The Wrongologist

The Daily Escape:

Lenticular clouds over the Presidential Range, Bretton Woods, NH – 2021 photo by Benjamin Williamson Photography. That’s Mt. Washington in the center.

Biden’s inauguration was wonderful TV viewing. Wrongo has watched every inaugural from JFK to Biden, and this one was the most satisfying. Maybe because its virtual nature meant that we were able to see many small moments of joy and artistry. Or maybe, it was just because the VIP seats were at home. Sara Jacobs, (D-CA) is a new member of Congress. She posted on Instagram:

“I’ve been in Congress for three Wednesdays. The first, an insurrection, the second, an impeachment, and the third, an inauguration. Let’s hope next Wednesday is as inspiring as this one.”

Couldn’t agree more. Biden’s speech was a worthy effort, hitting the right tone, and many key points. He pushed back pretty hard on lies and disinformation and assault on our democracy and institutions.

The real stars of the inauguration were others. Amanda Gorman, the young Black poet, gave all of us hope that the kids are alright. Lady Gaga’s voice was/is stunning. Wrongo really enjoyed John Legend singing Nina Simone’s arrangement of “Feeling Good” from 1965’s “Roar of the Grease Paint, Smell of the Crowd”.

The Ant Clemons/Justin Timberlake “Better Days” performance in and outside of the Stax museum in Memphis, TN was uplifting. Demi Lovato, who we’ve featured in the past, did Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” as an upbeat Zoom performance with health care workers. The closing “Firework” by Katy Perry, led to this image of the First Couple:

What moved you on Wednesday?

Nielsen reported that the Biden inaugural had more viewers than Trump’s in 2017. According to Nielsen, 39.87 million people watched the half-hour swearing-in ceremony over the nation’s six major TV-news outlets, compared with 38.35 million viewers for the 2017 event.

But back to reality: It’s going to be game on next Monday, as the House will transmit Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. The Right-wing knives will be back out, as before. They will say that Biden really isn’t interested in unity. Can Schumer get 17 Republican votes to convict Trump? We’ll see.

Convicting Trump will happen if the pro-democracy wing of the Republican Party is larger than we think. The other side is the Sedition Caucus, led by Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), but it contains many, many others.

Senate Republicans now have to deal with their Florida retiree. This is precisely why so many Republicans have jumped on the bandwagon for “unity”. They’re saying: “Please don’t force us to make impossible choices!” Some Republican Senators are saying that their party cannot convict Trump and survive. They may be correct. If Mitch McConnell (R-KY), votes to convict Trump, there will be an effort to remove McConnell as Leader of the (now) Republican Minority.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said this week that: (brackets by Wrongo)

“…any Republican-leader type who embraces [conviction] is doing a lot of damage to the Party….There’s no way to be a successful Republican Party without having President Trump working with all of us and all of us working with him…”

That says it all: Their arguments have nothing to do with Trump’s guilt, innocence, or suitability for future office. They are solely political. They’re saying that it is impossible for the Republican Party to be a contender for power if they can’t keep most of Trump’s loyal followers inside the Party.

Impeachment or not, there’s a fight coming in the Republican Party. As Jonathan Last says, it’s a fight between the Sedition Caucus, and those Republicans who try to pretend that the last four years never happened. Sadly, in any fight between true believers and those willing to face reality, the true believers usually have the edge.

It is in America’s best interest that the Sedition Caucus lose, whoever their opponents are.

But on this Saturday, we feel that a weight has been lifted from the backs of Americans. We have a window through which we perceive that something good may happen. So take a break. Sit back, and listen to Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard perform their song of unity, “Undivided”, that we saw on Celebration America. Here’s the studio version:

Lyrics:

I think it’s time to come together
You and I can make a change
Maybe we can make a difference
Make the world a better place
Look around and love somebody
We’ve been hateful long enough
Let the Good Lord reunite us
‘Til this country that we love’s
Undivided