Temper Your Dispair

Perhaps today marks the end of a free press, the end of US participation in NATO, and open season for pussy grabbing. But then again, maybe it won't be quite that bad. Here are some reasons to be happy about where we are.

• Our new president is actually going to care that no one turned out for his inauguration, and about how bad his approval numbers are. He may not have the mental capacity to do anything about it, but either he'll get better, or he'll bellyache on Twitter to everyone's amusement.
• There is no momentum at all for a full repeal of Obamacare. It sounds very unlikely that people with pre-existing conditions will be forced to go without coverage again. I predict a plan that looks very very much like Obamacare, and the GOP can take credit for all the lives saved by Trumpcare. Fine.
• Eight years ago, the GOP wanted to ban research on stem cell therapies. No one even mentions that any more.
• Even President Obama and Hillary Clinton wouldn't openly support gay rights when Obama first took office. Now, our gay friends can marry in every state in the union, and that's not going to change.
• This happened today:

  Trump just had people stand at the Congressional Luncheon to applaud Hillary. First classy move I've seen him make. More of that, please.

  — Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) January 20, 2017

• Osama Bin Laden: still dead.

God Bless America.

Update 1/23/2017:

See? Bill Cassidy, of all people, puts forth a plan that is arguably more Socialist than Obamacare.

2023 update

The 1/23/17 link is dead now, and even though the predictions above are pretty much correct, I'm cringing at my 2017 optimism. There should have been soooo much despair!)