The Morning After: This is probably the best day for sane, honest, skeptical citizens in the last 30 years. In the long climate debate, this is the most significant political event — with more potential to restore science and free speech back to their rightful place. Ain’t democracy a great thing? Those who don’t like Trump say it was “populist” and a repeat of his campaign speech. Other people say “it’s about time”.
Trump is putting together a package for his customers, and telling the competition the US won’t be giving anything away.
UPDATE: and climate change disappears from the whitehouse website. Already Trump is in control of the Whitehouse.gov site and according to Jason Koebler “climate change has been deleted“. He writes: “It’s customary for www.whitehouse.gov to flip over to the new administration exactly at noon, but the only mention of climate on President Trump’s new website is under his “America First Energy Plan” page, in which he vows to destroy President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. A search of the website found no mention of “global warming,“…
“Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the people,” he said.
“For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.
“That all changes…
…
Today I take an oath of allegiance to all Americans. For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidised the armies of other countries, while allowing the sad depletion of our own military.
We’ve defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own.
And spent trillion and trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay
…
“At the centre of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens,” he said.
“For too many of our citizens, a different reality exists. Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories, scattered like too many stones across the landscape, tombstones of our nation; an education system flushed with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealised potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”
….
Just a little different to Obama’s inauguration:
And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity. And we are ready to lead once more. — Obama
h/t Robert W.