I would have dressed better.

  186. 186.

    Punchy

    When does CNN mention that Greene’s filing articles of impeachment against Biden tomorrow?  Bothsides!

  189. 189.

    SFBayAreaGal

    I love seeing BIPOC and POC being represented. This is our future and I want to see more of this representation.

  194. 194.

    Soprano2

    Think about this – Hunter Biden will have Secret Service protection now, won’t he? That’ll drive the MAGA’s crazy.

  197. 197.

    mali muso

    Can I just say…one of the positive side-effects of the pandemic is the normalization of fist bumps?  Remembering when it was a scandal when Barack and Michelle dared to do that.

  200. 200.

    randy khan

    I was surprised to discover that only Democrats have had poems read at their inaugurations, and that it started with Kennedy.

  202. 202.

    West of the Cascades

    Wonder if President Obama’s hug of President Biden just now was accompanied with a whispered “this is a big fucking deal”?

  203. 203.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @mali muso: “A terrorist fist jab?” I forget the Roger Ailes Foxbot blonde who coined that phrase, she used initials as I recall, and she was unemployed soon after.

  205. 205.

    Almost Retired

    That young poet was extraordinary.  I’m glad Trump didn’t debase the art of poetry by including any in his inauguration (which probably would have just been a limerick with the word “Nantucket” in it).

  206. 206.

    SiubhanDuinne

    This is from 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s Wiki page:

    In 2017, Gorman said she wants to run for president in 2036.

    That’s cool. Gives Biden and Harris each two full terms.

  208. 208.

    Martin

    Barack always look so relaxed. You could pour a gallon of gin in me and I still could never be that relaxed.

  210. 210.

    Soprano2

    There’s Joe Biden, graciously thanking the people inside the Capitol building for their hard work. Do you think Trump EVER thanked ANYONE?

  212. 212.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Kent: Err, Amazing Grace isn’t a negro spiritual. It’s British. Written by the former Captain of a slave ship who became a CofE clergyman and abolitionist

    Congrats USA. Drinking a Bacardi and coke even though it’s only 5.30 pm here to celebrate.

  215. 215.

    Soprano2

    You mean they’re not yelling “enemy of the people, fake news” at the press? Wow, this is going to take some getting used to…..and, I’m used to it already.

  216. 216.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Soprano2: We’re sitting here fondly remembering our daughter’s piccolo solo on this piece in high school. Which was 20 years ago. And she’d kill me for mentioning it.

  221. 221.

    Miss Bianca

    Oh, damn…POC represented on this podium. A giant “FUCK YOU…but bless your hearts anyway” to the white supremacist trash enabled by the Trump Administration.

    Love it.

  222. 222.

    West of the Cascades

    This was so much more dignified without the previous occupant of the office there. I’m enjoying watching Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama talking with one another, Speaker Pelosi chatting with former Vice President Pence.

    It is sad that there was not a peaceful transfer of power this year, but this gives me some hope that our democracy will persist.

  223. 223.

    dmsilev

    @Kent: He pardoned Anthony Lewandowski, the guy who took/stole a bunch of Google self-driving-car technology and delivered it to Uber.

  224. 224.

    Elizabelle

    You know, I don’t think the insurrection and what brought us to it is going to be swept under the rug.
    Some may try, but there is going to be cleansing and accountability.

  227. 227.

    Kent

    @dmsilev:@Kent: He pardoned Anthony Lewandowski, the guy who took/stole a bunch of Google self-driving-car technology and delivered it to Uber.

    That is almost as weird and random as the cobras for alligators guy.

    But at least no Javanka, Eric, Don Jr. or self-pardon to piss us off.

  228. 228.

    randy khan

    @Kent:

    Some more terrible pardons:

    Rick Renzi, a former Republican Congressman convicted of 17 counts including embezzling and fraud

    Randall “Duke” Cunningham, a famously corrupt former Republican Congressman

    Kenneth Kurzon, a political consultant who was convicted of cyberstalking as a result of an FBI investigation when he was up for a job in the Trump Administration. The White House press release talks about a “powerful letter” from his wife about how she didn’t want the investigation, let alone the prosecution, but she wasn’t the victim.

  229. 229.

    Soprano2

    I saw Amanda Gorman briefly talking to President Obama. Bet that was a big thrill for her – and for him!

  231. 231.

    Elizabelle

    I think VP Pence was gracious and courageous, although it took him until the last week to get there.

    I hope he comes to welcome the hate of the haters.  Also that he retires.

  235. 235.

    Kent

    @randy khan:

    @Kent:

    Some more terrible pardons:

    Rick Renzi, a former Republican Congressman convicted of 17 counts including embezzling and fraud

    Randall “Duke” Cunningham, a famously corrupt former Republican Congressman

    Kenneth Kurzon, a political consultant who was convicted of cyberstalking as a result of an FBI investigation when he was up for a job in the Trump Administration. The White House press release talks about a “powerful letter” from his wife about how she didn’t want the investigation, let alone the prosecution, but she wasn’t the victim.

    So basically emptying the prisons of corrupt and horrible Republicans.  Fitting I guess.  Gotta make room for the new bunch.

  236. 236.

    Sloane Ranger

    About Amazing Grace, I’m on my phone so can’t post a link but check out the Judy Collins version. It’s the best ever!

  239. 239.

    dnfree

    @lamh36: I’m not trolling. It just surprised me, because her name is actually easy to pronounce and yet there’s been so much faux “confusion” about it on the right.  I don’t know if Sotomayor missed all that or if she just slipped. It doesn’t mar the occasion all, but it was surprising.

  243. 243.

    Elizabelle

    This day is better for the predecessor’s absence.  (Hint:  carnage.)

    So it will be with our lives.

  245. 245.

    MisterForkbeard

    I rewatched Kamala’s oath. It was fantastic, you can see how excited she is before she begins to speak, and then she puts on her serious lawyer face. And when she finishes the oath and turns back to Doug Emhoff with her fists balled up in front of her chest and such glee and accomplishement, it’s just a lovely moment. I had a smile from ear to ear.

  249. 249.

    Antonius

    Democracy
    Leonard Cohen

    Sing along, sing along, sing along
    All my dear Ship of State
    Sing along, sing along, sing along
    It’s coming through a hole in the air
    From those nights in Tiananmen Square
    It’s coming from the feel
    That this ain’t exactly real
    Or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there
    From the wars against disorder
    From the sirens night and day
    From the fires of the homeless
    From the ashes of the gay
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
    It’s coming through a crack in the wall
    On a visionary flood of alcohol
    From the staggering account
    Of the Sermon on the Mount
    Which I don’t pretend to understand at all
    It’s coming from the silence
    On the dock of the bay
    From the brave, the bold, the battered
    Heart of Chevrolet:
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A

    It’s coming from the sorrow in the street
    The holy places where the races meet
    From the homicidal bitchin’
    That goes down in every kitchen
    To determine who will serve and who will eat
    From the wells of disappointment
    Where the women kneel to pray
    For the grace of God in the desert here
    And the desert far away
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
    Sail on, sail on
    O mighty Ship of State!
    To the Shores of Need
    Past the Reefs of Greed
    Through the Squalls of Hate
    Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on
    It’s coming to America first
    The cradle of the best and of the worst
    It’s here they got the range
    And the machinery for change
    And it’s here they got the spiritual thirst
    It’s here the family’s broken
    And it’s here the lonely say
    That the heart has got to open
    In a fundamental way
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
    It’s coming from the women and the men
    Oh baby, we’ll be making love again
    We’ll be going down so deep
    The river’s going to weep
    And the mountain’s going to shout Amen!
    It’s coming like the tidal flood
    Beneath the lunar sway
    Imperial, mysterious
    In amorous array
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
    Sail on, sail on oh my dear Ship of State
    To the Shores of Need
    Past the Reefs of Greed
    Through the Squalls of Hate
    Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on
    I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean
    I love the country but I can’t stand the scene
    And I’m neither left or right
    Just staying home tonight
    Getting lost in that hopeless little screen
    But I’m stubborn as those garbage bags
    That Time cannot decay
    I’m junk but I’m still holding up
    This little wild bouquet
    Democracy is coming to the U.S.A
    To the U.S.A

  250. 250.

    Felanius Kootea

    Amanda Gorman gave me life!  Talent and beauty. I’ve never watched an inauguration so closely. Seeing Biden, Harris, Barack, Michelle and Hillary made me smile. Klobuchar was amazing and I was touched when Blount mentioned Obama singing Amazing Grace.

    I’m glad Pence was there and appreciated our new VP sending off the old one.

    It’s a new day!

  251. 251.

    Matt McIrvin

    @patrick II: A little while ago I was watching some compilations of Election Night news footage, which ended with Obama’s election in 2008, and I remember noticing that in those old broadcasts, the anchors nearly always seemed far happier when a Republican was elected President, and kind of grim-faced whenever it was a Democrat. It was pretty consistent.

    But I bet things have changed, on at least some of the networks.

  252. 252.

    Annie

    @Feathers:

    I lived in Bethesda in the late 60s.  My friends and I used to ride our bikes on Rockville Pike and when we passed one house, if the owner was arriving home from work when we passed he’d smile and wave and lift his hat.  And we’d wave back and giggle and ride on.  Did not know or care who he was until one day in 1969 he appeared on TV news as LBJ’s Secretary of Defense— Clark Clifford.  And when he was SecDef there was no security around his large, nice but not ostentatious house.

  253. 253.

    Feathers

    @PJ: Talking with former teachers I learned that one of the big outflows of these kids from public schools was when they brought in the new attendance policies which had a maximum of 10 non-medical absences. These were intended to cut down on truancy, but it also meant that rich kids whose parents traveled a lot or had two home bases (like politicians) were lost to public schools.

  254. 254.

    Feathers

    @Annie: My great aunts, two sisters who had been secretaries in the Justice Department, lived in NW DC. One of the network correspondents who we saw on the highly news, lived in a house identical to theirs and directly behind him.

  256. 256.

    ixnay

    @Soprano2: you may be aware that, in the circus world, stars and stripes forever is emergency music, meant to clear the decks and protect from mayhem.

  257. 257.

    Josie

    @dnfree:

    I’m pretty sure that Justice Sotomayor mispronounced the name because she is used to the Spanish pronunciation with the accent on the next to last syllable.  Having used that pronunciation all her life, she would find it a difficult habit to break.

  260. 260.

    J R in WV

    My wife thought it was Bill Barr too… I said NO WAY he would do that. Dunno who it really was, but did a good job.

  261. 261.

    J R in WV

    @Martin:

    You could pour a gallon of gin in me and I still could never be that relaxed.

    I’m wqorking on trhat gallon of gin… can you tell?!?!!???

    ..            ;~)

    Gonna be pizza for supper with bubbly.

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