# What happened to the Presidential Inauguration? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740 "2005-01-20T16:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/101 "2005-01-21T17:36:35Z")
> [@manhattan](#): > > What you don’t understand is that threads are like Supreme Court decisions. They mean exactly what **Elvis** wants them to mean in context of advancing his idea of justice. Of course, I should have realized that a man who can make the Constitution mean anything he wishes, regardless of what it actually says, would not be daunted by a mere thread subject. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/102 "2005-01-21T17:41:36Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > WTF? This would hold true for the electorate no matter what the change. If we elect someone trusting that their beliefs are one thing and they get up one day and they’re something completely different, then yes the electorate has every reason to be upset. Hmmm, maybe that’s why Kerry wasn’t being inaugurated today, the electorate could never build any trust in what his beliefs were going to be from one day to the next. The point I was trying to make, was that it’s not so much _religion_ that’s being mentioned in the inaguration, but rather the _Christian_ religion. The overtly Christian overtones of our C-in-C is especially disconcerting. If another religion, especially a non-abrahamic faith were to be used, the outrage and indignation from Christians, especially conservative Christians, would be deafening. I think this smells of hypocricy, it’s all right if religion is mentioned by public officials, as long as it’s **their** religion. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/103 "2005-01-21T17:44:50Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I don’t believe they’d say it was unconstitutional. You’re probably right, but as I replied to **Flickster** , they’d be screaming bloody murder that it wasn’t **their** religion being used in the speeches. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/104 "2005-01-21T18:16:25Z")
> [@Freyr](#): > > … If another religion, especially a non-abrahamic faith were to be used, the outrage and indignation from Christians, especially conservative Christians, would be deafening. … **their** religion. And you can prove this… how? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/105 "2005-01-21T18:27:05Z")
Is the best you guys can come up with is a weak “but he did it too”? (insert any dem) The good 'ol Abu G defense. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/106 "2005-01-21T18:49:47Z")
The _real_ story is that security was breached! [News Link HERE](http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i7268) Man, them Al Qida dudes just keep gettin’ taller & taller… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/107 "2005-01-21T19:10:17Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Aside from God, Carter mentioned Micah, the Bible, and spirituality (from which he said our society is defined.) I never cease to be amazed by the cluelessness and duplicity of the left. What duplicity? I never mentioned Carter nor said Bush was alone in this. In fact I think Carter made a big mistake by wearing his religion on his sleeve. To his credit, he has admitted as much. This is now the way things are. Want to be President? You’d better love the hell out of God and you’d better do it publicly. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/108 "2005-01-21T19:30:40Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Three times? You mean this whole pitting is about three times? According to the OP, “Every frickin’ word was riddled with God.” What are we now, perpetuating ignorance? I had stated earlier that I would be fair and say that it wasn’t every other word. I was bitter. Basically, it wasn’t just God that was mentioned. Also the use of “Lord” and “Amen”, were mentioned by many. I know, “OMG!” right? It’s just that this Inauguration seems to have made our local churches jealous, for having put on a better show for Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/109 "2005-01-21T19:52:36Z")
**Bricker** , we can take that as an acknowledgment that you do indeed refuse to consider the substance of Bush’s governing approach. Why indeed should you, when you know how far wrong that is, and while you still think there are some cheap points in the wording of speeches. I’m sure you find yourself very convincing. You’re a weasel. Deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/110 "2005-01-21T20:36:59Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > **Bricker** , we can take that as an acknowledgment that you do indeed refuse to consider the substance of Bush’s governing approach. Why indeed should you, when you know how far wrong that is, and while you still think there are some cheap points in the wording of speeches. I’m sure you find yourself very convincing. > > You’re a weasel. Deal with it. I responded in this thread to rebut accusations in this thread. NOw along come you and say, “Well, what about this OTHER stuff? Huh? Huh?” Start a thread. Call it ‘Bush’s Overt Religiousity in Governance.’ I’ll play in it. But the point I was making HERE in THIS THREAD, ABOUT THE INAUGURATION, is not relevant to that point. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/111 "2005-01-21T20:42:40Z")
And your rebuttal was simply calling us out that he didn’t literally say god every other word. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/112 "2005-01-21T21:12:04Z")
Thanks for confirming that you have nothing of substance to contribute here, just your usual reflexive partisanship, combined with your eager divertability into superficialities. We expect nothing better from you anymore. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/113 "2005-01-22T15:19:10Z")
I watched the inauguration as it was an historic event and my honor as an American to watch. I found it no more or less evocative of a church service than the other inaugurations I have witnessed throughout my life. They are solemn (and, okay, somnolent) occasions of state and in my experience, all solemn events of state are mindful of church. Perhaps it’s because they are so rigidly formatted. So, to answer the question in the OP, nothing has happened to the Presidential Inauguration. Aside from a few details (such as location) George W. Bush’s inauguration was very similar to the inauguration of our first President George Washingon, which will be very similar to the inauguration of the final president of this union. That is the dichotomy of the inauguration. They are guaranteed to be boring, yet if have any appreciation of history and tradition, so fascinating. Interesting tidbit I heard the other day (from the Diane Rheam show??): John F. Kennedy reportedly caused a great deal of consternation by refusing to wear a hat to his inauguration. He said he didn’t look good in a hat. 150 years of protocol dictated that the president wear a hat. You have to wonder how many Tums his staff downed because of his decision to break that tradition. Can you imagine the angst it would cause the stiff shirts if the President decided to omit “God” from his inauguration speech? ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/114 "2005-01-22T23:43:48Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > And you can prove this… how? Do you remember that “mountain out of a mole hill” the conservative Christians made a few years back? The army allowed Wiccans to openly practice their faith while on active duty. Conservative Christians had fits over that idea. They even went as far as to call for a boycott of military service, tho apparently the boycott never went anywhere. You also might remember Jerry Falwell mentioning that pagans, among others, were partially responsible for the Sept. 11th attack. Here’s a [link](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A28620-2001Sep14¬Found=true) that shows his comments. If a member of a non-abrahmaic faith would be elected president, I think many Christians would be uncomfortable and the conversative Christians would red in the face with apoplexy. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/115 "2005-01-23T01:07:07Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > And your rebuttal was simply calling us out that he didn’t literally say god every other word. No, my rebuttal was pointing out that this inauguration differed little from previous examples of the genre, as well as clarifying the hyperbole of the OP - not for me, but for others who have expressed grave discomfort with hyperbole. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/116 "2005-01-24T16:07:27Z")
> [@Freyr](#): > > Do you remember that “mountain out of a mole hill” the conservative Christians made a few years back? The army allowed Wiccans to openly practice their faith while on active duty. Conservative Christians had fits over that idea. They even went as far as to call for a boycott of military service, tho apparently the boycott never went anywhere. No, I do not remember this. It’s easy to find one foaming-at-the-mouth pastor to hate just about everything. There’s a church in my town who’s pastor says that women who were pants are transvestites, he’s a loon. > [@](#): > > You also might remember Jerry Falwell mentioning that pagans, among others, were partially responsible for the Sept. 11th attack. Here’s a [link](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A28620-2001Sep14¬Found=true) > that shows his comments. Jerry falwell does not speak for all Christians, he is an embarrassment. > [@](#): > > If a member of a non-abrahmaic faith would be elected president, I think many Christians would be uncomfortable and the conversative Christians would red in the face with apoplexy. That’s so obvious it hardly needs saying, I could just as easily say “Many Democrats would be uncomfortable with a Republican President” ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/117 "2005-01-24T17:18:42Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > Content aside, he’s the most stupefyingly dull speaker I’ve ever heard. I could almost hear the attendees in the back rows of the platform saying, “For God’s sake, shut up so we can start getting hammered.” By any chance, did you happen to catch the keynote speech for at the Democratic convention in 1984? Man, did that guy blather on and on! People in the audience were actually doing the finger-across-the-throat “cut” sign as he started in on his second hour. When he finally said, “and, in conclusion”, the audience stood up and cheered! Later that week, the speaker appeared on Johnny Carson’s show. Carson gave him a three-minute-forty-eight-second introduction by way of parodying the guy’s speaking style. The audience was in stitches. So was the speaker, a guy by the name of Bill Clinton. (I saw an abbreviated version of Carson’s bit last night during the Carson tributes. Funny stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/118 "2005-01-24T17:29:58Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > By any chance, did you happen to catch the keynote speech for at the Democratic convention in 1984? Man, did that guy blather on and on! People in the audience were actually doing the finger-across-the-throat “cut” sign as he started in on his second hour. When he finally said, “and, in conclusion”, the audience stood up and cheered! > > Later that week, the speaker appeared on Johnny Carson’s show. Carson gave him a three-minute-forty-eight-second introduction by way of parodying the guy’s speaking style. The audience was in stitches. So was the speaker, a guy by the name of Bill Clinton. > > (I saw an abbreviated version of Carson’s bit last night during the Carson tributes. Funny stuff.) Major nitpicks ahead. Sorry. The keynote speaker at the DNC in 1984 was Mario Cuomo, and in 1988 it was Ann Richards. Clinton in 1988 delivered the nominating speech for Mike Dukakis, the one since derided as “don’t stop talking until tomorrow.” ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/119 "2005-01-24T17:31:11Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Major nitpicks ahead. Sorry. > > The keynote speaker at the DNC in 1984 was Mario Cuomo, and in 1988 it was Ann Richards. > > Clinton in 1988 delivered the nominating speech for Mike Dukakis, the one since derided as “don’t stop talking until tomorrow.” You are correct. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740/120 "2005-01-24T17:34:14Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No, my rebuttal was pointing out that this inauguration differed little from previous examples of the genre, as well as clarifying the hyperbole of the OP - not for me, but for others who have expressed grave discomfort with hyperbole. What kind of argument is this? So then future inaugurations _should shut the fuck up about god_. If it’s a tradition then let’s break the fucker. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-presidential-inauguration/285740.md?page=7)