All Posts Tagged With: "inauguration"

In a word, “NO!” FactCheck.org debunks the prevalent meme amongst right-wing bloggers and “news” outlets:

For much of the past week, several right-leaning news sites have compared an estimated $160 million price tag for Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration to a $42 million tally for George W. Bush’s 2005 inauguration. Those numbers are accurate as far as they go, but not comparable.

The Associated Press and ABC News both report that Obama’s inauguration could cost between $160 and $170 million, while Bush raised a net total of $42.3 million to cover the costs of his inauguration, according the New York Times and others, based on the report Bush’s committee filed with the Federal Election Commission a few months after the event.  But those aren’t direct comparisons; the Obama estimates include the cost of security, while the figure for Bush’s inauguration does not. Continued

Tags: Barack Obama, bullies, costs, debunked, distortions, FactCheck.org, facts, George W. Bush, inauguration, lies, right-wing

From the Pew Research Center:

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say they plan to watch Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20; not surprisingly, even higher percentages of Democrats, Obama voters and African Americans say they plan to tune in. Fully 85% of Democrats say they plan to watch Obama’s inauguration, compared with 62% of independents and 49% of Republicans. Similarly, 89% of Obama voters say they plan to watch, while just 46% of McCain voters say the same. More than nine-in-ten (92%) African Americans plan to watch the historic inauguration, which is significantly more than the 63% of white respondents who expect to tune in. Slightly more than four-in-ten (43%) say they would attend the inauguration if offered a ticket, while 56% say they would not attend. These results mirror a Fox Opinion Dynamics poll conducted in January 2005 in which 42% said they would attend that year’s Bush inaugural if offered a ticket and 57% said they would not attend.

Count me among that two-thirds. I’m sitting here as I write this watching the early inauguration coverage on TV and streaming on the web, having taken the day off to witness this historic moment.

It’s hard to believe. Less than 24 hours remain in the George W. Bush presidency. Less than 24 hours until my mistake in 2000 will be finally redeemed. It’s a momentous enough event that I have taken tomorrow off to watch the inauguration festivities live (via satellite). It’s the first inauguration that I will watch live since Ronald Reagan was sworn in 28 years ago.

24 hours and counting until the world breathes a collective sigh of relief.

“Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

In his final weekly address before assuming office, President-elect Barack Obama speaks about the upcoming Inauguration activities, a tradition at the heart of our democracy.

*

Lyrics to the song Continued

That would be truly impressive. The Washington Post reports:

District and federal officials are preparing for as many as 4 million people for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, a crowd that would be three or four times larger than previous big events on the Mall.

Only a fraction of those people will be close enough to get a good look at the action. But officials are planning extra JumboTrons at the Mall and along the inaugural parade route so that spectators can feel a part of the historic day.

[...]

Officials are talking about opening large sections of the Mall east of the Washington Monument, a space normally used for staging the many components of the inaugural parade, Fenty said. That would make the Mall a viewing area that experts said could accommodate several million people — significantly more than in the past. Officials have not said where the parade groups will gather instead.

The changes would not affect the 240,000 people who will get free tickets in the space closest to the swearing-in ceremony.

[...]

Obama is known for choosing venues where he can address huge crowds. In August in Denver, he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination with a speech before 84,000 at Invesco Field. On election night, about 200,000 jammed Chicago’s Grant Park for his victory speech.

[...]

It does not appear that the 300 acres of the Mall in the two-mile stretch from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial has ever been filled with people, according to Terry Adams, a National Park Service spokesman.

The 1995 Million Man March, which drew about a million people, give or take a few hundred thousand, filled two-thirds of the one-mile section between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, according to photographs taken at the time. Farouk El-Baz, a Boston University expert who analyzed the crowd size, estimated that the entire two-mile stretch is so open that it could hold 3 million people.

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It would certainly be a sight to behold. I would love to be there, if for no other reason than the unusually historic nature of this particular inauguration. But three things will keep me away: I don’t like standing outside in cold weather, I don’t like big crowds and I have to work on that day (although I could take it off if I really want to, but the first two reasons are enough not to make the trip). No worries though; I’ll watch the replay of the festivities from the comfort of my cozy couch.