Inspire Political Discourse

Joe Scarborough on the Inauguration of Barack Obama

I was very surprised to read this post by Scarborough on the Huffington Post today. It was surprisingly touching. In his final statement, Scarborough says “But speaking as an American, all I can say is that I'm damn proud to be a part of this great republic.”

What can a good Republican say about the week that has unfolded?
I'm not sure.
Barack Obama has captured the imagination not only of Washington and America, but also of the world.
He has delivered the most compelling inaugural speech in 48 years.
He has brought an era of good feelings to Washington that Pat Buchanan says he has never seen in his seven decades in Washington.

VIDEO: America's Song Sung by Springsteen, Seal, Faith Hill, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and More - the Official Song of Barack Obama's Inauguration

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: VIDEO: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

 

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

VIDEO: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

OMG, Beyonce was fabulous, and the First Couple were beautiful, and lovely to watch. Enjoy.

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: VIDEO: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

What beautiful music it was. A piece written expressly for the inauguration by John Williams, "Air and Simple Gifts", it was performed live but not amplified, according to a report by HuffPost, the four musical geniuses played in time with their pre-recorded version of the piece because it was too cold out for their instruments to stay in tune. Anecdotally, the piece was based on an old Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts". Enjoy.

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: VIDEO: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: America's Song Sung by Springsteen, Seal, Faith Hill, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and More - the Official Song of Barack Obama's Inauguration

Political News Summary: Tuesday, January 20, 2009

::The Pres,  the First Lady, and the first dance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
A gorgeous couple.

Photo courtesy of Huffpost. Click here to view the video on Huffpost.

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Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

The Full Inaugural Speech of President Barack Obama, as prepared for delivery.

The video is posted here.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

The transcript is posted here. The video includes President Obama's swearing in, and his inaugural speech.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: VIDEO: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

The Inauguration of Barack Obama

Allyn Cox - Oil on Canvas - 1973-1974 "The First Capitol Inauguration" Andrew Jackson takes the oath from Chief Justice John Marshall. This is on the east front portico, where traditionally, inaugurations took place, until 1981 when the location was changed to the west front.

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IPD Note: FYI, my coverage of this event will be far from complete as I will be in and out today, with my own issues to take care of, and I have a couple of conference calls scheduled.

I am already tearful, having watched [on abc news] the Obamas' limo pull up to the White House, I never thought that Americans would disregard race in my lifetime, and simply elect the absolute best man for the position, but they so did, and I am in awe of this day, this country, and this man, at this moment.

9:40AM -  Michelle Obama looks gorgeous today, classically dressed, beautiful. I wonder if she cringed inside when Dubya pulled her to his side on the steps of the White House?

10:40AM -  The mall area used to be a place where slaves were bought and sold. The capitol was built with slave labor. What a shameful, disgraceful, horrible episode in our history. Today, on this day in history, every ethnicity, all American citizens, triumph, at least symbolically, and something more. It is a wonderful feeling.

10:46AM - The First Ladies' are on their way to the capitol. A twelve-minute trip that may feel like a lifetime. FYI, the Obamas' new limo is called "The Beast"! :)

10:48AM - The President and the President-elect just left for the capitol in the new Obama limo.

11:00AM - The two limos are pulling up in front of the East Portico of the Capitol, the opposite side from which the inauguration will take place.

11:02AM - Now entering the Capitol, and moving to the west side.

11:45AM - Diane Feinstein.......blah.

11:48AM - Rick Warren, that guy I despise, the only thing I completely disagree with Obama on, his choice in a person to give the invocation. Pragmatism is useful, but in this case, his pragmatism took him too far, imo.

11:53AM - My former neighbor, Aretha Franklin does us proud in singing "My Country Tis of Thee", as only she could sing it. Okay, now I am seriously crying............

11:57AM - John Paul Stevens, the Associate Chief Justice, giving the oath to Joe Biden. Joe sounds strong, proud and determined.

12:00pm- The White House web site has changed. He has not taken the oath, but Obama is now the president.

12:05PM - The oath has been taken, administered. by the Chief Justice.

12:18AM - I am listening to his speech, crying, and I believe that this speech will be lauded as the greatest in our history, written by Obama himself, it is powerful.I am in awe of this man.

12:26AM - Perhaps I am just a maudlin optimist, but nevertheless, you heard it here first. This man will be our greatest president. This man is a paradigm shifter,he will change the world. I do not think I am overstating.

 
Image courtesy of NYT.

You can view the video and transcript.of President Obama's inaugural speech on IPD by clicking the related links. 

RELATED POSTS:

:: The Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

:: Full Transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

:: VIDEO: The Inaugural Concert by Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero

:: Beyonce Sings "At Last" for the first dance of the President and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Ball

:: VIDEO: will.i.am, Mary J Blige, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Sting, Jay-Z - Sing Signed, Sealed Delivered at the Neighborhood Ball

Journey to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

Prior to November 4, I had been filled with nerves and trepidation regarding the future of this country. I had, for the most part, ignored politics for years, especially after the 2000 election as I believed and still believe, that the Republican machine intentionally and knowingly, stole it from the Democrats.

Then, I woke up. Sarah Palin was on a stage with John McCain, and she set off every alarm in my being. From the first minute that I saw her and listened to her speak, I understood that she was a phony, a straw man set up by McCain to lure the disappointed Hillary supporters.

That's when I began political blogging, and I turned my support from Hillary to Obama, as with McCain's nomination of Sarah Palin, I finally understood that John McCain was not just a poor second to Hillary, but that he was nothing more than a scared, egotistical little man who would sell out his country for a chance at the power of the presidency, and I knew that we must defeat him for ourselves, our children, and our country.

Political News Summary - Monday, January 19, 2009

:: The New York Post is reporting that Caroline Kennedy is Paterson's choice to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

“DESPITE claims that he's still undecided, Gov. Paterson is "certain" to pick Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate, several unhappy contenders for the job have told friends and associates in recent days.
The contenders based their conclusion on the view that Paterson, after nearly two months of indecision, would "greatly embarrass" and "entirely humiliate" Kennedy, anger her prominent political family and even offend President-elect Barack Obama by picking someone other than President John F. Kennedy's daughter.
As for the governor's claim to be weighing a last-minute finalist, the contenders agree with a close Paterson friend who said, "It's clear David is just trying to play mind games with the press."”

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:: Shoes follow Bush.
There was a protest in Washington today. At the White House. And amazingly enough, no one was even arrested (well, one guy). The guards at the White House allowed protestors and tourists to lob shoes on to the White House lawn. Some of them even encouraged onlookers. Amazing. Only in America.

“President Bush was given an Iraqi-journalist-style sendoff on his last full day in office Monday, as tourists and demonstrators lobbed shoes, pumps, boots, sandals and Crocs from Pennsylvania Avenue onto the White House lawn.
Before launching the operation live, the shoe-chuckers took target practice in Dupont Circle on a 20-foot-tall blow up doll of the outgoing president, decked out in the flight suit he wore aboard the "Mission Accomplished" aircraft carrier.”Source: HUFFPOST

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Obama's Speech at the Lincoln Memorial

A host of entertainers, including Beyonce, Usher, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, and others, played a concert at the Lincoln Memorial today, to a crowd estimated to number over 500,000.

Obama's speech, as his speeches ever are, was inspirational and memorable, and I am so proud that he will be our President, the man who represents all of us in the eyes of the world. A memorable, proud time indeed. 

The full text of Barack Obama's speech at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, as prepared for delivery:

“I want to thank all the speakers and performers for reminding us, through song and through words, just what it is that we love about America. And I want to thank all of you for braving the cold and the crowds and traveling in some cases thousands of miles to join us here today. Welcome to Washington, and welcome to this celebration of American renewal.

Off the Cuff - Just Deal With It!

UPDATE: Sunday, January 18
Another report from media watchdog, Media Matters : "The AP Concocts the Cost of Obama's Inauguration".

UPDATE: Saturday, January 17
A report from Eric Boehlart on Media Matters, points to the farce that the right-wing media is conducting re Obama's inauguration and it's potential cost, as well as the comparisons with Bush 43's inaugurations. Very detailed/thorough investigative reporting. Read it and weep, right-wingers.
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[begin minor rant] Friday, January 16
For the whining right-wingers, and some dems too, who don't bother to fact-check before they speak, you can relax. After reading a post in a primarily right-wing forum this evening, I did some checking, and the inauguration is largely being paid for by donors, NOT funded by your tax dollars. So, get over it, and stop the damn whining. Sore losers.

“Though the federal government is pitching in $10 million toward the cost of Obama’s Inauguration, his team is planning festivities that could cost as much as $50 million.

Political News Summary: Monday, Jan. 12, 2009

:: Bush43 to give farewell speech during primetime on Thursday night.
Um, I personally have no need to watch him say goodbye. I can't imagine that most of us have.

“WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush will give a farewell address to the nation Thursday night, billed by the administration as a chance to reflect on his tenure and welcome Barack Obama without fighting old battles one last time.
Bush will deliver the speech, expected to run 10 to 15 minutes, from the ornate East Room of the White House. He will have a small audience of people in the room, chosen for their stories of personal courage.”Source: AP

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:: Roland Burris to be seated as the junior senator from Illinois.

Senate Dems said that they expect to seat Burris this week.

“"He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a joint statement.”Source: HUFFPOST

 

Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration is unacceptable.

As a progressive who strongly supports civil rights for all citizens, including those in the gay community, I was disheartened and angered when I read that President-elect Obama had chosen Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration.

While I believe that I understand his intent, I disagree with it. And just because he is a democrat does not mean that I will not speak out when I believe that he is wrong.

Obama's "talking points" (fabricated by myself, and only an opinion) and my responses:

• PEBO is modeling "tolerance".

Oh, please. Why should one be tolerant of someone who is intolerant? I have zero interest in being tolerant of a viewpoint which refuses to recognize a woman's right to choose, which does not afford the same civil rights to gays as to any other citizen, and which feeds on divisiveness.

• PEBO is practicing inclusion.

Inclusiveness is all well and good, however, inclusiveness of a man who is himself not inclusive, who does not support the civil rights of the gay community, indeed, who has been active in the "ex-gay" movement, a movement which simply ignores all scientific evidence that sexuality is not a choice, is unconscionable in my eyes.

Just my two cents which I posted in the discussion on change.gov. Be sure to make your voice heard also. The site is having problems with heavy traffic, so check back if you get an error page.

EDIT: They began a new discussion after 5,000+ rick warren comments swamped the service discussion. :)

Political News Summary - Monday, December 15, 2008

:: Cheney denies perverting the constitution.

In an on-air interview with Rush Limbaugh [gag], via Politico, Cheney says that he believes that "the next president" will thank him for expanding presidential authority, and denies exceeding their constitutional authority.

"We did not exceed our constitutional authority, as some have suggested," Cheney added. "The President believes, I believe very deeply, in a strong executive, and I think that's essential in this day and age. And I think the Obama administration is not likely to cede that authority back to the Congress. I think they'll find that given a challenge they face, they'll need all the authority they can muster."  POLITICO

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:: IPD Daily Cartoon Find

 

Bob Lang/Christmas Giving

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