.
Like Lincoln, Obama Will Ride the Rails To D.C.
Washingtonn Post
Barack Obama has evoked Abraham Lincoln ever since launching his campaign at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.
Now he plans to arrive in Washington the same way that Lincoln did in 1861, with a train trip that will include stops, speeches and crowds along the way.
On Jan. 17, Obama and his family will start the day with an appearance in Philadelphia, where they will board a chartered Amtrak train. The train will stop in Wilmington, Del., where the Obamas will be joined by Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. Then comes a stop in Baltimore before the group’s arrival that evening in Washington.
“He’s replicating the last leg of Lincoln’s inaugural journey to Washington,” said historian Harold Holzer, author of “Lincoln President Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861.” “This guy’s reverence for Lincoln has no bounds.”
Lincoln had left his home in Springfield on Feb. 11, 1861, for a 12-day journey east to Washington, during which he made 101 speeches. Philadelphia and Baltimore were his last stops before the nation’s capital.
Obama’s plans, announced by his Presidential Inaugural Committee, set the tone for the many activities leading to the swearing-in at noon Jan. 20 at the Capitol. The official Washington events are scheduled to begin Jan. 18, most likely with a large-scale event on the Mall in which Obama makes an appearance.
Details about the Washington events, as well as those in other cities, have not been made public. Even as they scrambled for information, officials in the other locations celebrated the news.
The last leg of Lincoln’s trip began in Philadelphia. He was greeted with a fireworks display and spoke outside Independence Hall, where he declared: “I would rather be assassinated on this spot than to surrender it.”
He was also photographed there — the first-ever photograph of a president-elect, Holzer said.
From Philadelphia, Lincoln’s journey took him to Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania state capital, back to Philadelphia, then on to Baltimore and Washington. Holzer noted that in Lincoln’s day railroad travel was state of the art.
Yale historian David Blight, who suggested last month that Obama retrace Lincoln’s inaugural train trip, said: “I think it’s a great idea. . . . I’m amazed they’re going to do it.”
He noted that American history is filled with images of whistle-stop presidential candidates speaking from the back of train cars.
“In Lincoln’s case, he had to sneak into Washington,” Blight said. “In this case, Obama can come in triumph, one would assume.”
Wild Thing’s comment……….
This guy’s reverence for himself has no bounds.
Obama is a megalomaniac. First the Olympian/Greek stage, the speech in Europe he made, and now the rail line? He is nuts.
“The official Washington events are scheduled to begin Jan. 18, most likely with a large-scale event on the Mall in which Obama makes an appearance.”
Just unbelievable!
When he goes to Israel is he going to ride in to Jerusalem on a donkey ????
PEBO is obsessed with himself.
I’d call it a dog and pony show if I thought the guy really liked animals. Montel Williams is hawking a commerative coin that is basically a Kennedy half dollar with a sticker of Obama on it (or painted by Chinese for 2 cents a day, I’m not sure which) that looks like he’s on the coin with JFK. Ironic the change candidate is commemorated on…well, change. That coin is worth 50 cents, but if you act now you can get it for $19.99 plus shipping and handling (shoving a coin in an envelope and sticking a 42 cent stamp on it is spensive).
Last year near the end of January I spent the night in Springfield to go to the state museum and Abe Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library. It was so great I decided to do it once a year. Think I have my dates for 2009–Inaugeration Day (or the day before if this lame state government decides they need to close stuff). I’ll go see info on the REAL Abe Lincoln. It’s his 200th birthday in Feb so they will have some special stuff for that. There are parts of that AL museum that would challenge even the most hardened heart not to tear up.
It really is disrespectful in my eyes to have a man who we don’t even know, did virtually nothing in state or federal service except run for office, who hasn’t even been sworn in yet, be treated like he’s the second coming, a great patriot here to save us and the world. He’s a fraud. I get that black people feel something special from this election, and I can never know what that is like since I’m not black, I respect their feelings, but for crying out loud, this is becoming so ridiculous, I can’t do anything but laugh.
How bout that Office of the President Elect sign? I mean, I can’t stop howling at that one everytime I see it. He and his advisors really think they are the big stuff now.
And then this morning as I was buying coffee at mt local 7/11 I saw that they had O’Vomit and family commemerative water for sale. WHAT THE FUCK?
BTW, does John Wilkes Booth have any relatives living in the DC area? Just curious.
Maybe that Amtrack train will be late as usual.
Next big event, an evening at Ford’s Theatre.
Obama is a typical liberal, big on symbolism and aesthetics.
BobF, that is the perfect word for him, “obsessed”. He is obsessed, too bad it is not about something better then himself.
Eden, good one LOL. Yes I have a feeling neither Michelle nor Barack love animals or they would have them already. He made his daughters wait till he saw if he won the election to tell them they could have a dog. sheesh.
That is awesome Eden about going to the Abe Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library. I went there only once when I lived in Illinois. I wish Obama would not use Lincoln the way he does, if Obama was smarter he would realize they have nothing in common.
cuchieddie, Oh my gosh, what the heck is wrong with people. They are worhsiping this POS Obama.
With Obama’s wanting to be like Lincoln or at least try to do things like Lincoln, he must have forgotten about Booth. haha
lol @ the the train being late as usual
Commemorative water? Seriously? I read this morning that the have Ojamas. That would wake you up fast in the morning, roll over and see Obama on your bedmate’s chest.
Oh well, we have to laugh. I think we all knew this crew was going to be incredibly rich in comedy fodder.
And we are going to be incredibly poor when he gets done. They are drawing any parallel between Obama and Lincoln, this is rich. They don’t even look alike, at least Lincoln was better looking and kept his retarded relatives at a good distance from the White House.
Tom, heh heh yes there is that too.
“Next big event, an evening at Ford’s Theatre.”
LOL Love your comment about Amtrack trains too. Yes they always seemed to be late.
Mark, yes I can’t figure out why the heck Obama likes Lincoln so much. Obama really can’t be that smart, what Lincoln said about what should be done to someone that spoke out against the war when our country was at war should be hung. LOL Well Obama better remember what Lincoln said about that.
I think it’s a simple connection. Black Man vs. Man Who Freed the Black Man. That’s it. I can’t think of any other way to stretch Obama’s untested Pres career next to Lincoln’s and make it match (unless it’s painted on a coin–Montel, are you reading this?).
The reason trains are always late, at least here in the Midwest corridor, is because, for the most part, they don’t own their own tracks. They are owned by freight train companies, and therefor, the freight trains get priority.
Eden, O’Vomit isn’t a black man, he’s a mulatto that hates his white side. Ya know, the white side that raised him. Ungrateful prick!
I know Cuchieddie–just part of the irony of it all.
Here’s something interesting on Blagojevich if you can stomach anymore…he was a bookie in the 80’s and 90’s according to an FBI informant.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6559104
Illegitimate PEBO is so full of hot air that he could power a locomotive all by himself.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2555688163_c096c427e7.jpg
Obama the megalomaniac arriving on his train.
http://forthardknox.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/throw-obama-from-the-train-40681-thumb.jpg
Ooo boy, more Blago stuff.
Illinois has one gambling license up for grabs which I’m sure the Gov has been trying to “sell” only because his buddy who managed Blago’s campaign funds was involved with the decision making of what city gets the license. It’s worth over half a billion to the state.
Chris Kelley is his name and he’s going to plead guilty to federal income tax evasion charges, so they’ve put off making the license decision for now. You know, until they can get the highest bidder for Chris’s former position installed.
When I worked for Gov. Jim Thompson, I had a close friend who got a patronage job from campaign work for Thompson, as the “decider” of who got the patronage jobs and which jobs the got for the Dept. of Corrections. Every dept. had a similar person doing this. It was called the Governor’s Office of Patronage. I shit you not. We basically all had nothing to do 95% of the time and spent a lot of time at my friends house getting drunk during long lunch hours. It was so boring I quit and went to work for lawyers.
My boyfriend at the time worked in the Secretary of STate’s Office and he said they were expected to contribute to his campaign. Period. Pay up or you will be sitting in that same chair forever.
But my point is, it’s always been that way here, and it’s going to take a miracle to change it. That’s why it made me so sick to see the machine candidate get sent to Washington to carry on the same ole crap.
I hope it all comes out. All of it. Obama is not an innocent in this web of cronyism.
Where’s ‘Von Ryan’s Express’ when ya need it?
– Bridge Over The River Kwai 2009?
Les, those are good thank you so much.
Eden I agree, there is just no way Obama is innocent in this thing with Blago. Great comment.
Darth, giggle yessss where are they.
PS: Wild Thing, don’t tell Eden that VADER worked for the Dept. of Conception too! I’ll bring the court sandwiches to go Eden! – Strip Search Time Again?