Inauguration Speech Quick Hits

President Obama's inauguration speech was more of the saccharin rhetoric we have learned to expect. 

Obama champions immigrant laborers, asking us to recognize the sacrifices they made for us.  Is this a recognition that some Americans contribute more than others?

Statements about the role of government indicate that he sees Obama government as being at the center of public life.

During the speech, President Bush sat passively, with the expression of a father watching his child embark on a path that will lead to pain and strife.  (I predict that Obama will do more to enhance Bush's historical posterity than any presidential library or foundation ever could.)

As a piece of writing, the speech fails on nearly every level.  Or, perhaps, a speech can never achieve anything unless it passes through a personage of genuine substance.  Just as a young writer or singer needs personal experience to invest ethos and pathos in their work, spirit and soul that can be felt by readers and listeners, so too must Obama gain the benefit of living what he preaches in order to speak with authority.

True believers will rally to this speech, but I do not believe that the average American will find any inspiration because it offers nothing to grab onto.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,inaugural address,inauguration day

Is Flag Desecration by Obama Supporters Another Sign of the President-elect's 'Man-Crush' on Lincoln?

As Michelle Malkin has been reporting on her site for days now, President-elect Obama's supporters have been engaging in widespread acts of unlawfulness in the form of distributing and displaying United States flags that have been defaced with images of the President-elect.

What is eerie is that even as Obama concludes the pilgrimage to D.C., draped in the mantle of Abraham Lincoln's legacy, these flags could just be one more example of Obama's lack of originality.  Abraham Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign also used flags adorned with the candidates image and emblazoned with campaign propaganda (The example shown here comes from the Library of Congress.)  The U.S. Flag Code would not be enacted until 1923, so Lincoln-Davis' use of Old Glory was not illegal.

When we begin picking and choosing which laws matter and which do not, the rule of law breaks down.  Don't expect too much action from the Obama camp, however, after all of the clever image manipulation they employed during the campaign.

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Technorati Tags: Abraham Lincoln,Barack Obama,campaign propaganda,inauguration day

Are You Ready 'All Obama, All the Time' Streaming Web Programming?

It was bound to happen.  Obamania has infected all corners of the globe.  The One already shows up on television, radio and internet with the frequency of a man playing an inverse game of Where's Waldo? so does the idea of Obamedia (a.k.a. wall-to-wall video featuring the President-elect) really deviate from what has already become the norm? 

Perhaps to test the limits of toleration the American public have for such things, Joost - one of the new generation of online media distributors - has launched an "Everything Obama" section of its web site.

Despite worries that non-Obamaniacs might worry about this concept, it is not the temple of worship that one might expect to find.

Mixed in with the 60 Minutes interview with Michelle and Barack Obama, and the video of his victory speech on the night of November 6th, are lighter items like a piece of shtick from the Late Show with David Letterman titled "Bump Fists with Barack Obama."  Michelle Obama's visit to The Daily Show is worth a look and, of course, Obama Girl lives on in the post-victory "Yes We Did!" video.

In the interest of distinguishing itself from the Obama-infatuated YouTube community, Joost could have served its own interests better by including some critical material or things that poked fun in a less-friendly way then what visitors will find there.  I guess there's room left for Hulu.com to develop "Everything Obama (Uncut)."

Joost will also be webcasting live from Washington, D.C. on the day of Obama's inauguration.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,inauguration day,Joost,media