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But plans for the four-day extravaganza roll forward…
Posted by Raven on January 18th, 2009
The media, liberals and others are in an orgasmic trance right now. Much attention and headline writing is focused on Obama’s inauguration. Celebrations, balls, concerts…a New Beginning. A New Deal. A Fresh Start. History in the works.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are dealing with the poor economy and it’s effects. Foreclosures increased 81% last year; 1.9 million people lost their jobs (PDF) in the last quarter of 2008. There is a war in Iraq still being fought. The media paints a gloomy picture of life in America right now. And of course it’s all President Bush’s fault.
Four years ago, the NYT opined that President Bush should scale back his Inaugural activities, to better reflect the times.
At the rate President Bush’s supporters are giving money, his second inauguration threatens to stand out in the history books like the common folks’ muddy boot prints on the White House furniture at Andrew Jackson’s gala. The $40 million record for inaugural partying set four years ago for Mr. Bush is expected to be shattered this month. The only limits for this binge of giving are the private inaugural committee’s maximum of $250,000 for corporate donors (more than 40 have pledged so far) and $100,000 for individuals (60 and counting).
Ordinary citizens might have hoped that the overriding issue in Washington – the perilous Iraq war, with its drain on the nation’s blood and treasure – would dictate restraint. But plans for the four-day extravaganza roll forward with nine celebratory balls being underwritten by the usual corporate and fat-cat supplicants in the political power mill.
I remember the nasty coverage on the costs of that celebration.
Fast forward four years and reports of $150 million being spent to celebrate and honor the Coronation of the media’s new King- Obama.
WASHINGTON - Unemployment is up. The stock market is down. Let’s party.
The price tag for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration gala is expected to break records, with some estimates reaching as high as $150 million. Despite the bleak economy, however, Democrats who called on President George W. Bush to be frugal four years ago are issuing no such demands now that an inaugural weekend of rock concerts and star-studded parties has begun.
The NYT is silent on the price tag of this party. As is most of the media. Guess it all depends upon the slanted biased political views of news paper editors and the like. Bush was ridiculed; Bambi is praised.
January 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Pure, political hack journalism. Plain and simple. There is a reason why no one trusts the media any more to be objective. Completely worthless as anything put party propaganda mouthpieces that filter the news as they see fit.
For instance, this in the story about Capt. Sullenberger, his saving of the U.S. Airways flight, and his first T.V. interview:
Just in case you DIDN’T know that Barack Obama was being inaugurated on Tuesday, the day after Monday. My wife read this, being a journalism major in college, and thought it was perhaps the most random statement that had nothing to do with the story it was included in. And I have to agree with her. Unless ofcourse you are completely and utterly OBSESSED WITH OBAMA, as the Associate Press is… I’m going to include this in a short post…
January 18th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
It’s an orgasmic trance. It’s all Obama, all the time!
As you know from reading my recent essay, Raven, I’m totally disgusted by all the Inauguration hoopla. All that money being squandered when our nation is in dire straits financially.