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(Gasp) Bible Not Used In Obama Swear In

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A big website (we will decline in promoting it further) now has a headline declaring that no bible was used at the Obama re-swearing in — ushering that site into special honored status in TMV’s world-famous Get A Life Club.

Actually, we’ve awarded it memberships before, but the site’s headlines and track record for journalistic accuracy on some of its inside reports really require that we give them a chair — or even a bleacher.

Just think about that headline. What does it tell you? It tells you this:

I live in a condo. I love my condo but after the condo experience for some 25 years would not recommendo condo living to anyone who can avoid it. Why? Because condos operate under an association and as Seinfeld uses comedy to show there area always some people that are looking to find something and blow it into a big issue that involves ranting and threats. There may be larger issues facing condo members or a board, but they’re looking for the battles they can start themselves and fight because they like conflict.

The now cliched joke that David Letterman uses “Get off my lawn!” refers to older people are looking for ways to complain. As anyone who lives in a condo knows, “Get off my lawn”-ers can be of all ages.

Right now the United States faces an unprecedented crisis with people losing their homes, layoffs in most industries (Warner Brothers, Google), a dying newspaper industry, banks that may need more help, people losing their life’s savings, two wars..plus a host of other issues. Many Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain get it: their focus is on the problems and the fact that we’re all in this together. Some, like Rush Limbaugh, want Barack Obama to fail because it means the Republicans will get power again (pish posh on such things as people losing their homes, banks going under, etc.).

But, in reality, as a nation, most Americans are responsible and are focused on issues and the crisis. Overall, it’s clear that most 21st century Americans take their politics very seriously. But some Americans are more interested in politics than policy – and this is a time of crisis when everyone no matter what party should be focused on policies. The site noted above is fixated on continuing the political wars.

The bottom line? There’s a sense of deja vu here.

Many Americans have become, in essence, condo neighbors looking for ways to go after those who live next to them or battle with the board.

To those who will now try to turn why-he-didn’t-use-a-bible into an issue or accuse Obama of hating religion because he didn’t, we bestow membership in our Get A Life Club.

And we give that website a bleacher (or two) for consistent performance worthy of awards.

UPDATE: The reactions to this headline on that blog-and-news-subject-setting site is starting to come in…

  • MaryL
    The Times quotes HillaryIs44? Jesus wept.
  • Elyas
    I applaud you for not linking to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
  • MuleFace
    So apparently Rush is not allowed to be "the loyal opposition" and express his opposition to policies without being "someone who wants Obama to fail to regain power, etc etc, ad nauseum" . This strikes me as extremely hypocritical and anti-democratic. Obama is not above criticism. That's entirely the wrong attitude to strike.

    By all means, show where Rush is wrong on an issue. But I certainly hope this site isn't going to turn into an Obama-worship center.
  • djshay
    @MuleFace, Rush did say he wanted Obama to fail miserably. One of Obama's first priorities is to get the economy back on track and create more jobs. When Rush says he wants Obama to fail, he is rooting for higher unemployment, more foreclosures and more bankruptcies. Pointing this out does not make me or this site an Obama worshipper. But, if hoping for more jobs and better economy makes me a worshipper, then maybe me and just about the entire rest of the company are Obama worshippers.
  • MuleFace
    djshay - I can only recommend you reread your post aand acknowledge how silly it sounds. You know damn well Rush isn't desiring the economy to fail. Demonizing the opposition is what we "Moderates" are supposed to be against. You strike me as sinking to the level to which you accuse Rush. Shame.
  • MJDaniels53
    Theodore Roosevelt, he of sacred Republican memory, did not use a Bible for his swearing-in as President in 1901. John Quncy Adams was sworn on a book of law when he became president. LBJ used the Roman Catholic Missal onbard Air Force One. (For the uninitated, that's a book containing appointed liturgies for a season of the Church Year. It would incliude Scriptrure readings, although it's not the Bible.

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office_of_...

    When flub-ups or departures from standard operating procedure have happened in the past, scholars assure us that presidents enter their offices at noon on the day of their Inauguration, whether they've taken the oath of office or not.

    So too have been presidents like John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Chester Alan Arthur, and Calvin Coolidge the moment their predecessors died.

    It used to be, in fact, that presidents who succeeded presidents who died would give full-blown Inaugural Addresses to the Congress. That came to be seen as a bit tacky, I think, and if I'm not mistaken, Arthur was the first new president to refuse that practice.

    I did love it though when Jerry Ford gave his post-oath speech in the White House East Room, declaring himself to be a Ford, not a Lincoln.
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