DISQUS

David Stearns · 11 months ago

Couple things: First, the worst part of the speech was when he called for all lines between factions to dissolve. Aren't we supposed to live in a pluralist, cosmopolitan country where there are different groups of people, all holding hands and living together happily?

Second: Why aren't more libertarians creaming their pants over the fact that we've now got a president who seems to be pretty clearly repudiating torture and holding individuals indefinitely w/o any need for evidence or process, just so long as he deems them evil enough? Sure, redistribution bad! Big stimulus bad! But isn't this the kind of crap we *always* get from politicians, and given what most people would actually demand of politicians pretty unavoidable? And isn't being tortured and held w/o the writ of habeas corpus a *way way way bigger* threat to liberty than scary marginal tax rates and the stupidity of the SS system? Yes, it sucks that the president can interpret the constitution any way he wants, but GWB happened to interpret to mean that he can do whatever he wants, while Barack interprets it to mean that he can't. That should be great news to libertarians, no?

And yet Will, unless I'm missing something, the only thing you can bring yourself to praise about the man is how much it means about us that we have progressed to the point where we can vote in a black man as president.

In short: all politicians suck balls, but some definitely more than others. Seems to me like BHO actually has some things to actually recommend him. (none of this is to say that I'm not totally on board with your instinctual rejection of a lot of the collectivist boilerplate and hysteria surrounding the man.)

Ben · 11 months ago

Well, 1) talk is cheap, and 2) a President believing that the rule of law and human rights exist is a floor for what makes a President acceptable. Acceptable here meaning "who should not be indicted."

Will Wilkinson · 11 months ago

David, I don't put everything into every blog post. During the campaign I clearly stated my preference for Obama over McCain mainly for the reasons you mention. And I don't especially care about marginal tax rates .

Will Wilkinson · 11 months ago

Also, I believe a couple posts down I express my unironic enthusiam over GWBs departure. Isn't it OK if I hate everybody?

huadpe · 11 months ago

I just heard that Obama is about to spend $1T on the economy. He's not spending it. We are.

alex · 11 months ago

"Help us to remember that we are all Americans?" Is that really necessary? Who forgets this?

TheFieryScribe · 11 months ago

@11:44 It's a reference to Jesus H. Christ, methinks

Gabriel · 11 months ago

She should start singing Respect.

mk · 11 months ago

Yeah she doesn't sound so good. I think singing outside in the cold is probably really hard, as you're basically gulping in cold air in between notes.

B_ · 11 months ago

I like how CNN.com has "Musician" below Perlman's name. Thanks for clearing that up.

mk · 11 months ago

Yes! Love that simple gifts breakdown! Er, wait, lord of the dance?

This would be an awesome time for ghostface to finally come out.

TheFieryScribe · 11 months ago

Is it just me or does that sound a lot like "Lord of the Dance"?

Sol · 11 months ago

If you mean the song with lyrics something like "Dance, dance, whomever you may be", then that's just a different set of words to the tune of "Simple Gifts", and the piece at the inauguration seemed to be a John Williams arrangement/bastardization of part of Aaron Copland's arrangement of "Simple Gifts". (That is to say, Copland's ballet "Appalachian Spring".)

If instead you are implying some sort of Michael Flatley involvement, I must have missed that bit.

B_ · 11 months ago

Is it still official if the Chief Justice flubs the oath?

degenerateleftist · 11 months ago

@B
Nope, Biden is now Imperator instead.

TheFieryScribe · 11 months ago

Did Wil just experience an internet ... black-out?

/oh come on, you all were thinking it

Jared · 11 months ago

Umm, he's really only the 43rd President. Cleveland was 22nd and 24th so that reduces the unique list by one. It's bound to be a bad thing if we can't even get that right.

James · 11 months ago

Can I get my $170M back?

zevatron · 11 months ago

A shout-out to non-believers!

Gabriel · 11 months ago

It's not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean

Gabriel · 11 months ago

What's this about a cellphone?

TheFieryScribe · 11 months ago

That's a poem? It doesn't even rhyme!

zevatron · 11 months ago

Better than Maya Angelou Will? I thought nothing could be worse, but here we are...

Jared · 11 months ago

This poem doesn't make any sense.

I like toast. Praise song. Look a kitten. Praise song.

webgrrl · 11 months ago

All that hype and we scarcely saw the Lincoln Bible. Pity. But I agree bringing better broadband to Iowa will be a fantastic sign of national purpose! Nothing makes me feel more proud to be an American than a smart grid.

Milena Thomas · 11 months ago

This is pure comedy gold. Thank you Will.

Lemon · 11 months ago

"We're not going to be divisive like those other guys. Those guys sucked".

zevatron · 11 months ago

I'm watching on BBC. The commentators are unintentionally hilarious.
[comment accent="toff"]
"Yes, indeed brown shall stick around"
[/comment]

Corey · 11 months ago

What? Poetry that doesn't rhyme? Is the 19th century over already?! Though my sympathies to having to listen to "poem voice" at Iowa.

ed · 11 months ago

I just found something even more boring than the inauguration: the New York Times inauguration liveblog! Why did they bother?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/l...

DMonteith · 11 months ago

"A new foundation for growth. Restore SCIENCE. Harness the sun and the tides and hamsters. Some question the scale of our ambitions. They simply forget that we can DO ANYTHING. All your objections no longer apply, so don’t try to object cynics.

Aren't you the guy who thinks continued economic growth into the infinite future has an even chance of coming to pass? I thought surely you'd be on the hamster bandwagon.

Will Wilkinson · 11 months ago

Yeah. FREE MARKET hamsters.

DMonteith · 11 months ago

But of course.

RonCo · 11 months ago

Also (I forgot to add) just his use of the word "nonbelievers" was worth the whole show. I can't recall another President even acknowledging that they exist. Obama 2nd inaug program item: atheist benediction! Change we can believe in! So to speak.

Will Wilkinson · 11 months ago

I agree! Woo!

Tim · 11 months ago

I agree with that as well. As one of those non believers - who doesn't make a big deal when believers assert their right to invoke god - I was very happy to hear it. It was a pleasant surprise.

B_ · 11 months ago

I've been trying to think of an atheist benediction for weeks now. The best I can come up with are only slightly more eloquent than "drive safely and don't forget to tip your server."

But maybe that would be OK.

Greg N. · 11 months ago

Even watching the speech with my class, I couldn't help but say out loud, "say atheists, say atheists, say atheists" and then give a "woo hoo!" when we got "nonbelievers." That said, and maybe I'm making this up, I thought I heard him kind of toss that one in as an aside.

THAT said, I'm convinced Obama isn't religious in any meaningful way, which is to say in any way that doesn't help him politically. And that's something.

Greg N. · 11 months ago

I take it back. Just watched it again and it the "nonbelievers" part was on par with the others. I wish he had started with us, though.

Yogi · 11 months ago

"Facebook us Kenya" had me hanging on to my chair so I didn't fall out.

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry · 11 months ago

Hey, why'd you stop in the middle of the inauguration? It was getting really good!

patty · 11 months ago

Don't quote me, but I think the hamsters we want to harness were all gathered in Aretha's hat.

Tim · 11 months ago

Wow, you really are a prick sometimes. Perhaps one day you'll escape from you uniformed cynicism. Perhaps one day your self entombment in a shroud of protective emotional distance will end, and you'll enjoy things such as this for what they are. It's too bad you couldn't enjoy this, it was plainly put...nice. Your reaction has a stench of bitterness that I can't figure out. I'll be back though.

Kevin B. O'Reilly · 11 months ago

"Uniformed cynicism"? Where's my uniform, damn it!

webgrrl · 11 months ago

"Wall Street Hits Session Lows After Obama's Speech

Stock indexes extended losses and hit session lows on Tuesday after President Barack Obama's inauguration speech provided few new details about measures to tackle the growing economic crisis."

-- NY Times

Sadly, it appears as if the President's first act in office was to drive a low market down further. Or at least be unable to halt its slide. As we say on Wall St. "even a dead cat bounces once." Thus the market has compared Obama to said cat and come up. . .er, down.

RonCo · 11 months ago

You're being kind of a jerk today, Will. This ironic, cynical tone was amusing when you were dissing the pathetic campaign debates. But surely a bit of civic pride is in order as we watch the first African-American inaugurated as President--in a city where, as he noted today, his father would have had trouble getting served lunch not that long ago? Do we really need a pants-wetting media to manage our emotions on this one? Even if Obama's rhetoric didn't rise to the level of the guy whose Bible he was using, it was sober and appropriate.

The poem did suck, though.

Will Wilkinson · 11 months ago

You're right. The romance of politics drives me crazy in a way it doesn't for most people. So I know I do look like a jerk. Obama's speech was indeed sober and appropriate. That's part of what I meant about his being boring, which I really hope he keeps up.

Kevin B. O'Reilly · 11 months ago

Enh. I liked your commentary. "Facebook us, Kenya!" Classic.