Inaugural Excess - The wrong time for a lavish celebration

[GOPFighter]

Bernard Reis writes today in the Washington Post:

"The Presidential Inauguration Committee intends to forge ahead with its resplendent plans for the second Bush inaugural. At the risk of sounding like a Grand Old Party pooper, I'm not thrilled."

"What gives me pause is the decision to spend some $40 million-plus at this moment in history. When I first began mulling over this expenditure, I thought it quite unseemly that, at a time when so many Americans and countless Iraqis have been and will be killed and maimed, we should be mounting a spectacle said to celebrate our troops, replete with nine official balls, many unofficial affairs, a youth concert, a parade, a fireworks display, etc. (and, at the Ritz-Carlton, white chocolate cowboy boots). But now, with the appalling misery in Southeast Asia added to the scene, it seems even more obvious that an extravaganza is wholly inappropriate."

"President Bush, of course, has already had a big inaugural party; in 2001 he enjoyed a four-day, $40 million inauguration. How many $40 million fetes is one man entitled to, I wonder, particularly since we're only transitioning from Bush to Bush. Bill Clinton spent less on his second inauguration ($23.7 million) than on his first ($33 million), and that was, moreover, in a very different context: The economy sparkled, Clinton had won a rousing election victory, we weren't at war -- and a sizable portion of the world had not just fallen apart."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57877-2005Jan7.html

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What we have is a 50-some year old boy President. A self-centered spoiled brat who has never grown up. High unemployment? American kids dying in Iraq in a tar-pit war? Thousands of innocent Iraqis dead? All of South Asia turned upside down? Yeah, yeah. Hey, I JUST GOT RE-ELECTED! So let’s get this party started! $40 million is chicken feed to my friends. After all, we’re rich, and we’re rich ‘cause we’re smarter than the rest of you drones.

Historians will have a field day with this Administration. After years of hard work, the Republicans finally triumphed over the hapless, brain-dead Democrats to become the majority party. Okay, it wasn’t pretty, but politics rarely is. Let’s face it, this was a historic upheaval.

So how did the Republicans spend their new political capital? By quietly celebrating then quickly getting down to the job of running a nation, listening to the people’s complaints, studying the nation’s long-term problems, and humbly reaching out to all Americans for answers? HELL NO! They came in as victors, and quickly set about disenfranchising all who disagreed with them. They became political bullies, they forced their agenda on America, they quickly exceeded all the Democratic Party excesses which they had once complained bitterly about before coming to power.

George Bush had the perfect opportunity after 9/11 to make the Republican Party the majority party for decades to come. After the tragedy the whole world became one with Americans, crying with us, sending messages of condolences, and showering Americans overseas with sympathy. Back home, everyone – Republicans and Democrats alike – came together in a spirit of unity not seen since December 7, 1941. We were united in our horror and our desire to strike back against those responsible. If President Bush had worked to maintain this unity and quietly and carefully sold his conservative policies to a united country, he would have gone down in history as one of our greatest Presidents.

But as we all know, George and his arrogant Republican Party are not the kind to defer gratification. They want it now. They didn’t get to where they are by playing by the rules. They got to power by being mean and ruthless, and by God that’s how they are going to rule America! The $40 million inauguration fete is all about them, nothing else matters really.

What they don't realize is that their time in power is going to be short lived. Americans are quickly catching on to these self-indulgent bullies. The latest AP-Ipsos poll (Jan. 3-5) shows only 49% approve of George Bush’s performance to date, only 44% approve of his handling of the Iraq war. 51% disapprove his handling of the economy, 56% disapprove his handling of domestic issues, and 53% disapprove of the way the Republican Congress is handling it’s job! These are the numbers of an Administration in trouble. The Democrats are finally showing signs of life. Segments of the party are energized and ready for battle. Little by little the party is showing some spine. The tide is turning, and as it gains momentum, we will see an angry America kick the arrogant, bullying Republicans out of office. They had their chance and they blew it, and the country suffered. In the end Americans will take back their country. I only hope we’ve learned from our mistakes.


GOPFighter

[Itchinjim]

1. Good post.

The similarities between this bunch and the Radical Republicans after the Civil War are striking

[KoKo]

2. Thank you for this post....an excellent read...and it's positive on a day

when so many of us here are mourning Keph and the Election and all of it.

To see an article finally condemning this Spectacle and those Poll numbers makes me feel there's some hope.

[acmavm]

3. You bet these are the numbers of an administration in trouble. What

worries me is we all know what happens when little georgie's incredible greed and incompetence start to show. And the rest of these clowns with him, I'm not sure who's really pulling the strings but whoever it is needs that arrogant, smug, criminal in the White House. He/she/they will do whatever it takes to keep him there.

We were worried about martial law during the first 'term'. I'm really worried about it now, especially with republican criminals running both the House and the Senate. They're squelching any and all investigations of obvious criminal behavior, they'll have no problems with trumping up a national 'emergency' if it looks like people are wising up and getting tired of their shennanigans. Example: it may be proven that Tom DeLay financed redistricting with some if the Indian Casino money they scammed. I think that should upset even some Texans at this point. Well, watch and see what they come up with to either put a halt to the investigation, or cover up for the nasty little cockroach.

I think we need to be very worried about the lunatics running this asylum.