I watched the inauguration. What a petty display that was.
1. Too much DiFi! Seriously, we don’t need an announcer welcoming us to the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States. I’m pretty sure most people were aware of what it was when they tuned in or waited for hours in the freezing cold to watch. “What, this isn’t a replay of Super Bowl XVII? I’m changing channels!” Also, we didn’t need a speech from a senator telling us what a great occasion it was and trying to find as many ways to beat around the bush that somehow electing Barrack Obama was special. Properly understood, a great occasion shouldn’t involve its participants telling everybody how great the occasion is. But for those of you who weren’t sure what you were watching, or who were unsure of whether this occasion was in any way special, fortunately the good people of California gave us Diane Feinstein to explain it all.
2. How did Aretha Franklin’s hat make it past security? And who thought it a good idea to involve a woman who defines the word “diva” as a side show? Plainly she was going to make any involvement all about her, as her ridiculous hat and ostentatious performance of My Country ‘Tis of Thee – a very humble patriotic song – proved. It’s The Aretha Franklin Show, with special guest star Barrack Obama!
3. A John Williams arrangement of Simple Gifts? WTF? I get the point, it’s four fantastic musicians performing a piece by a fantastic arranger, specifically arranged to show off the talents of four fantastic musicians. But what did Simple Gifts have to do with this occasion? This seemed like a complete non sequitur whose sole purpose was to show off how good John Williams and those four musicians were.
4. Why was Rick Warren blubbering about who his personal savior is? It’s The Rick Warren Hour of Faith, with special guest star Barrack Obama!
5. How petty do you have to be to denigrate and take pot shots at your predecessor right after you’ve being sworn in as president? You’re going to have the next four years as president, and one day you’re not going to be as popular as you are at this moment. I’m sure, whenever your successor is being sworn in and you’re sitting there powerless in front of millions, you’ll appreciate not having someone who has no conception of how hard the job is, but who is suddenly the most powerful man in the world, talk about you like you’re chopped liver. Campaign’s over, dillweed; try to act presidential.
6. That poet chick was terrible. Simply, utterly, terrible. To fit in with my overall theme, I’d like to call her performance petty – and, truly, it was self-absorbed to an unseemly degree – but the most appropriate word for it is “terrible.”
7. I stopped watching partway through the terrible poetry crap, but evidently the guy doing the closing prayer prayed for a world where non-white people got a fair shake and white people recognized right from wrong. You get to speak at the inauguration of the first black president – didn’t you listen to DiFi tell us how important and historic this event was? – and you think it’s appropriate to trot out your race war hobby horse? Petty.
Petty, petty, petty. A bunch of very small people on a very big stage.
Posted by Apollo in That's Not Change!