This is a great post by Mike Klonsky about the ignominious end of the Trump nightmare.
He planned a big military send-off for himself but was afraid no one would show up, so the invitations went out to people like John Bolton and Anthony Scaramucci, who long ago deserted him. Every invitee was asked to bring five friends to bulk up the audience. Someone said on CNN today that she had seen more people in an Apple store than showed up for Trump’s departure.
Not even Mike Pence showed up! Maybe he was annoyed that Trump told his mob to go after Pence when they vandalized the Capitol building, and they set up a scaffold and chanted “Hang Mike Pence.” That’s not the way you reward four years of puppy-dog loyalty!
Mike also laughed, as I did, at the thought that Woody Guthrie’s iconic “This Land Is Your Land” was sung at the Inauguration. If only Woody knew!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I read that Mike Pence attended Biden’s inauguration. He could not be in two places at the same time so he made his choice.
Mike Pence has a car and driver. He could have been at Andrews Air Force Base at 9 am for the Trump farewell, then made it back to the Capitol in time for the Inauguration.
He chose not to because Trump put his life, and the lives of his family in danger, on January 6.
I said exactly the same thing to my wife this morning. It’s about a 25-30 minute drive from Andrews to Capitol Hill if one has a police escort. Great minds. 😂
If only Jesse Pinkman had been there for the final word for the Idiot. Breaking Bad fans out there know what I mean.
Exactly
Wouldn’t want to be on the staff at Mar-a-lago right now. Can you imagine? Advice: steer clear of him for a time. LOL.
Was Woody’s song ” Dont Want to Live in this World No More” more apposite, not least because it mentions Donald Trump’s father?
John,
Woody Guthrie also wrote a song about “Old Man Trump,” Donald’s father, who did not allow black peoples to rent in his apartment projects.
This is what I think Woody Guthrie would say concerning his song, “This Land is Your Land” being sung by Jennifer Lopez.
Woody Guthrie: I can’t believe that my song was played and sung at a presidential election! I don’t have much to say except to realize that I was extremely fortunate to have made up the words to “This Land is Your Land”. I was tired of listening to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”.
I was accused of being a Communist, but I wasn’t. I was a true believer in what was justice for all. Now I look upon the world and see that ‘justice for all’ is a concept that doesn’t apply to many countries. This makes me sad.
I am proud of having Jennifer Lopez sing my song. Yes, “This Land was made for You and me”. I know that Carol didn’t have her classes sing that song when she traveled to Bolivia or Malaysia to teach. THAT I totally understand.
I’m glad that Biden won the election and that possibly now, there will be more peace throughout the land. At least, I do hope that the United States can come together and that both sides can work out their differences. We do not need more division.
I am in the land of the extreme love and beauty of our one God. I look at all the hatred, fear and disillusionment that is seeping all over the world and am saddened. If I were alive on earth today, I’d write a new song… something about peace for the world. I’ll write that song here but it won’t be appreciated the same and make a difference. There is total peace and respect for each other in this dimension.
See you all when you get here. I might even have a concert and sing some of my old songs. Maybe.
Have a great day and remember to love others. That is the only way for true peace to come to the whole planet.
“This land is your land” should apply to everyone’s country. Do not think that one country is so much better than any other country. We humans are all connected and the hurt that is done to one is a hurt to the whole world. Peace should be the objective, not more killings and destruction.
I’m glad to have had a short chance to speak out. I am love and I am loved and so are ALL of you.
Goodbye from the fifth dimension where love is everywhere. I do wish the whole planet were filled with the eternal love of God so that love and peace would reign. Is that ever possible? I don’t have an answer to that but I can dream.
Goodbye and please love your neighbors, even ones who speak a different language or dress differently. We ARE all connected and we all are important. There are no lowly humans, just humans who possess lowly thoughts.
Goodbye.
Diane and Lloyd When we read about this stuff next year, we will wonder if it really happened. CBK
You are saying that even Pence has limits for groveling and bootlicking?
I put this comment on before and it went into moderation and then disappeared. I wrote what I thought Woody Guthrie would say if he could comment.
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Woody Guthrie: I can’t believe that my song was played and sung at a presidential election! I don’t have much to say except to realize that I was extremely fortunate to have made up the words to “This Land is Your Land”. I was tired of listening to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”.
I was accused of being a Communist, but I wasn’t. I was a true believer in what was justice for all. Now I look upon the world and see that ‘justice for all’ is a concept that doesn’t apply to many countries. This makes me sad.
I am proud of having Jennifer Lopez sing my song. Yes, “This Land was made for You and me”. I know that Carol didn’t have her classes sing that song when she traveled to Bolivia or Malaysia to teach. THAT I totally understand.
I’m glad that Biden won the election and that possibly now, there will be more peace throughout the land. At least, I do hope that the United States can come together and that both sides can work out their differences. We do not need more division.
I am in the land of the extreme love and beauty of our one God. I look at all the hatred, fear and disillusionment that is seeping all over the world and am saddened. If I were alive on earth today, I’d write a new song… something about peace for the world. I’ll write that song here but it won’t be appreciated the same and make a difference. There is total peace and respect for each other in this dimension.
See you all when you get here. I might even have a concert and sing some of my old songs. Maybe.
Have a great day and remember to love others. That is the only way for true peace to come to the whole planet.
“This land is your land” should apply to everyone’s country. Do not think that one country is so much better than any other country. We humans are all connected and the hurt that is done to one is a hurt to the whole world. Peace should be the objective, not more killings and destruction.
I’m glad to have had a short chance to speak out. I am love and I am loved and so are ALL of you.
Goodbye from the fifth dimension where love is everywhere. I do wish the whole planet were filled with the eternal love of God so that love and peace would reign. Is that ever possible? I don’t have an answer to that but I can dream.
Goodbye and please love your neighbors, even ones who speak a different language or dress differently. We ARE all connected and we all are important. There are no lowly humans, just humans who possess lowly thoughts.
Goodbye.
Sorry it came twice. It DID disappear. Oh well. Enjoy reading it TWICE.
On his first day, Biden signed Executive Orders doing the following:
Instituting requirement and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors
Rejoining the World Health Organization
Rejoining he Paris Climate Accord
Moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, revocation of presidential permit for the Keystone XL oil and gas pipeline, reviews of Trump freeze and vehicle mileage and emission standards, review of Trump cuts in boundaries and protections for national monuments
Ending the Muslim travel ban
Ending the “national emergency” that diverted Defense Department funds to the building of Trump’s stupid border wall
Instructing staff to preserve DACA
Reviewing Trump deportations policies
Reversing exclusion of undocumented people from the 2020 Census
Proposing legislation to grant green cards and a path to citizenship for anyone in the US before Jan. 1, 2021 and lessen he time that people enrolled in DACA and TPA will have to wait for citizenship
Extending pause on student loan payments and stopping accrual of interest during the moratorium
Extending moratorium on foreclosures and evictions until March 31
And so the work begins of undoing the disaster that was the Trump maladministration
Biden did more in half of one day than Trump did in four years.
Actually, Biden did more in 2 hours at the end of a very long day than Trump did in four years.
Testing
This interview fits into this this post:
Wow, I’m blown away by this young woman, and clearly so is Anderson Cooper. One of the best interviews (really I would call it a conversation, much like Bill Moyers does) I’ve seen on CNN.
It’s so refreshing to hear these kinds of conversations about a person’s thinking and art instead of the typical banal q. and a.
I think WordPress hates me today. EVERYTHING I POST GOES INTO MODERATION.
That’s true.
Me, too, this morning. CBK
Yes, moi aussi.
First full day without the posterior-in-chief, EXHALE! Pence must hate every molecule, every atom of Trump, if Pence is an actual functioning human being.
All things considered, I think Biden and Harris are off to a good start.
Biden and Harris are off to a great start!
Joe Jersey Correct me if I am wrong here, but wasn’t Pence the sort-of the catalyst between Trump and the toxic evangelicals? There was a credence afoot in that land about Trump being God-sent?
What now? Is it like the Q-anons who are apparently spinning like an assortment of drunken tops? What will they do now that their shorts are in knots about THAT and about Pence and others almost being murdered at the Capitol? It must be confusing . . . to change logical systems like that. CBK
It is definitely refreshing to be finished with alternative facts or outright lies to made a rotten president look good.
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No meltdowns: Jen Psaki’s first briefing as Biden press secretary was a breath of fresh air
It was a jarring contrast with the Trump years.
By Aaron Rupar@atrupar Jan 20, 2021, 8:40pm EST
The first press briefing by Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki highlighted how much changed overnight in the White House.
There were no angry outbursts. No insults. No conspiracy theories pushed from the briefing room lectern. Just civil, if largely unmemorable, exchanges with reporters.
That Psaki didn’t break a lot of policy news is understandable, given that she just started at her job hours earlier. What was significant, however, is the approach she took toward reporters.
“I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy, and for the role all of you play,” Psaki, who was a State Department spokesperson in the Obama years, said in response to the first question she fielded. “As I noted earlier, there will be moments when we disagree, and there will certainly be days where we disagree for extensive parts of the briefing even, perhaps. But we have a common goal, which is sharing accurate information with the American people.”
Psaki’s first briefing stood in the starkest possible contrast with the first one held under President Donald Trump in January 2017.
That memorable event, held the day after Trump’s inauguration, was a surreal affair in which press secretary Sean Spicer angrily denounced reporters for accurately covering the relative smallness of Trump’s inaugural crowd size…
https://www.vox.com/2021/1/20/22241632/jen-psaki-first-press-briefing-biden-administration
carolmalaysia I just wish the new Press Secretary had said (something like this) that the President doesn’t want to give his opinion about some things, like a Senate trial, because he knows how influential his words would be, and he doesn’t want to infringe on the movement of the dialogue of those who are, in the end, responsible for making decisions in the matter. Sigh . . . instead, she waffled. CBK
Biden gave a response similar to what you wanted the press secretary to say. He is staying out of the impeachment controversy by leaving decisions to the Senate to decide what actions they want to take.
Carolm Missed that . . . glad to hear it. CBK
It is amazing how blogger pro-ports to know the heart of Trump. How his mind works. His individual feelings. How he relates to the world. After 21 years of marriage I could not say truly I knew my spouse this well.
Rob Does your wife lie to you as a matter of habit? CBK
No. We did in fact not understand one another for the duration of the marriage. We hear what we expect to hear. We see all from our perspectives. Then we (all of humanity) projections and apply those emotions to all of those we encounter based on our understanding. This is why 80% of conversation is non verbal. I submit that we all may have our own opinion of someone else’s motivations. We can not actually know any others person’s intention. I do agree we can infer intentions and we can not know them.
What is Mr Trump has achieved exactly what was intended?
We have all been conditioned to hate Mr. Trump.
Why?
He has a course personality. However, jerks prosper and are admired by many. What was so dangerous about this man that we have been bombarded by, well, accusations of intensions.
What if Mr Trump did all he could to prevent what comes next, and we don’t even see I coming. Why must his intent be from a place of hate.
According to his writing he believes on the power of positive thinking. I believe this is in stark contrast to perspective being programmed onto all of us.
Rob: We have all been conditioned to hate Mr. Trump.
Why?
Read comments on Diane Ravitch’s blog articles on any topic about Trump. If you see the many comments that have been posted and then do some Google searching, you’ll find out the answer to WHY. Trump earned disrespect and intense dislike from those who listen, read and then understand the continuous damage that he did EVERY single day while in office.
Rob I asked if you wife lied to you as a matter of habit because, if she did, you would know something about how her mind works, which is the issue you raised about Trump in your prior note. Trump lies as a matter of habit. Therefore, we know something about the way his mind works. . . . FOR STARTERS. CBK
Trump’s attempt at staying relevant reminds me of Joe McCarthy slinking off after his censure.
There is an adult’s book for sale on Amazon titled, “If You Give a Pig the White House”. It is cartoon characters making fun of Trump.
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A coiffed and blustery pig has shoved his way into the White House! A cleverly worded and illustrated picture book, this is the adult parody of the beloved children’s cautionary tale, If You Give a Pig a Pancake.
Watch in dismay as the presidential pig gets into trouble, binges on too much Fox News and fast food, and cavalierly threatens national security. If You Give a Pig the White House both lovingly caricatures the original children’s book series and shows just what can happen when a greedy anti-hero tracks his hooves all over America.
Hardcover
$15.29
Trump should have slithered away several months before he got elected. Imagine having a president who cares about people getting enough to eat and doesn’t work full time to make himself and his rich buddies wealthier? Compassion has come to the WH.
What are all those poor people who voted for their savior Trump going to think?
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The Washington Post
Alert
News Alert
Jan. 22, 5:01 a.m. EST
Biden plans to significantly increase federal food assistance for millions of families, among other executive actions on economy
President Biden will ask the Department of Agriculture on Friday to allow states to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits — commonly known as food stamps — and to increase by 15 percent benefits awarded through a school meals programs for low-income students started in the pandemic, according to Biden officials. That could give a family of three children more than $100 in extra benefits every two months, Biden officials said.
Trump’s followers believed his lies. They did not know his long history of lying for fun and profit. They were duped. Like the people who signed up for Trump University.
The are being duped by the far R media. These loonies NEVER GIVE UP. I received this ‘enlightening’ email this morning from Patriot Pulse THE TRUE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN RIGHT. Trump must be put in prison for the rest of his life.
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Trump said seven words before he left Washington, D.C. that Joe Biden did not want to hear
Wednesday was the last day of Donald Trump’s term in office.
But it didn’t end the way anyone expected.
And that’s because Donald Trump said seven words before he left Washington, D.C. that Joe Biden did not want to hear.
Before President Trump departed Washington, D.C. for the last time as President, he spoke to a cheering crowd of supporters at Andrews Air Force Base.
At the end of his remarks, the President noted that the country’s future was bright and that his administration laid the groundwork for the next administration to have success if they follow Trump’s blueprint.
“The future of this country has never been better,” Trump declared. “I wish the new administration great luck and great success. I think they’ll have great success. They have the foundation to do something really spectacular.”
But while President Trump said goodbye to his supporters, he did promise a return.
“Goodbye, we love you, we will be back in some form,” Trump added.
There is some speculation that Donald Trump will run for President again in 2024.
If Trump does not mount a comeback 2024 bid, he could very well play the role of kingmaker in the Republican Party in the 2024 nominating contest.
But Trump may also have revenge on his mind if RINO Republicans vote to convict him on the Democrats’ sham article of impeachment.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump floated the idea of forming a third party to challenge RINO Republicans.
Still others believe that Donald Trump will form his own media company and start the much talked about “Trump TV”.
No one knows exactly which path Trump will choose.
But regardless, Trump will play an influential role in American politics and life.
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PULSE POLL: Do you want to see Donald Trump run for President in 2024?
Yes…96%
No…4%
Trump can’t run in 2024 because he will be in jail.
Republicans in the Senate are STILL afraid of Trump. Once again, he can be as corrupt as possible and nothing is done to hold him accountable. He encouraged people to storm the Capitol building…what does it take to convince Republican Senators that he is no good?
The state of NY is now our best hope. “LOCK HIM UP”‼️🤡
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The Hill:
GOP senators say only a few Republicans will vote to convict Trump
Republicans say the chances that former President Trump will be convicted in an impeachment trial are plummeting, despite lingering anger among some Republicans over his actions.
Only five or six Republican senators at the most seem likely to vote for impeachment, far fewer than the number needed, GOP sources say.
A two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for a conviction, something that would require at least 17 GOP votes if every Democrat votes to convict Trump.
If enough Republicans stay home, he could be convicted. It requires 2/3 of those present.