Fingers crossed (and toes)

Well, today's the big day.

And my fingers and toes are crossed.

Here's hoping that the big send-off rally Trump has planned for himself at 8 a.m. turns out to be a big fizzle. He's sent out plus-five invites to his loyalists, but they're so desperate for attendees that they included Anthony Scaramucci on the invite list. You may remember The Mooch. Early on, he was briefly - oh, so very briefly - a part of the Trump Admin. But they parted company and The Mooch parted ways and turned on Trump. On Monday, here's what he tweeted about Trump's departure:

My uncles Anthony and Sal are veterans of WW2.: Appalled that the sore loser Trump is walking out of the White House with no dignity LYING about a free and fair election and the integrity of our democracy. A shameful disgrace.

And here's what he had to tweet about his invitation to the farewell event:

I am having my fingernails pulled out at that time, sorry I can’t make it. . .

So, if Anthony Scaramucci was on the invitation list, I'd say the Trumpers are afraid they've got another Tulsa rally - a million expected; 7,000 actually attend - on their hands. Hah!

Trump also wants a lot of military fanfare - 21-gun salute, military review, flyover - but it's not clear what the military is going to provide. They've got better, more important things to do than usher this disgrace for a human being, let alone the president of the United States, out the door.

I suggest that Trump ask the Rockettes to do a high-kick line to the tune of "The March of the Wooden Soldiers." Then again, the Rockettes might demand up-front payment, so that would be the end of that.

Once Trump is blessedly out of sight, if not out of mind, we can focus on the inauguration.

Not that everything will ever become perfect. Or even get back to the usual political dysfunction normal. But it will be such a relief to have honesty, decency, empathy, and competence back in the White House.

I hope it goes well, and that the white nationalist terrorists that Trump (and the GOP establishment) have emboldened don't do anything horrific. And if they try, well, I'm not the violent type, but MOW. THEM. DOWN.

I will be watching. And this is the shirt I'll be wearing. If you can't see what's on it, it's my Biden-Harris tee, and the images are Joe's aviators and Kamala's Chucks. 

Just imagine. Decent, normal folks at the helm. With bonus points because Joe has antecedents in Co. Mayo and Co. Louth. Lots of Americans are descended from people who hail from Mayo. I'm one of them, courtesy of my great-grandmother Margaret Joyce. But no one is ever from Louth. Except for Matthew and Bridget Trainor, another couple of my greats. Joe's got roots in Carlingford, which is a stone's throw from Ballymascanlon, where Matthew and Bridget hailed from. Of course, Louth is pretty small, so everything's a stone's throw. Still, Joe and I are practically related.

I don't drink when I'm by myself. But today at noon I'll be opening a split of champagne and toasting Joe and Kamala. 

In the evening, I'll watch the Inauguration Day Concert with John Legend and Bruce Springsteen. I mean, I won't be watching with John or Bruce, but...

Among other things, it will be nice to have a President who talented artists want to perform for. I'll take Lady Gaga and Yo-Yo Ma over Ted Nugent any old day.

I'm just sorry that, thanks to the pandemic and the Big Lie terrorists, there won't be a crowd on the Mall that no doubt would have eclipsed the paltry turnout that Trump commanded four years ago.

Instead, there'll be a field of flags.

Just beautiful! And forever in peace, justice, and integrity may they wave!

And let's hear it for a big sigh of relief.