Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Kalorama and Kompromat: The Week of Transition in Washington

Washington loves and dreads transition. The inaugural event is a high political society celebration, a circus, and can be a civil war. A bit of all three will take over Washington this weekend. There will be nostalgia for the Obamas, a modern update of a Norman Rockwell painting and the Nelsons of TV sitcom fame. Of course, there is a relief for those anxious to end what they consider a failed administration. The Trump inaugural instills a combination of dread and elation. Almost all new residents of the White House are considered vandals and Philistines, although Donald Trump appears to look for fights: John Lewis, the intel community, CNN, EU, Merkel, NATO and China, and that’s just the last few days.

The new words of currency this week are Kalorama and Kompromat. Kalorama, an exclusive section of D.C. north of DuPont Circle, has just gotten the Obamas, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and Jeff Bezos ($23 million for house) as residents. This may be ushering in an era of big money and big houses.

Kompromat is the Russian term for compromising material, like that found in the unverified dossier on Donald Trump. Sex, scandal, tweets and Russians are in D.C.’s future.

As thousands pour into the weekend celebrations and demonstrations, the 2016 post-election period is over and the fun begins.


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