Today was so beautiful and so healing. Like a lot of people I was apprehensive about the Inauguration ceremony today, after the terrorist attack on the Capitol just two weeks ago, but God, it was just what we all needed.
Lady Gaga’s version of the National Anthem had something it rarely has – JOY!! It has majesty sometimes, it gets butchered many times, but it’s mostly a difficult song. She beyond nailed it.
And holy shit, when she turned and gestured at the Capitol behind her, that was POWERFUL and so positive – she was perfect.
And her gown was perfection: So Gaga, but not entirely crazy. I felt for the young Marine escorting her down the steps, and imagined he was thinking: “OMG, I CANNOT let Lady Gaga trip on that huge fucking dress; I’ll never live it down.” But when she started to sing I felt it: JOY!! She sang a very awkward and difficult song with such brio, and her powerful voice and visible JOY set the tone for the entire day. Positive, strong: America is BACK.
And I’d never known we had a Young Poet Laureate until today. Amanda Gorman is incredible. I’ve listened to it three times, and am just stunned. “If only we are brave enough to be it.” Amen, child.
And now we have Vice President Kamala Harris. Daughter of immigrants, Black and Asian, and also just freaking brilliant and highly qualified to BE President. I was Warren during the primaries, but I was sick when Kamala dropped out, because she was my other favorite.
President Biden was actually around my FOURTH choice, but when he got the nomination I happily voted for him, because by then I’d realized he’s the calming, soothing, but wise and firm, grandfather this country needs now.
He’s also extremely experienced, he knows the GOP assholes he’ll have to deal with and knows how to get shit done with them, so I was totally on board.
And then ALL the shit hit the fan on the 6th, and I have to say he is the PERFECT President for this horrible time. His speech today was perfection. He emphasized moving forward, fixing all the shit that’s broken, but didn’t shy away from all the things his awful predecessor did. And yet he did it with such positivity, confidence in the goodness and strength of this country, and we WILL get on course and move forward again in the right direction. I saw his speech compared to FDR, and I agree.
But I realized in the last few weeks how as a nation a lot of us have PTSD. I still can’t quite believe the nightmare is over. After a few weeks of not having to give a fuck what any Trump says or does, I’m sure I’ll recover, but yeah, right now this almost doesn’t seem real.