There was I, drawing a Hitler moustache and a pair of Arther Askey glasses onto a picture of Jeremy Corbyn (as one does), when my mind turned to the good people of North America.
At the very moment I was completing Jeremy's crossed-eyes, Mr Trump was saying his oath, and the left were smashing windows.
I still haven't totally dismissed Trump, and will keep my fingers firmly crossed until he does something really stupid.
There are plenty of people around who have 100% faith in his term of office, and I even heard someone on the radio saying that the people of America were 'all very excited'. Well, I just hope they won't be throwing themselves from the top of Trump Tower in the very near future.
Make America great again? We'll see Mr Trump!
It all starts today, and Europe wishes you well.
At the very least he knows how to combine delivering a speech and sounding sincere at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI must say I found the whole 'ceremony' rather odd. It makes you realise how good Blighty is at putting-on such events.
DeleteI watched some on Sky at 8pm last night and had to mute the volume in the end because the commentator insisted on talking about Obama on every point. I was shouting at the tv that it is Trump's inauguration, not Obama's. I believe Trump is facing too much rot to be able to make much difference.
DeleteThis is the first USA inauguration I have ever watched and yes, the ceremony was really odd and uncoordinated. He does give a good speech though. And Melania's outfit was nice!
DeleteI didn't much like all the god-bothering either.
DeleteUnlike Rachel who always finds something to shout at the TV about, I watched it in real time, including the build up. Yes. Really.
DeleteOH MY GOD. It was excrutiating - on so many scores I have the courtesy to try and NOT flood your comment box with my observations. To summarize, young Barron's (his son) face, demeanour and general embarrassment said it all. And a rabbit caught in the headlight has nothing on Trump's wife.
Main reason I am responding to your post because at last I have found a kindred spirit in you: The god angle was so overdone, with the various pastoral readings. And, naturally, oh did I "love" that line embedded in Trump's speech, God smiling on America bla bla bla and with God's help bla bla bla, America will be great again. Great. So, as usual Trump is hedging all his bets so, should it all go pear shaped, it'll be all God's fault, not Trump's. Of course not.
Neither did he appear to notice, as some did, that by the sky opening, literally, as his speech started, God - clearly not impressed - was actually "pissing on his parade".
As an aside: I admired Hillary Clinton for her composure. Can't have been easy for her.
Come to think of it, Cro, isn't there a saying "fingers crossed and hope to die"? Well, among liars the double crossing will be king - or some such.
U
All the "god talk" was Trump pandering to the Evangelicals who have gained a LOT of ground in Trump's new administration. He just appointed a Secretary of Education for the USA that believes strongly in defunding ALL public education and channeling the money into Christian charter schools that won't teach evolution and will indoctrinate as hard as they can, while channeling money to megachurches. She's never been to public school, her children have never been to public school, she's never had any experience with governing even a small local school board....yet now she's in charge of all public schools for the entire USA.
DeleteIf that ONE small example doesn't help you all understand why so many of us are terrified of Trump, I don't know what it will take.
It's worrying. A potentially loose cannon in such a powerful position.
ReplyDeleteI'm not yet prepared to 'worry'. Give him a few months, or a year maybe, then I'll probably have a more focused opinion. For the moment, I sit on the fence.
DeleteCro, with all due respect....if you were over here and fully informed about the horrendous cabinet picks he's already made, you'd understand why "giving him a few months or a year maybe" is NOT a prudent idea. They're hitting the ground running taking away protections for minorities, increasing the power of evangelical Christians, stripping away environmental regulations...I could go on and on. If we're complacent, there's no telling what they'll get away with in a year's time. The only hope is be extra vigilant and to call them on every single awful act they try to carry out. Why, a few weeks ago Republican leadership took a vote IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to try and abolish an Ethics and Oversight committee!
DeleteThese people are dangerous.
Jennifer,
DeleteForget the cabinet which I despise.... Pence scares the hell out of me. He wants my daughter fixed (dead) because she is gay.
I have to say I have veered between amusement and downright horror at the lefts behaviour. If they are not smashing and looting (remember how the riot police had to use tear gas at Obamas inauguration, Not! ) they are throwing around accusations over everything and anything. Trump will make internment camp, although the last president to do so was FDR a democrat. Trump supports the KKK even though he disavowed them, but then Hilarys mentor Senator Robert Byrd, democrat, who sat from 1959 to 2010 actually was a senior member of the KKK and it never seemed bother them.
ReplyDeleteTrump is promoting nepotism by employing family, yet it was fine with the Kennedys, Clinton and Obamas. The double standards are nauseating.
One of the things I can't stand in politics (or elsewhere) is hypocrisy.
DeleteBeware of Fox "news" take on how "the Left" behaves...they have no scruples and will show footage from whenever and wherever and falsely claim it's the Lefties rioting over Trump. Fox News will say anything and are 80% of the reason our country is in the trouble it's in, now.
DeleteI wish him well.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteI didn't intend to watch but was absolutely enthralled by the whole thing - particularly the ancient Jimmy Carter, the glamorous first family (won't give them capital letters until they have earned then) and the graceful dignity of the Obamas. Yes - let's wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI thought Trump's family looked very fragmented. Obama's wife and girls always looked like a proper family. The organisation of the ceremony was poor, and I found his speech over nationalistic. Now for the action!
DeleteThey were holding hands when I saw them. Barron was wandering a bit but then boys will be boys I suppose.
DeleteI think he is 10. That is very young. It has been a long time since a boy was in the White house. I hope the press leaves him alone like it has with the other children who have lived there.
DeleteI thought that it all came over a bit amateurish and his speech has gone down like a lead balloon with most countries leaders ... all we can do is wait and see !! XXXX
ReplyDeleteand keep our fingers crossed!
DeleteThat was amazingly charitable of you, Cro. I've now given up believing the Twitterer in Chief will change and somehow become more "presidential". As to the people in America being "all very excited"? Many of us are quaking in our boots, and hoping someone can find grounds to impeach the lunatic.
ReplyDeleteHis bizarre pouting facial expression, before he walked out onto the terrace yesterday, reinforced my impression that something's not quite right with him. His son, Barron, rocks too and fro like a caged animal; something's not right with him too!
DeleteThere's quite a bit of speculation the Barron Trump is on the autism spectrum. He looks like a sad little boy to me; I can't imagine Donald Trump being much of a father. Although Barron is as rich as a prince, his family life must be at least slightly bizarre.
DeleteYou sure have a lot to say Jennifer and I dont appear to have got to the end yet.
DeleteYes, I do have a lot to say, Rachel. And will continue to say it as I please.
DeleteGood for you.
DeleteI too am sitting on the fence in regard to the new president. Am a bit bemused by his idea of bringing american companies home, so does this mean we can wave goodbye to Starbucks and Mac Donald's etc and revert to our old traditional eateries ?
ReplyDeleteGive him a few months and we'll all be able to see more clearly.
DeleteThe huge tax-less profits of all their junk food outlets might suggest that he'll leave them in situ. The best way to be rid of them is to educate the British public.
I call it The Revenge of Daddy Warbucks. What's good for Donald Trump is good for the USA.
ReplyDeleteWe're watching with interest.... will we laugh or cry?
DeleteWe shall have to wait and see. But not long. I think he will do what he says, that is to "drain the Washington swamp" and build a new America as a "shining example to the world". At least the US now has direction. Which is more than I can say for those bumbling untrustworthy fools at the EU. Four ballots the other day to "elect" one of their presidents and the inevitable chaos and chicanery behind closed doors to push the right man through.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Brussels swamp' certainly needs emptying; send him over when he's finished!
DeleteI'm not a Trump fan, but the idiots rioting in DC are part of the reason he was elected and they're clueless that they're part of the problem,
ReplyDeleteAs for Mr. Trump, I'm hoping he'll get bored and resign.
The 'left' are their own worst enemies. There's responsible and irresponsible politics.... the left come under the latter.
DeleteDon't believe everything you see on tv. And 99% of the protests are peaceful and civil. It's our right as Americans (and some would say, duty)to assemble peaceably and engage in civil protest when we feel our rights and democracy are threatened.
DeleteA few idiots can easily ruin it for the peaceful protesters. The press will always pick an idiot smashing a window or setting light to a car, rather than a peaceful rally.
DeleteHere in the U.S., a few things can be counted on: every 4 yrs. one side wins and one side loses, Americans can never be sure what they're going to get either way, and it's a safe bet none of those competing has driven Interstate 40 from Bakersfield, CA to Memphis, TN in the last handful of years. They haven't stopped at a restaurant or hotel in Needles, CA... or Gallup, NM (where there's an armed security guard at the McDonalds). They haven't taken an exit in Oklahoma, only to find the gas station and diner have both been long boarded up. When trying to find the Metal Museum in Memphis, they haven't nearly passed it by because it sits next to a fenced off, boarded up, large brick school near the muddy waters of the Mississippi river. Most television news anchors also haven't made that trip. I'm fairly sure protesters smashing windows and lighting limousines of fire missed those highlights of America.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, as I've done with every other president in my lifetime, I'm willing to give this President a chance. Wait to see what he's made of. But unlike many other citizens in the country, I keep my expectations low regardless of which side of the political spectrum the new president favors.
I go along with your last paragraph. Let's at least give him a chance. If it all goes wrong we'll criticise him later.
DeleteSon march in the Women's March today in Tucson. He said he was marching for his sister.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great march, 15,000 women, children and men march with America and the World.
Must give a shout out to the Tucson Police who blocked streets, put barriers up to funnel traffic away to keep the marchers safe. Great day.
But that said I am still so angry at both political parties for not listening to America and not just the East and West Coast.
cheers, parsnip
Protestation should always be peaceful, otherwise it loses its meaning. Why do just a few always ruin it for the others.
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