Photo credit: Janet Donovan
The Inaugural Gala event hosted by Ambassador Mary Ourisman at Cafe Milano in Georgetown reminded us of old times when Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill and fellow legislators left their partisan bickering on the House floor and morphed into friends when the sun went down.
Such was the case this night when Right-Center-Left made up an eclectic and animated guest list that crossed party lines, emphasizing the peaceful transition of political power. That transition was best described by Democratic consultant Jack Quinn: “I think with all of these transitions you know they’re a testament, as others have said today, to the strength of our democracy. Power moves from one administration to the other peacefully and without incident, and we saw that happen today. And you know, everybody’s going to have to take some time to do a little adjusting to make sure that we find ways to work together cooperatively and try to do the best thing possible for the country.”
Jack Quinn, Mary Ourisman and Susanna Quinn
That sentiment was echoed by Anita McBride who served as Assistant to President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009. “I have to say I’m always moved by an Inauguration,” she told Hollywood on the Potomac. “I think it really is an extraordinary example of our democracy. It generally is a very peaceful transition despite some of the protests today; but that’s democracy, too. Of course, I was very happy to see George and Laura Bush there sitting with the Clintons and seeing the Carters. This is a very small group of people who truly understand what this is all about – so that solidarity, that show of support despite the differences is really what we’re all about.”
Anita McBride (R)
“It was a truly great opportunity for the old guard of Washington to meet the new vanguard of Washington coming in with the Trump administration,” Senior Editor of Washington Life Magazine Kevin Chaffee told us. “It’s been an amazing mix of social people, plus the diplomatic core, the business community, people from the arts, they all came. There are going to be a lot of changes happening and everybody here needs to be a part of it. There is going to be probably more change that’s going to be heralded in with this new administration than the average. It’s a change of party, it’s a change of philosophy within a party.”
Kevin Chaffee
Some of that old guard consisted of former LBJ Chief of Protocol Lloyd Hand and jewelry designer Ann Hand who graciously, in concert with Mary Ourisman, gifted guests with her most recent Presidential pin.
Lloyd and Ann Hand with Ashley Taylor Bronczek and Matt Bronczek
The Diplomatic Corps weighed in and were, of course, diplomatic. We asked the Social Secretary of the French Embassy Francesca Craig to tell us what the ambiance was like at the Embassy with the change of Administrations and if they were concerned about the change in power. “We just want to preserve our [cordial] relationship between The United States and France – our first friends, our first partners, our oldest, oldest allies.”
Ambassador of Spain, Ramon Gil-Casares, reminded us that: “It coincided with ours, so we think it’s an opportunity. Both countries are with new administrations for a time [when] all the nations around us are going to be too. We think we have an opportunity. This is a very new administration, and somehow peculiar from what we expected because it’s unfamiliar, but then there’s the opportunity for a mutual relationship.”
Amb. Gil-Casares, Francesca Craig, Senator Larry Pressler (Ret.)
Georgette Mosbacher has been an in and out glamorous presence on the DC scene for more years than she cares to remember, ultimately bringing us La Prairie cosmetics. How does it feel to be back? “It feels transformational. It’s different. I did this in 1988. The difference was the Bush’s had been here already for eight years and five presidents. The Trumps are….the excitement. There’s electricity because it’s really unknown and I think everyone is excited about it. There is an excitement. You can feel the electricity in the air.” As to whether she would be a player in the Trump administration she told us: “No, I think they’re talking to me about a possible diplomatic post, so we’ll see.”
Georgette Mosbacher with Grace Bender
As for the much maligned ‘press corps’: “I did not love the speech,” said The Atlantic’s Editor at Large Steve Clemons. “I thought it was the most Populist speech since Andrew Jackson, but I was relieved that he was as gracious as he was to President Obama and Joe Biden. But this speech puts me on edge because it’s not a unifying speech, it’s a divisive speech. I worry about that. It feels very tenuous. It feels as if the country, the nation, the town, wants to hope that everything’s going to be okay, but is not sure. It’s just a nervous [feeling]. I think that there is uncertainty about Donald Trump and that’s exactly what he wanted us all to feel.”
Annie Groer, Steve Clemons, Andy Oros
As for conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham: “The day felt exuberant, hopeful … amazing.” She doesn’t plan on joining the administration but “plans on sticking to the principles that I have always written about – sovereignty, independence, freedom, boarders, American renewals. That’s what I’m about, so I don’t have any plans to do anything other than that.”
Bret and Amy Baier with Rep. Debbie Dingell and Franco Nuschese
En Fin: What about the District of Columbia? We asked Ward 2 Counci-lmember Jack Evans to weigh in. “So here’s the point,” he told us. “I’m very excited about the Trump administration because I dealt with them – Don Trump and especially Ivanka – on the hotel and they are really can do people and they’re focused 0n infrastructure. My goal is to get them involved in number 1) how do we fix metro and number 2) the Memorial Bridge which is falling down and number 3) the FBI Building which is taking forever to get redeveloped and number 4) the infrastructure of the city in general. I want Don Trump and Ivanka to really feel like a part of Washington and if they do, then we will embrace them and it will be a great relationship, so I’m very excited about it. And, the President lives in my ward and Ivanka lives in Kalorama, so they’re my constituents. So if they need their trash picked up, they’d better listen to me.” There’s that!
Happy Campers:
Secretary of Energy and Mrs. Rick Perry
Senator Roy Blunt
The event was like being on a sultry movie set as Cafe Milano transformed the restaurant: Think Grand Budapest!
