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White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom

GoldenBoy89

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I can’t find the relevant thread right now but I only wonder how our friends on the right reacted to the temporary lighting at the White House back when the marriage equality decision was announced.

1761254040103.jpeg
 
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BPPLEE

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lol, do you believe everything you read on Twitter?

Obama's basketball court was not indoors. It consisted of adding lines and hoops to an existing tennis court on the south lawn, in 2009.

Your black and photo (from 2009?) shows demo on the West Wing with what looks like a steam powered excavator in the bottom right.

No, that photo is most likely from FDR's work in 1934.
Hey, it was from Instagram, not Twitter. (That's probably worse)
 
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Bradskii

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President Barack Obama's renovations to the White House included functional updates and interior design projects, some privately funded
. The changes were coordinated with First Lady Michelle Obama and were guided by designer Michael S. Smith.
Key renovations during the Obama administration:
  • Tennis/Basketball Court: In 2009, a tennis court on the South Lawn was resurfaced and adapted for both tennis and basketball. As an avid basketball fan, Obama frequently used the court with aides and guests.
  • White House Kitchen Garden:First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded the addition of the Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn to promote healthy eating.
  • State Dining Room: A three-year refurbishment was completed in 2015. Updates included:
    • A custom-woven rug with maple leaf and wreath motifs.
    • Striped silk window treatments in peacock blue and ecru.
    • New mahogany chairs inspired by historical pieces.
  • Oval Office: The Oval Office was redecorated with contemporary design elements, including a new rug featuring quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Roosevelt, and other American figures.
  • Art and Decor: The Obamas brought in a significant number of contemporary art pieces on loan from museums. The collection included works by artists such as Glenn Ligon, Sean Scully, and Jasper Johns.
  • Budget-Conscious Approach:The Obamas opted not to use the $100,000 in taxpayer money typically allocated for redecorating and instead used their own funds. They also borrowed art from museums and refurbished existing pieces to control costs.
  • Source; Google
Sorry, I don't know if that's a post saying 'Hey, look. The Obamas made changes too' or a sarcastic comment on getting a new rug, buying some art pieces and growing some herbs versus knocking down the East Wing.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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I can’t find the relevant thread right now but I only wonder how our friends on the right reacted to the temporary lighting at the White House back when the marriage equality decision was announced.

View attachment 371987

They probably weren't happy...


I didn't think that display was in good taste...not because I disagree with gay marriage (I don't have problem with it...I've officiated a gay wedding with the power vested in me by the Universalist church -- I've got the $20 card that it took me 20 minutes to get to prove my ordination lol. I miss the days when we just had straight/gay/bi and didn't have to do a bunch of extra stuff)


I thought it was in poor taste because it's not the best look for a symbol of one branch of government (the white house) to be openly celebrating a judicial loss of "the other team".

The same way the inverse would look bad. If an executive order came from a president said "I hereby decree Pot is legal", and SCOTUS judges showed up to work on Monday wearing these instead of their regular robes:
1761267242209.png



I'd say "that's poor form" (despite supporting legal pot)
 
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Chesterton

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...I've officiated a gay wedding with the power vested in me by the Universalist church...
I know it's off-topic but I'd love to hear why any atheist joins any church.
 
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Bradskii

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I thought it was in poor taste because it's not the best look for a symbol of one branch of government (the white house) to be openly celebrating a judicial loss of "the other team".
Therein lies the problem. If a team has a parade to celebrate wining the Superbowl do you think it's in poor taste because what they are doing is actually celebrating the other team's loss?

That's just...weird.
 
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RocksInMyHead

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I thought it was in poor taste because it's not the best look for a symbol of one branch of government (the white house) to be openly celebrating a judicial loss of "the other team".
The fact that you see it as "celebrating a judicial loss of the other team" rather than "celebrating a significant percentage of Americans gaining equal rights" is part of the problem.
 
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MotoToTheMax

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I know it's off-topic but I'd love to hear why any atheist joins any church.
As someone who did the same thing, there's a legal requirement (in California at least) that for a marriage to be legalized, it needs to be done by either an ordained minister or a public official. Well, public officials require scheduling and specific government locations that you more than likely aren't going to want to have your wedding at. Now you're left with two choices. 1) Do the ceremony for your friends and family that legally doesn't do anything and then go to the scheduled office with the public official later; OR 2) Hire an ordained minister that will sign the paperwork with their credentials and you can submit it with the marriage license and don't have to worry at all about the public official scheduling.

So that leads to "churches" that ordain you for a small fee and boom, you can now perform marriages in 20 minutes. It really amounts to nothing more than a legal "loophole" of sorts to satisfy the law. Asking state governments to "police" what counts as a real religion or not for the purpose of marrying people is asking for trouble so naturally there's a "church" of every belief under the sun who offers it for the purpose of 1 day. It was a minor inconvenience at worst for me. Rob can fill in if his experience was different, but that's how my experience went.
 
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Servus

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Attaching a 90,000 square foot structure to a 55,000 square foot main house is visually unbalanced and certainly not attractive. I'm not sure how anyone sees this move as an improvement.

View attachment 371961
Ah, cool. I wanted to see a layout like that of the finished result.

I did some Google Earth satellite viewing of the White House today. And what I noticed is the huge Treasury building right next to the East Wing building. And the even larger multi story Eisenhower building right next to the West Wing. Both of which signicantly dwarf the White House.

So being right next to the really big Treasury building, the ballroom isn't all that big in comparison to it. And the East Wing was an annex connected via a long corridor to the actual White House. An additional basically separate structure. That was considerably newer than the actual White House.
 
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Aryeh Jay

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He started construction without financing in place? What a maroon.

The word you are looking for is stable genius. President Trump is an expert in real estate and construction, making billions of dollars due to his experience.
 
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Goonie

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The word you are looking for is stable genius. President Trump is an expert in real estate and construction, making billions of dollars due to his experience.
Maybe he's just a genius at building stables.
 
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Servus

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Allegedly anonymous sources say that the "ballroom" is really going to be a hangar for Trump's shiny new 747 jet from Qatar.

But only when UFC Octagon matches aren't being held there.
 
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Goonie

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Allegedly anonymous sources say that the "ballroom" is really going to be a hangar for Trump's shiny new 747 jet from Qatar.

But only when UFC Octagon matches aren't being held there.
Don't be silly, that's the plan. For the west wing.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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Therein lies the problem. If a team has a parade to celebrate wining the Superbowl do you think it's in poor taste because what they are doing is actually celebrating the other team's loss?

That's just...weird.
The Philadelphia Eagles aren't claiming to represent all people, and when they have their victory Parade's, they're doing it in Philadelphia.
 
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ThatRobGuy

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The fact that you see it as "celebrating a judicial loss of the other team" rather than "celebrating a significant percentage of Americans gaining equal rights" is part of the problem.

If in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, The White House projected pro-life lighting/symbolism on the side of the building like the Bat Signal, you'd say that was in poor taste, correct? (regardless of whether or not the team celebrating it claimed "we're just celebrating the protection of unborn lives)
 
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ThatRobGuy

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I know it's off-topic but I'd love to hear why any atheist joins any church.
Because it gives you the ability to officiate weddings for your friends/family members if they're not religious, but still want to have a wedding that's fancier than standing in city hall with a justice of the peace.
 
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RocksInMyHead

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If in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, The White House projected pro-life lighting/symbolism on the side of the building like the Bat Signal, you'd say that was in poor taste, correct? (regardless of whether or not the team celebrating it claimed "we're just celebrating the protection of unborn lives)
First you'd have to define "pro-life lighting/symbolism," because about the only consistent thing I can think of that shows up at pro-life rallies is pictures of dead fetuses. And that would be in poor taste to project on the side of the White House.
 
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Bradskii

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The Philadelphia Eagles aren't claiming to represent all people, and when they have their victory Parade's, they're doing it in Philadelphia.
Way to go to completely avoid the point being made!
 
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wing2000

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Unlike Trump, that president received congressional approval before starting those renovations.

eh...who needs to ask the citizens for their input via their Representatives? It's not our house. It's Donads ...err Donald's.

We need to trust the experience and good taste of Donald J. Trump. Or at least that's the message I'm getting from his supporters.
 
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