Inauguration of the New President

[white avenger]

In this very election you had people from your own country making comments saying 'There is a reason the White house is white'.

Yes, there is. It was repainted that color after being partially burned by British forces in the War of 1812. It's been called the White House ever since,

 

[Cohen]

In this very election you had people from your own country making comments saying 'There is a reason the White house is white'.

You know, it would be so funny if people decided to go paint the white house black, just for that reason.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Yes, there is. It was repainted that color after being partially burned by British forces in the War of 1812. It's been called the White House ever since,

I don't get what your point is.

I'm not saying I made the comment, not commenting on the historical significance and not suggesting that anyone on this forum said it.

I believe we're all aware of what was implied with that comment, my point was that it was said by an American during the election campaign, which instantly shows racism is still there, thats all.
[br][/br]
Edit:
[br][/br]
One final thing then I am probably going to retire from this thread.

I heard someone say this, I forget who, and even though my thoughts of Barack on a political level are opposed to him, I have to say this quote is great and details the struggle and the way it was done.

"Rosa sat, so Martin could march. Martin marched so Barack could run"

 

[SpikedBuffy]

I watched it today with my class. This was even interesting to 25 second graders. There were really into watching what was going on, because we had studied the candidates and had a mock election.

And when we did all that, I tried very heavily to keep it not about racism or anything like that. It was just a study of two people running for president and the principles of the two parties.

I told the kids there was going to be a 'parade' (which was the motorcade driving them to Capitol Hill), so that hooked them immediately!


Now, I did not vote for him and am pretty 'right-sided', but it was still interesting to watch. I think of it as... "He's my President, so I just gotta roll with it and hope that he does the best job our country."

 

[Angelic Slayer]

I'm afraid that I missed the event, myself. Apparently they aired it at school at lunch time, but I guess I missed the announcement and had some things to pick up downtown instead. It really is a historical event though, would have been nice to be able to see it live. I will be sure to check out the recaps online though... I heard that there was some kind of flub with the oath of something?

 

[hazzard]

this was the first presidential election in which i was able to vote. it is amazing (to me) that obama won and the inauguration was a great symbolic expression. i'll always remember where i was and who i was with when i watched it. it is a hopeful time again after so much loss, corruption, restriction, and exclusion.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

I heard that there was some kind of flub with the oath of something?

Yeah, the Chief Justice didn't let Obama say his first line before moving on, then he got the word order mixed up for the second one. Obama just looked at him with a sly little grin, then said it right. It was pretty funny really, and very endearing.

 

[yellowcrayon]

I will not mention anything on the presidency, racism or the like. *cheery grin* As I told Lou I wouldn't.

However...

As to the inauguration, I didn't watch it. I didn't care too much. There's a difference between inaugurating the president and crowning a monarch. The latter is more cause for pomp and circumstance, esp. considering part of the point of a democracy was to do away with it. 😛

Now, one thing that bugs me is the commercialization of all of this. People swarm to D.C. and swallow the city, making it more than a little annoying for folks who actually *gasp* live and work there. It makes it really hard for them, and with metros deciding to not honour monthly passes, etc. and require special passes that have now sold out, it makes life that much tougher for these guys who are already struggling in a sucky economy. You'd think that we could practice a little American understanding here and let them get to their jobs, especially when we're taking time off and others are having to pick up our slack. (sw)

Yes, an inauguration is a great thing, but the other folks gotta be remembered too. 😛

And I'm with white avenger on this... I didn't vote for him, and I just want him to do well so I don't say "I told you so" this time next year. 😉

Back to your regularly scheduled programming... 🙂

 

[atticus]

Off topic, for a little bit, but i must say that i am enjoying George Bush's speech. Funny, thought felt, silly (bush does this well), And his words about his wife,were really fantastic. 🙂 He seems like a good man, just not a good president.

 

[Harm]

I have been depressed all day. Get this man out of office. I can't stand him. He makes me LIKE Bush, which is really saying alot.
And is his wife classless or what?

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I was just watching loads of the stuff from the day, I think the best part was seeing them (Obama and his wife) dancing at the parade, It shows them being fun.

 

[Lemon]

I turned it on for about ten minutes. The kids looked SO BORED the entire time. I think they are brats if they can't even manage to put on a smile. The entire parade was for their family and they looked joyless. I really don't care for Obama...and Michelle. Eeek.

 

[white avenger]

But you would use nigga? See I feel that if you would not use a hateful word to describe a white person like cracker then the same should apply to nigga. If you won't use cracker on the basis that you are not a slave owner then why use nigga when the person you are addressing is not a slave?

I would never use the word, nor any other term that might be racially or religiously derogatorily to anyone. With my ancestry, I would most likely be insulting myself. But I have heard it used, and words like it, all of my life. I grew up in a town where there was only one restaurant within the city limits that would serve black people, and only then as takeout. They could not be seated. They had no public rest rooms, no swimming pool, and only one single movie theater. There were water fountains, but they were labeled "White" and "Colored." And all of that has changed. Maybe it hasn't changed as much as some would like, but it HAS changed, and I really believe that it will continue to change, hopefully for the better.

The best example of that change that I can think of at this moment is that an estimated TWO MILLION people, all colors, all religions, all ages, more than a few of whom, I feel certain, voted for the other guy, stood together in sub freezing weather to watch the inauguration of the first African American President in the history of this nation. The odds are, there might even have been one of those nasty ol' Klansmen there. And there were no riots. No killings. No beatings. Not even an argument worth reporting. Just a bunch of cold folks watching history be made.

We aren't perfect, and we never will be. But we're getting better.

 

[CharmedSlayer85]

As an African American myself I am very proud of this day and hope that Obama fixes all the stuff that Bush ****ed up. I was proud that my school Florida A&M University was marching during the parade.

 

[IdiotJed]

I know what you mean.
All those centuries of subjugation, slavery, lack of equality and down right appalling behaviour that still hasn't exactly left them, how dare they spend a few months celebrating a turning point in history.

Cheesh, if only the whites had a group, a klan if you will, I could join so I wouldn't have to worry about hearing this tripe!

Yes, because God forbid a white person be proud of his race. He must be... 'gasp' racist!

I get so sick of that stigma. From one extreme to another. Blacks are proud and it's wonderful. Whites get proud, we're automatically involved in the klan.

Oh, and as far as I know, no one I know has been a slave. I'm willing to bet no one you know has been a slave. Lack of equality? Having a program like affirmative action pretty much negates that they'll ever be equality. It's a laughable statement to think that they'll ever be equality with programs like this in place because essientially that's what this is. So how is this a turning point in history? These things still exist, no matter who gets elected into office. I'm with you on the historical significance on it but to say that if we don't like hearing, "Black Power!", we endorse the klan is downright wrong. Might I add another group has used the phrase, "Black power," before... the Black Panthers. Just saying not everything is black and white (no pun intended) but there's this whole gray area that many people won't talk about.

Now is where I get called a racist... which I am not, but seemingly when I endorse my opinion on the subject, that is what I get called.

 

[Relic]

^^^^I kind of get what your saying, and I'm not racist...I have enough Native American in me to equally like all you (desendents of) land grabbing, disease spreading, defilers. 😉 I have them in my heritage as well.... to get back on topic....

It is historic, true....as is any first..... but to demonstrate true equality it should not be viewed as a special deal by every one. We should be beyond this race thing by now as far as potential goes.

President Obama won because he convinced the majority he was more fit to lead us. I hope one day an African American achieving the most powerful office in the US is viewed no differently than A white, Hispanic, or native american....thay it will be considered the norm for potential achievment rather then the exception. Now that we have a first, maybe that can happen?

I understand the joy of celebrating when just 40 years ago things were so very wrong and difficult, but We as a nation should not be proud when we do the expected; to judge a person by their merit of ideas and heart, not skin tone or religious affiliation.

We should not be proud to no longer be the embarrassment we were in the 60's...we should simply be glad we have made progress.

Black men were given the right to vote before womens suffrage/ equality for women equated their right to vote.
I'm curious if it will be as big of deal when we have our first madam president. Mrs Polocie as first madam speaker had little fan fair, in general first anythings are milestones that often are celebrated. I just hope we are not celebrating the wrong thing and replacing guilt with pride.

Races are equal, it is far past time this first should have happened.

 

[white avenger]

As much as I hope that he IS capable of fulfilling that goal, unfortunately, more than a few of his voters cast their ballots simply because he is black, the same as there are those who would have voted for Hillary simply because she is a woman, as well as those who voted for McCain simply because he was the white candidate. There may come a day in this country when a person's qualifications are the only consideration in being awarded a promotion or winning an election, but we haven't reached that point yet.

 

[Relic]

^^^^I'm not sure that he saw a lot of votes go his way just because he was black....some maybe by way of White Guilt or Black Pride....but there was a huge turn out by younger voters most likely not so easily influenced by those factors. I honestly believe he could have been a young hispanic or white guy and still won as long as he had the same PR campaign and Mccain had the same strategy... in other words race and gender bias I believe have been small factors that often off set themselves (as the oppose each other) for at least the last 16 years.

His PR campaign and using the net was an absolute boon....the guy is a genius there. It did not hurt his chances that Senator McCain has such a generation gap with the young voter block and bloggers...and was not deemed very conservative for people who would support him at his base, like myself.

Our prior president President Bush had very low ratings (as did/does congress) What helped Obama is that he could distance himself better from the liberal label, old politics in general as he was a fresh face...and that McCain had two strikes against him being a senator (with Obama) and coming from the same party as the prior executive branch that has not been recognized fondly.

I honestly believe that just about any nomination the dem's had would have won this one as long as they stuck to the mantra "change you can believe in".

Change can be good or bad, I wish the new president luck, he certainly is walking into a crap storm.

 

[white avenger]

Our prior president President Bush had very low ratings (as did/does congress) What helped Obama is that he could distance himself better from the liberal label, old politics in general as he was a fresh face

I think that President Bush's low ratings are less due to what he actually did or didn't do than they were to the people taking the polls (but please don't get me started on that one!), and President Obama isn't as far away from that "liberal label and old politics"as you might imagine, considering his choice of Vice President and Secretary of State. I would be really surprised if Obama doesn't turn out to be as liberal, if not more so, than Bill Clinton ever dreamed of being.

But I do agree that both candidates drew votes simply because of party loyalty. McCain drew votes because he was a veteran and a former POW. There are any number of "reasons" that the voters will have for voting for one candidate or the other that have absolutely nothing to do with their actual qualifications.

Obama may be the greatest President since FDR, and more popular than Ronald Regan. I hope he is. As I said before, I sincerely hope that, a year from now, I won't be able to say, "I told you so."

 

[hazzard]

I turned it on for about ten minutes. The kids looked SO BORED the entire time. I think they are brats if they can't even manage to put on a smile. The entire parade was for their family and they looked joyless. I really don't care for Obama...and Michelle. Eeek.

like someone else said, they were constantly taking pictures and talking to everyone around them. during the parade, they were even seen skipping together down the street. if that's bored, i want to be bored more often haha. they seem like really happy, grounded kids.