I just finished watching the daily press briefing by the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, and have to say that it was soooo refreshing to see a respectful and engaging briefing. First of all, it is a return to daily briefings allowing questions from the press corps and truthful responses from the representative of the president. After Sarah Huckabee Sanders left the Trump administration as the press secretary, there were not any press briefings held for over a year, because her replacement, Stephanie Grisham, never held a single briefing. The last press secretary for tRump, Kayleigh McEnany, was an expert at deflecting questions from reporters, spreading disinformation, and abruptly walking out of briefings if things started getting too hot. And, we all remember Sean Spicer, the first press secretary for tRump, who lied in his very first briefing about the size of the crowd at the inauguration, and then continued to lie throughout his tenure. I read the other day that he has applied to join the White House press corps as a reporter for the former president’s favorite new propaganda machine, Newsmax. I’m looking forward to a return to normalcy at these press briefings, as I’m sure reporters are also.
I certainly enjoyed watching the special program “Celebrating America” much more than I did watching the glitzy parties following Trump’s inauguration back in 2017. Do you remember Donald’s first dance with Melania that night to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way?” It reminded me of the times I had to chaperone a middle school dance. Watching Jill and Joe on their balcony observing that spectacular fireworks show was much more entertaining. The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, was perfect for the start to the evening special.
And, WOW!! The name Amanda Gorman is one we will hear more in the future. I was blown away with her beautiful poem, “The Hill We Climb,” that she finished writing the night of the insurrection on January 6th. She is a wonderful example of the youth that will be leading our country in the future.
DEMOCRACY PREVAILED!! The war against COVID-19 is finally being taken seriously by our federal leadership. A sensical approach to getting our economy turbo-boosted by getting the Coronavirus under control is seen as a priority. The environmental policies of the former administration are being overturned. The future is looking brighter, my friends. I expect some bumps in the road, but I feel hopeful. Now, just get that shot in my arm. Ziggyman
Mountain Man Musings 