Tomorrow’s official inauguration of President Obama for his second term will be followed Monday by a $100,000,000 publicly funded party for a President elected by vilifying wealth. Highlighting the public portion of the festivities will be the President’s inaugural address. In contrast to past great inaugural addresses calling for national unity and selfless sacrifice, Obama’s theme has been selfishness and government dependence.
There have been several notable inaugural addresses including Lincoln’s second in 1865 which concluded with:
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. (Lincoln’s second inaugural)
Given the backdrop of a nation torn by civil war and with many wanting retribution for the bloodshed, Lincoln’s words of healing and peace was in clear contrast.
The best known phrase from any inaugural was delivered by John F. Kennedy when he said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” This phrase inspired a generation to pitch in, to do their fair share and spawned service related organizations like the Peace Corps and lifted a country from the malaise caused by friction over the years of censorship in the form of McCarthyism.

The contrast between liberal Kennedy’s selfless address asking for self-sacrifice and contribution from all is in stark contrast to the selfish and entitlement campaign just run by President Obama who has flipped the Kennedy speech “Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you.” President Obama talks about creating a generation of those dependent on the government as a positive thing. Expanded government is desirable in Obama’s world while a diminishing private sector which is, and always has been, the engine that drives America “is doing just fine.”
I will listen to his speech given in lavish surroundings paid for by tax payers and hear him demonize the economic engine that made his alternative universe possible. I will watch as he demonizes the wealthy while surrounded by Hollywood elite with more money and income than 99.999% of the country. I will suffer through his articulate but meaningless words as he promises to continue to destroy our private economy while imposing “wealth distribution” on those that have worked for everything that they have earned.
I hoped that the rough election would humble Obama much like Clinton who moved to the middle and had a productive second term. That hope was quickly dashed as Obama instantly became even more arrogant and less willing to work with Republicans after the re-election. He has refused to even seriously consider cutting spending despite vast public support and continued threats from the ratings industry. Obama is showing no indication that he is willing to work with anyone but instead to try to continue to force his agenda down the throats of an unwilling public.
I will listen Monday, but I have no hopes to hear anything inspiration or encouraging.

Is the party going to cost a hundred million or a hundred thousand?
One hundred MILLION.
Oh Lawdy! One hundred meeellion dollars (Dr. Evil voice). Just think…if we did away with porta-potties…and just lined up police cars for everyone to “poop and pee” on (#occupy style). Do away with security (no need to protect this “un-American” President or the (mostly) AA “47% entitlement mentality” crowd). And forget the parade as there is no historic precedent for celebrating the unparalled beauty that is the Democratic process of the United States of America.
And of course we can count on the “Pea Tarty” to clean up afterward with their “fiscal responsibility” and “selfless volunteerism and charity” espoused in thier “platform” (I mean bloviated from their soapbox). Oh wait…”He’s not one of us” so summarily discard anything this (P)resident is about.
Of course no matter what words of greatness are uttered by this President in his Inaugural Speech, the Republican “bitter-clingers” will parse any word uttered and spin to a “socialist agenda”. They’ll use false claims of “villifying and demonizing” the wealthy/private markets. They’ll even claim to “listen [to his address], but have no hopes to hear anything inspiration[al] or encouraging.” But we already know they will listen but will not hear as their mantra is contempt prior to investigation.
What a miserable existence to go through life (under a Democratic President) blinded by hatred, bigotry and hyper-partisanship. Never Change™, Republicans. Your country is relying on your destructive behavior and bitterness…just to “prove” a point…whatever the point is. How so very unpatriotic of you. Why do you hate America?
You are such a …… Geoffrey Willis.
I did not hear him demonize the wealthy. And while it is too early to know the total cost of this inauguration, the inauguration of George W. Bush reportedly cost $115.5 million. Lastly, you refer to it as “publicly funded,” as if the taxpayer is picking up the tab. That is not exactly true. A great deal of the cost of the inauguration is being funded by donations.
Roger, first we are both right about the cost of the inauguration. Obama’s cost approximately $180,000,000 of which $50,000,000 was privately funded. Bush’s Cost $130,000,000 of which $40,000,000 was privately funded. The sources are not always consistent, but those seem to be the numbers that are largely agreed upon. Second, the comment about demonizing the wealthy related to his campaign which was a constant attack on top earners. This piece was written and published before the speech.
Snoop – the Republicans didn’t have to do any parsing of Obama’s speech, because he laid his socialist agenda bare for all, with nary a word about creating jobs. Oh, and I’m guessing the 47%ers didn’t get as close as Obama’s big donors (those useful idiots he likes to attack regularly) in the front section of the parade route. But he’s no hypocrite, he’s just an ideologue, right?
And under your lame, hyper-partisan rhetoric, criticising the worst president in my life time must make me a racist, right?