Mourning again in America

Aren't they sweet?  You would almost think it was a Fourth of July celebration if it wasn't for the MAGA handbags and the heavy black coats.  An estimated 20,000 persons are lining the streets of Washington for Trump's inauguration parade.  A much smaller number than he hoped for, but thanks to the Arctic chill few people are braving the cold on this winter day in the nation's capital.  Trump will take his inauguration indoors to avoid the cold, only the second time in recent decades.

It was Ronald Reagan who coined the phrased "Morning again in America" during the 1984 campaign, and had his second inauguration in the Rotunda of the Capitol building.  It was only 7 degrees Fahrenheit then.  About 20 degrees colder than it is today in Washington.  At least there was a tone of optimism as the economy had started to improve in 1985.  Today, it is hard to view Trump's second inauguration as anything other than a negation of everything our country stands for.

He will be the first convicted felon to serve as President.  The first to have been found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and tax fraud.  Also, the first to still have charges pending against him in the State of Georgia for racketeering, even if Fulton DA Fanny Willis has been blocked from prosecuting the case.  

Yet, his faithful still believe he was unfairly prosecuted, and consider him above all such allegations.  They believe he was chosen by God to lead this great nation of ours.  I don't think Ronnie even got this kind of reverence.

I remember reading that John Adams wanted President Washington to be regarded as "His Elective Majesty" or "His Highness, the President of the United States and the Protector of their Liberties," but George was content with "The President of the United States," and it stuck.   No telling what The Donald will want.

Whatever the case, this is a sad day.  Never would I have thought that a man so ill-equipped, bad-tempered with a reckless disregard for this nation's core principles be elected for the second time.  I thought we had learned our lesson the first time around.

Instead, we see billionaires flocking to Mar-a-Lago to pay deference to the Orange Fuhrer.  The latest to do so was Bill Gates on Saturday.  It wasn't enough just to have an "intriguing dinner" with the president-elect.  Bill Gates regarded him as an innovator, one who spurred the development of the COVID vaccine.  Bill definitely has a different sense of what happened during that tumultuous year than I do.  As I recall, this man did everything possible to retard such progress.  He pitched social media remedies like hydroxychloroquine and promoted herd immunity at press conferences much to the chagrin of Drs. Fauci and Birx.  Bill seems to think that Donald will bring that same spirit of innovation to a second term despite his administration calling for immediate withdrawal from the World Health Organization.  It's doubtful Bill had any influence on the Cheeto King.

The guy seeming to pull Donald's strings is Elon Musk, who has been residing in a cabana on Trump's lavish estate, whispering into his ear.  How long this relationship lasts is anyone's guess?  Donald doesn't like being told what to do, but at the same time doesn't know what to do.  He often takes his advice from the last person to whisper in his ear.  For that reason, Elon has tried to stay close, very close to the president in waiting.  To the point, very few persons have been able to get in between them.

There are already splits and fissures in the Trump camp. Steve Bannon has been the most visibility upset about this close relationship, feeling that Elon is steering Trump away from MAGA core principles, particularly on immigration.  But Bannon no longer has a private line to Trump.  He's not even allowed to sit behind Trump during his inauguration. A seat that purportedly cost one million dollars.  Steve thinks its these tech billionaires who are too soft, not Trump, and that they called the inauguration indoors to protect their lily white asses.

There might be some truth to that but Trump is pretty soft himself.  This is a guy who has gotten used to his winter residence in Florida and doesn't like to venture out in the cold.  I imagine he will stop the limousine long enough along Pennsylvania Avenue to greet his adoring throng, but they better snap their pictures quickly as I'm sure he will duck right back inside.

It's just hard to imagine all this is happening, especially at a time we need stability in the US given all the unrest in the world.  The fragile ceasefire in Israel, the volatile situation in Ukraine, fires in our own California backyard and an unusually bitter cold front that has dipped down through the panhandle of Florida.  But, what is Trump's most pressing matter?  Restore TikTok. This may very will be his first executive order.

Donald Trump has promised 200 executive orders his first day, supersizing his original projection.  By comparison, Joe Biden signed 159 executive orders over his entire presidency.  Obama had signed 275 over eight years.  This would be quite an achievement for a man who criticized both of his predecessors for exploiting their executive privilege.  I suppose this is the first stage of Project 2025 as the executive branch tries to wrest control of the government from the legislative branch.

In a mighty show of defiance, Mike Johnson has vowed to uphold the TikTok ban unless an American buyer can be found.  The current top bidder is Kevin O'Leary who has apparently put together a $20 billion offer.  According to The Street, Kev is only worth $400 million.  So where is the other 19.4 billion coming from?  Maybe the Chinese owners will take his life savings as a down payment.  FTR, O'Leary is Canadian, with Irish and UAE citizenships.

It is for that reason I don't hold much promise for a second Trump administration.  In fact, none at all.  I think we are in for a very rough ride.  I just hope there is something left of this country when the midterms roll around in 2026.  Enough to salvage anyway.  The barbarians are at the gate!