D.C. Dress Up

[No Elephants]

2012

Last year, the President wore a deep red and white tie, the Vice President wore a navy and white tie, Holder wore a navy tie, and Boehner wore a blue (yes, blue) and white tie. (The links below are to photos that refused to reproduce here, which is unfortunate, given this post is about visuals.)



http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2160.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511


http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2183.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511


While some crossed parties lines to show how bi-partisan they were, most wore either red or blue.


http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2180.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511

http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2170.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511

An exception was Geithner. Geithener had started his voting life as a registered Republican, but both our right of center Democratic Presidents hired him. When Clinton did so, Geithner changed his registration to independent. He fittingly wore a blue shirt and a purple tie, thereby disguising his Republican core with an overlay of blue, yielding purple.

http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2178.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511

Wome tended to wear solid blue or solid red suits (no ties).

The First Lady wore bright blue and her invited guests wore military uniforms.

http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-298272/cache/gn2172.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1360729511

A number looked as though they were having great difficulty staying awake at 9 p.m. (mostly men, including Biden) and, as always, the camera captured some who had dozed off.



2013


This year was completely different. :sarcasm:

Even more effort was made to have the House chamber look like the electoral map.


President Obama wore a solid blue tie. Possibly taking a cue from Geithener 2012, Vice President Biden wore a purple tie. Holder, in a purple tie, once again matched the Vice President. Boehner's tie was an odd shade of red (possibly a signal to the light red states?).

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/

(Sorry, not many pics online yet.)

So, it is my sad duty to inform you that, in these critical times, we are being governed by people playing a four year old's game of dress up, who apparently call each other to coordinate outfits, and who have trouble looking alert past 9 p.m, even knowing that TV camera will display their sleepy little faces to the nation. (Word to future attendees: if you can't manage to stay awake and look alert, you probably should not sit next to one of the most controversial guests at the SOTU. Just sayin'.)



Oh, and this year, the number of attendees tweeting during the SOTU, just like `12 year olds and John Mayer when he's high, increased.

I'm so proud of my dress up doll, tweeting government, I could just burst. So adorable, but everyone says they grow up so fast?

[Enthusiast]

1. Nugent is the very picture of assholiness.

I mean, criticize the President if you wish but don't make shit up and repeat it time and again. Nugent and the NRA's positions on gun regulations are on the wrong side of history. No one has even proposed unreasonable new gun laws. But the NRA continues to act like they are insane.

Boehner appeared to be drunk. At least he appeared to have had some drinks beforehand. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I guess.

How many times has the President called for changes in tax law that rewards corporations for moving jobs out of the country? He seems to bring that up every time even since he was first a candidate. We actually do have tax incentives to move jobs overseas. The fact that these laws have not been changed is absolutely astounding. The media never mentions this issue. We have adopted Republican economic strategy clear to the bone. It is not working well.

Rubio's rebuttal was absurd. He painted an inaccurate caricature of the President then he attacked the caricature he created. Republican do not do honesty.

[No Elephants]

2. Rubio was a hot mess in every respect.

For one thing, apparently, Rubio missed the re-branding memo, as well as missing that Rand Paul was supposed to give the wing nut rebuttal. (Why were we treated to two Tea Party candidates giving rebuttals anyway?)

Rubio, who comes from a purple state, went 2009 Republican on the nation's ass--and in two languages, no less.

Not to mention that he looked panicked.

Christie wisely declined to be considered to give that speech.

As a general rule, how stupid is it to leave the guy alone with a camera to give the rebuttal, when the nation has just seen whatever majesty this nation has to display around the President?

Regardless of which party has to give the rebuttal, get a classy-looking room and fill it with folks who will smile and applaud and give standing ovations to the rebutter in all the right places, as though it were a campaign event--which indeed it is. (Please, no talking to empty chairs or anything else in the total nutter category.)

That way, there are natural pauses during which the speaker can sip water or compose himself or herself or whatever. And not having enough water within easy reach was about the poorest planning for a speaker.

Well, lucky break for the Democrats anyway.

And the D.C. stupidity continues.

At least Roman emperors used to include bread with the circus. Now, we get only the most expensive clown show in all of human history.

P.T. Barnum was wrong though. There can't be only one sucker born every minute. After all, there are about 350 million of us and only 537 of them.