That’s the way it is, and we note the passing of the torch of people almost as old as Cronkite. Twice. One fun and one feared. And who will attend their extravaganzas.
Bob Uecker. Sounds a lot better than Donald Trump, don’t you think? Even if it doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily.
The famed and storied Brewer announcer passed just recently, and at his funeral will likely be the old greats, the sorta old (middleweight) greats, and the new greats, as his stellar career that transcended to the national, and put Milwaukee on the map, passed through so many decades, as he called it from his perch above. Judge it not, as it is called Yount. And please don’t pass judgment on Uecker’s affable and hilariously comedic performance in Major League. This movie brought his common-man clowning to Cleveland, too.
But his face will indelibly and forever be etched, and imprinted, on the centerfield wall of thick tarp, on virtually every baseball stadium in the country, old and traditional or new and flashy, and maybe Latin America too. Just hope these new stars will be let into the USA.
But around the same time, Monday that is, there is a new “inaug,” and tickets or whatever you call entry passes for the plush, are being fought for by the Euros — mostly from northern Europe where they can tolerate the cold, I’d guess — and others hoping for the chance to kiss up to the new president. For those who are cut, and don’t make the cut, I’ll offer the following lower-case in-aug-ur-al: A not-as-hyped bring your own auger fishing tourney on a northern Minnesota lake. Hang with the likes of Grumpy Old Men, rather than the likes of … a few other grumpy old men.
At the real presidential inauguration, real celebs will be few, a don’t-show-your-face-but-turn-it compared to what challenger Harris had offered, with only one real “name” name in the bunch, and of that, Carrie Underwood selling her soul and possibly more to be a lead performer. Kid Rock, too, showing himself as a true redneck, not just in comedic style. Jason Aldean, in my book OK but a bit of an also-ran.
There are foreign leaders too, but again few faces anyone would recognize, as they all sent their designees so their only trip made overseas could be something in tune with Mar-A-Lago and/or golf. They’ll do the aforementioned later, in between interrogating political prisoners. And just as pissed-off (and it’s a stream of ice) are those who bought tickets to inauguration events, but now are “frozen” out. Read on.
Just chill?
For all involved, they will have the inaugural festivities moved inside. Too cold. Or so it is said. Boo hoo. You’d score PR points as the prez coming in by not doubling down on that time you skipped out on an event — a slippery slope — because there was some drizzle, even if strong. An umbrella would have gotten you by. But that’s too much like those famously carried by the commoner British gents who worked as butlers for The Crown, (see music videos by even those from The Island), working class serving royalty. An image beneath us, apologies to Pantera.
(I gotta add this before what follows. Nobody likes the bitter cold and having your ears bitten more by the frost than what you’re hearing. But I live in Minnesconsin, so let’s get real. People have to deal with cold weather. Just keep the speeches shorter than the oft rambling forays the Republicans are known for. Maybe even shorten the guitar solos, and even the best bands have some songs they cut in half as far as time. And hey, up here in the northern part of the country, but still the USA, a 7 degree chill factor is mostly business as usual. Can anyone say Alaska? Has Sarah Palin given a statement?)
And even Monday’s predicted temps, and even wind chills, do not get anywhere near zero. This compared to the last time any inaug was moved indoors, 1985, when it was Ronald Reagan’s intro to-do — and that’s basically Bad Company not semi-sonic-sorta bad country — and that time the wind chill got WAY below zero. Big difference. All this smacks of pomp and circumstance turned into privilege.
Kid Rock hit northern Michigan to film his best viewed video. It described a summer scene, and good thing, as he apparently cannot tolerate even the possible November temps there, as he Monday will be indoors, too. I doubt that his mic would have frozen up.
The motive for the move is couched as concern for those in, and watching, the parade. (I will give kudos to Trump for looking out for the needs of law enforcement and emergency crews, and even their dogs and horses, although I’m sure this provision came from his handlers. But this last-minute change has led to a scrambling, as far as plans for security and emergency precautions — and the more people, the more need for security, leap-frogging — turning months of planning into days. And I gotta say it’s a very “hard” job, like most frigid ice, to have to change gears on a dime, but nobody ever cut Biden any slack on that. And doesn’t anybody ahead of time, check out the Mozart weather charts, to see if the conditions are safe outside? Apparently that’s just a Democrat thing.) But mostly just those mega Maga morons (and let’s just call it that) that are crazed enough to watch. I doubt that Elon Musk will be riding on a float for his company(s). A reported record of 30 miles of fencing have been set up, as security for such an event is at its most amped up ever. (It would’ve been 110 miles, but an alleged kickback to pro-Maga contractors who hadn’t heard about others who have fallen for the scheme, you know the kind, fell through because a third-party pay arrangement — can’t say check because of crypto — didn’t clear the bank or whatever other basically smarmy financial institution. OK, I made that last segment up.)
But unfortunately, this next part is not just satire. As I double down. Does not the deviously industrious Donald doubt that those very immigrant workers he promises to send away to parts unknown are the ones working out in this cold, and worse, while he sits indoors in a coming cushy Oval Office. Add also to the list of cold contractors all those workers he stiffed, and thus left out in the cold, in New York and elsewhere.
The donkeys too.
And yes, the Dems have broken from tradition also, but these are fine points with justifications offered that seem reasonable. Michele Obama was upset with lack of diversity at past to-dos, and Kamala Harris is busy with helping with wildfires (and now landslides) back in her home state of California, and I even got a plea for such donation. (A side note: The current Democratic administration has pledged aid, while it is unlikely firebrand Trump will give a crap.) But back on topic, Nancy Pelosi said she never got an invitation from Pence on a usual typical ceremony of the type, and the Pence side insists it was sent discreetly. So on that we note that hey, even emails can get lost.
Biden et al, as Dem presidents, have extended the courtesy to attend. We can’t be absolutely positive about the First Lady and Trump’s Main Son, at least one of whom is off to Greenland to try to buy it. Again, better make sure the check clears. Methinks Trump will exile Melania to THOSE northern climes, for at least the next four years, or the four years or more after that, and is just sending them there so he can fool around and perhaps pay for it, and still not get in any legal trouble, since they either would not be witnesses to it, or would need to be extradited. (Or one might get “shipped” to Panama and one Greenland. So double extradition?) Trump might be game for that kind of behavior. But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt until after inaugural day and night partying.