Joe Biden's Presidency

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Let's begin this exciting thread with His inauguration, shall we?  As the most popular President in the history of the United States, it promises to be unique (if not rather low key).  The masses of viewers on the ground will be from all parts of the U.S., with National Guard units flown in from all points of the country.  Alright, I'll stop.  Here's a great first article to get this going.

US Prepares for One of the Most Unusual Inaugurations in History

Article in Full.

WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20 amid unparalleled security measures and the pandemic lockdown, making it one of the most untraditional inaugurations in U.S. history.

Like many predecessors, Biden is going to be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol building. But the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, which normally draws hundreds of thousands of Americans, has been canceled, to be replaced by a virtual parade. Inaugural balls have been canceled as well.

The viewing stand near the White House has been dismantled, making this event likely the smallest inauguration in history, in terms of physical attendance. While a low turnout is expected, the event will be unusually tight in security and law enforcement.

National Guard troops near the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

This inauguration is unique in its own way, according to David Pietrusza, political historian, author, and expert on presidential electoral history.

In terms of people being so on edge, the flooding of troops and security into Washington, and the COVID-19 pandemic, “there’s no really great precedent for that,” he told The Epoch Times.

But there are different examples in history where things didn’t go like clockwork and weren’t uneventful, he said.

According to historians, Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address was the most stressful one, as the threat of war hung heavy in the air. Six weeks after the speech the Civil War, which claimed about 2 percent of the American population, erupted.

“Certainly the country was in worse shape and people were more on edge in 1861 with Lincoln. There’s no comparison to that,” Pietrusza said.

While security ahead of the Civil War was a big deal, measures that have been put in place this year in preparation for Biden’s inauguration also are unprecedented, he noted.

This is the first time an inauguration has been declared a National Special Security Event, not days before, but a full week before the actual event.

Security around the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Authorities have taken aggressive measures in the city amid growing concerns that the civil unrest and violence observed on Jan. 6 may be repeated during inauguration week. As many as 25,000 National Guard members from all 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will be stationed in the nation’s capital.

The security measures have brought the city to almost a complete halt. More than a dozen Metro stations around the National Mall and U.S. Capitol building were closed in the days before the inauguration; the streets of Washington are eerily empty.

Buses, streetcars, and other forms of public transportation, even bicycles, have been shut down. Most stores are closed, and many have been boarded up.

The south side of the White House on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

President Donald Trump said earlier that he wouldn’t attend the swearing-in ceremony of Biden. He made the announcement one day after Congress certified Biden as the winner of the 2020 election.

Trump won’t escort Biden in a motorcade to the Capitol, which is another break from tradition. However, it isn’t the first time a president has refused to attend the inauguration of his successor.

John Adams, the second president of the United States, left Washington before Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801.

The situation that year was very divided, and in some ways similar to 2021. Jefferson’s supporters characterized his opponent, Adams, as a lover of monarchy, while Adams’s supporters pictured Jefferson as a radical. Some say Adams didn’t attend Jefferson’s inauguration to prevent any violence at the event.

Security around the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. president, left Washington a day before, declining to attend Andrew Jackson’s ceremony in 1829.

Other presidents who didn’t watch their successors take the oath of office were Martin Van Buren (1841) and Andrew Johnson (1869).

It’s “unfortunate” that Trump isn’t attending the ceremony, John Gizzi, Newsmax’s chief political columnist, told The Epoch Times. (DW: Gratuitous plug?  )

“As someone who’s witnessed, not only the transfer of power, but the tradition of the incoming president paying tribute to the outgoing president, that is something that surely is going to be missing,” he said. “You miss not only the handoff, so to speak, but you also miss the tradition of graciousness.”

For more than 200 years, the tradition of inauguration parades, celebrations, and displays of patriotism have continued despite scattered protests, including at Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

“The pomp and pageantry are as American as you can get,” Gizzi said.

Extra security barriers block the roads at F and 14th streets in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

“Hearing the orchestras, seeing the president and vice president waving from the cars, sometimes getting out and marching with the crowd—all of that is something that’s so richly American to the point that it’s timeless. When that is removed, it takes a little bit of the mystique of the transition away,” he added.

This year’s inauguration, according to Gizzi, is most compared to the fourth and final inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was sworn in on Jan. 20, 1945, at the White House on the portico overlooking the backyard.

Roosevelt preferred to hold a simple ceremony because of World War II, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of American citizens. That presidential inauguration lasted only 15 minutes.

This time, there won’t be a lot of pomp because of the CCP virus, Gizzi said.

Kay Rubacek and NTD News’ Learner Liu contributed to this report.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Dan Warnick

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,539]

This inauguration will be a mere formality, the first 45 days will be quite stunning. One can anticipate volumes of executive orders will come extremely fast and furious, their will be no time for policy discussions. Right now the country is in covid lockdown, Trump is being silenced on social media...Actually Fox is under attack for any type of messaging. Senators and congressman are under investigation or coalitions are being formed to remove some from office.

Then there is the Insurrection, DC is in under the national guard, local state capitals are in under state police high alerts... When the Iron is hot..comes to mind. Let no crisis go crisis go wasted....It will not be wasted..Go ahead and rebel with any discussion...Make my day comes to mind. A message from the great Uniter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/18/us/biden-executive-orders-first-days.html

Edited January 19, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open

[Roch + 537]

 

Just read Vegas has a prop bet , the number of Biden gaffes during his speech.  The over/under was 4.5

I put down a few bucks

I took the under.  He may have a gaffe or two but I can't imagine 4

Edited January 19, 2021 by Roch

[SUZNV + 1,197]

I don't think Biden can be president for long unless Dem risk their president to be a joke to the world's media. They made fun of Trump to undermine his influence but they make fun of Biden  for his dementia. Wonder which plane stair he will get out in China's airport. It is an indicator of US president's prestige.

Edited January 19, 2021 by SUZNV

[Boat + 1,315]

It’s to bad that US business hires illegals and the justice system are the enablers. This magnet of jobs will circumvent any wall or military action designed to keep them out. This hypocrisy frays the fabric of fairness which should guide all policy.

If Biden does not change this failed policy the border and the problem with illegal immigration will continue. 
I do not blame the immigrant as much as as I blame those that hire the immigrant. They need to be prosecuted. The magnet of jobs has to be removed.
 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Boat

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

12 minutes ago, Boat said:

It’s to bad that US business hires illegals and the justice system a

Transistor broken? Translator failure? Total thoughts? 

[Symmetry + 109]

Where did you guy lose faith?  0R0 has some idea on how Trump can still win.

Lots of people with guns walking around...

 

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

42 minutes ago, Boat said:

It’s to bad that US business hires illegals and the justice system are the enablers. This magnet of jobs will circumvent any wall or military action designed to keep them out. This hypocrisy frays the fabric of fairness which should guide all policy.

If Biden does not change this failed policy the border and the problem with illegal immigration will continue. 
I do not blame the immigrant as much as as I blame those that hire the immigrant. They need to be prosecuted. The magnet of jobs has to be removed.
 

 

Agreed.  But secondly and at the same time (Immigration reform) we have to provide a legal means for seasonal workers to enter and work, and pay taxes, etc.  Somebody has to fill those jobs.  Within that process there should be paths for the workers to immigrate and have their families follow, but it must still go through the full process.  It takes about 5 years for most immigrants to become citizens. 

Employers absolutely have to be held to account to ensure that documented, legal workers are on their payroll.  We have the resources for all of this.

[Tomasz + 1,608]

Well, the media attacked Trump with the Russiagate scandal a few months after the elections. Ultimately, the Muller report showed that there was probably no systemic collusion between Trump and Putin.

This time around the fun went a step further - controversial elections managed to  contest the legitimacy of Biden with election fraud  only some days after the elections. His opponents can also always run Chinagate just like Russiagate.

So Biden will have a problem to govern succesfully  with such a divided society.

The biggest loser of this election is, in my opinion, America, and Biden's victory is Pyrrhic.

I do not believe in any election fraud on a large scale, but what is believed by tens of millions of Americans is important.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Tomasz

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

3 minutes ago, Tomasz said:

Well, the media attacked Trump with the Russiagate scandal a few months after the elections. Ultimately, the Muller report showed that there was probably no systemic collusion between Trump and Putin.

This time around the fun went a step further - controversial elections managed to  contest the legitimacy of Biden with election fraud  only some days after the elections. His opponents can also always run Chinagate just like Russiagate.

So Biden will have a problem to govern succesfully  with such a divided society.

 

The biggest loser of this election is, in my opinion, America, and Biden's victory is Pyrrhic. I do not believe in any election fraud on a large scale, but what is believed by tens of millions of Americans is important.

You'll recall I was saying that the Russian story was a hoax from day one. I never deviated, never backed down, beat the mental snot out of the opposition of useful idiots on this site and was finally vindicated (although the useful idiots kept clattering that he wasn't "exonerated" sufficiently). 

Meanwhile let the dripping irony of this resonate

 

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

Meanwhile, back in DC 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Ward Smith
Just to be clear, Biden SUPPOSEDLY received 100% of the military votes in Georgia!

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

I can do this all day. Where is @Jeffrey Brown pretending nothing is up? 

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

Ain't done yet, not even close

 

[Roch + 537]

54 minutes ago, Symmetry said:

Where did you guy lose faith?  0R0 has some idea on how Trump can still win.

Lots of people with guns walking around...

 

They are called National Guard.  Democrat mayor's refused the guard when Antifa was burning down their cities.  Now they love them. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Roch

[Roch + 537]

On 1/18/2021 at 9:15 PM, Ward Smith said:

I can do this all day. Where is @Jeffrey Brown

 

 

Pelosi needs to open up the Capital. 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Roch

[Roch + 537]

31 minutes ago, Ward Smith said:

Ain't done yet, not even close

 

Imagine the next State of the Union address when Congressional Sargent of Arms announces , " Ladies and Gentlemen the President of the United States .  .  .  .  "

Embarrassing. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,539]

1 hour ago, Tomasz said:

Well, the media attacked Trump with the Russiagate scandal a few months after the elections. Ultimately, the Muller report showed that there was probably no systemic collusion between Trump and Putin.

This time around the fun went a step further - controversial elections managed to  contest the legitimacy of Biden with election fraud  only some days after the elections. His opponents can also always run Chinagate just like Russiagate.

So Biden will have a problem to govern succesfully  with such a divided society.

The biggest loser of this election is, in my opinion, America, and Biden's victory is Pyrrhic.

I do not believe in any election fraud on a large scale, but what is believed by tens of millions of Americans is important.

There are many untold facts of discovery hidden by both law enforcement and the press. So much corruption it almost defies imagination

https://www.newstribune.com/news/opinion/story/2020/feb/06/your-opinion-response-to-gerling-broker/815452/

Dear Editor:

Mark Zaid, the whistle-blower, Eric Ciaramella's attorney, announced impeachment on inauguration day. Two weeks later, two NSC officials overheard Ciaramella talking to NSC colleague, Misko on ways to remove Trump from office. These officials later said Lt. Col. Vindman allegedly leaked Trump's call to Ciaramella.

Ciaramella is a Democratic activist, speaks Ukrainian, worked with Brennan, DNC/Clinton operative, Chalupa, Susan Rice and Biden, who invited him to a White House meeting attended by Comey, Brennan and Clapper. All have credibility problems.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open

[Roch + 537]

On 1/18/2021 at 10:35 PM, Eyes Wide Open said:

There are many untold facts of discovery hidden by both law enforcement and the press. So much corruption it almost defies imagination

https://www.newstribune.com/news/opinion/story/2020/feb/06/your-opinion-response-to-gerling-broker/815452/

Dear Editor:

Mark Zaid, the whistle-blower, Eric Ciaramella's attorney, announced impeachment on inauguration day. Two weeks later, two NSC officials overheard Ciaramella talking to NSC colleague, Misko on ways to remove Trump from office. These officials later said Lt. Col. Vindman allegedly leaked Trump's call to Ciaramella.

Ciaramella is a Democratic activist, speaks Ukrainian, worked with Brennan, DNC/Clinton operative, Chalupa, Susan Rice and Biden, who invited him to a White House meeting attended by Comey, Brennan and Clapper. All have credibility problems.

 

 

Biden talks peaceful transition of power.

The Obama Administration held a meeting January 5th 2017 to discuss how to destroy the Trump Presidency.  Joe Biden even suggested using the 25th amendment to remove Trump.  

That's not a peaceful transition of power 2016/2017.

Would it be the greatest of all ironies when the Democratic Party uses the 25th amendment to remove demented Joe Biden .

They will probably let him resign for "medical reasons" (say it's unrelated to his dementia) and not invoke the 25th amendment.  Doctor Jill will agree and take Joe home.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Roch

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

13 hours ago, Dan Warnick said:

 

National Guard troops near the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

 

The south side of the White House on Jan. 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

 

Reminds me of the Green Zone surrounding the American Embassy in Iraq. Blast walls, concertina wire, and lots of heavily armed soldiers and armored personnel carriers with machine guns along the perimeter. 

We now have a new name for the United States Capitol.  Call it:  "Baghdad on the Potomac." 

[Jeffrey Brown + 207]

I'm confused.  You guys wasted countless man-hours spreading lies and disinformation about a "Stolen Election," and you guys were absolutely certain that Dear Leader would grace us with his presence in the White House for another four years.

 What happened?

Edited January 19, 2021 by Jeffrey Brown

[Jeffrey Brown + 207]

2 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

We now have a new name for the United States Capitol.  Call it:  "Baghdad on the Potomac."

Of course, the thousands of armed soldiers are necessary to protect the incoming president--and our democratic republic-- from white nationalist traitors, and the closest historical analogy would be Lincoln's first inauguration, when he was similar threatened by white nationalist traitors. 

A WaPo article on the historical comparison follows:

Lincoln’s first inauguration met with threats of kidnapping, killing and militias

The 1861 ceremony was held on the East Front of the Capitol, where last week mobs terrorized Congress and breached the building.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/01/15/lincoln-inauguration-capitol-threats/

Excerpt:

As a tense Washington approaches President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday amid apocalyptic right-wing threats and a massive military lockdown, historians say it was Lincoln’s first inaugural that was really the most hazardous in the life of the country.

“By far,” said Lincoln historian Harold Holzer.

Since his election in November 1860, there had been endless reports of plots to kidnap or kill him, or march on Washington and seize the government, according to accounts by Holzer and fellow historian Ted Widmer.

One alleged plot called for the seizure of the city and the public archives, and for the insurrectionists to be acknowledged abroad as “The United States of America.”

“Government of the people hung by a slender thread,” Widmer wrote.

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

49 minutes ago, Jeffrey Brown said:

I'm confused.  You guys wasted countless man-hours spreading lies and disinformation about a "Stolen Election," and you guys were absolutely certain that Dear Leader would grace us with his presence in the White House for another four years.

 What happened?

Mr. Brown, I invite you to go look at my past posts of the last 12 months.  First I opined that Mr. Trump would likely not be a candidate as he dislikes losing and there was no foreseeable way that he could gain the electoral votes needed to be re-elected.  When Mr. Trump was nominated I repeatedly declared that he would lose and outlined that I thought he did not have the votes for Wisconsin, specifically the Southwestern dairy country votes that he took last time around, that he would lose in Michigan, and that he would lose in Pennsylvania.  There was no path for Mr. Trump to obtain the required 270 electoral votes, that was obvious 

The reality in American politics is that "All politics is local."  The quote is from that master politician, Tip O'Neill.  Mr. Trump managed to bring some new life into the forgotten industrial (steel) towns of Ohio, and Ohio rewarded him with its electoral votes.  Mr. Trump failed in dealing with dairy excess supply and trade issues with Canada  (although he did manage to secure some furter market share), so dairy voted against him. Mr. Trump did not re-energine the coal industry so sections of Pennsylvania left his party, and voted Democrat, although the Democrats had zero plan to propose for the rural people there.  Without those three States Mr. Trump could not win, and he did not. 

I stated that lots and lots of times and I fail to see where you are coming from with your comment above. 

In any event, the Democrats have placed enough concertina wire around the Capitol to turn the place into another Uighur detention center.  I predict that Chinese-style "social credits" accounting on the political speech of Americans will be their next move. I am not impressed with the partisans of the Democratic party and their commitment to American principles of vigorous political speech and personal freedom.  I get the impression that you align yourself with those folks, in which case in all candor the country would be better served with your energies focused on promoting ideas of  American free speech and action among those Party stalwarts.  Going back to the heavy hand of bureaucrats running everybody's lives, and export of American jobs and technology to Asia, is not an appealing vision, at least not to me. 

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

3 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

Reminds me of the Green Zone surrounding the American Embassy in Iraq. Blast walls, concertina wire, and lots of heavily armed soldiers and armored personnel carriers with machine guns along the perimeter. 

We now have a new name for the United States Capitol.  Call it:  "Baghdad on the Potomac." 

My father, a retired policeman, told me once that at times the best deterrent is a show of overwhelming force, with uniformed enforcement officers prominently displayed.  Of course, an overwhelming presence of uniformed, and armed, enforcement officers are also actually capable of protecting the objective or enforcing policy or laws.

This would be my take on what is happening in DC.  NOBODY wants an armed conflict at the seat of our government, Americans against Americans, and this deterrent may discourage would-be, um, troubling elements(?) from showing up.  But it also sends the message that, if they do, they will be met with said overwhelming force.  Let's hope it just works as a deterrent and nothing major happens during the inauguration, from any quarter or concern.

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

2 hours ago, Jeffrey Brown said:

I'm confused.  You guys wasted countless man-hours spreading lies and disinformation about a "Stolen Election," and you guys were absolutely certain that Dear Leader would grace us with his presence in the White House for another four years.

 What happened?

Not lies, not disinformation, what are you a Twitter "enforcement officer"? I've documented the hell out of the steal, and I called it out in advance, that the Demoncrats had no choice but to steal the election, by any and all means necessary. By rights the people mentioned here:

13 hours ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

Mark Zaid, the whistle-blower, Eric Ciaramella's attorney, announced impeachment on inauguration day. Two weeks later, two NSC officials overheard Ciaramella talking to NSC colleague, Misko on ways to remove Trump from office. These officials later said Lt. Col. Vindman allegedly leaked Trump's call to Ciaramella.

Ciaramella is a Democratic activist, speaks Ukrainian, worked with Brennan, DNC/Clinton operative, Chalupa, Susan Rice and Biden, who invited him to a White House meeting attended by Comey, Brennan and Clapper. All have credibility problems.

Should be looking at prison time, not juicy appointments in the criminal administration. Trump did all the proper legal moves he could, including the EO about election interference. He had every right to order in the military but was worried about collateral damage. Amusing as hell that you pretend 80 million Trump voters are all white supremacist racists, while ignoring the very real racists in BLM and antifa and the billions of dollars in damages they caused, all without a peep from you. They even called their own people insurrectionists but you're pretending a few people who were invited in by the Capitol police into the people's building are the insurrectionists? I'll admit the DNC operatives disguised as Trump supporters were there to cause trouble and did. Has nothing to do with Trump. 

You're such a true believer in your cause that you remain blind to each and every crime your side committed, all in the name of "orange man bad". When this whole thing comes tumbling down, I hope you receive your well earned just desserts. Useful idiot indeed. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,539]

4 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

Reminds me of the Green Zone surrounding the American Embassy in Iraq. Blast walls, concertina wire, and lots of heavily armed soldiers and armored personnel carriers with machine guns along the perimeter. 

We now have a new name for the United States Capitol.  Call it:  "Baghdad on the Potomac." 

 

 

Nearly 7-in-10 voters say things in the U.S. are pretty seriously on the wrong track, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.

The imagary that will be portrayed during this ignaugaration followed by executive orders will define this new administration...

Baghdad Joe & The Imperial Gaurd. 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open