The Cheers and the Boos

It is my understanding that television portrayed the Inaugural crowd as a boisterous mob screaming indiscriminately. That's not true in the least.

George W. Bush was soundly booed every time his face appeared on the screen sans Obama. A couple of women around me asked people not to boo him because it was mean. Listen, I didn't invade his house and kill his family; booing seems pretty restrained considering the context. George H.W. Bush was booed. Jimmy Carter was cheered. Bill Clinton received louder cheers.

Dan Quayle was booed. Al Gore was cheered. Walter Mondale entered in silence. Dick Cheney was booed despite sitting in a wheel chair. I hope the man he shot in the face got back him in the leg.

John McCain got nothing. Colin Powell was cheered loudly. Clarence Thomas heard quiet. Roland Burris was cheered. Beyonce was cheered. I told my brother, "He's a Jew," when Dustin Hoffman was shown. Oprah was cheered. An old black woman was wheeled in and someone said, "There's Rosa Parks!" Someone else retorted, "Rosa Parks died a few years ago."

The winner in terms of cheering was... you guessed it, Aretha Franklin.