EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jan 21, 2009 14:33:33 GMT -5
Next on Man vs. Wild.... ....Bear Grylls teaches you how to survive Inauguration Day in Washington, DC. ;D ;D To one of Stig's comments: I am glad that there were Republicans there with you and I agree that such a thing is significant. I also think it is a function of youth a little bit (I am not speaking for all 2 million people, so hold your rebukes). When I went to the one Inauguration I have attended (GHWB, 1989), several Democrats who voted for Dukakis went with me as well. Not that I am discounting the added histroical significance that many people have felt with this election, but it is just something you need to see, and I think it's more exciting when you're younger. When you get old and cranky like me, I think it's something that you realize is OK to watch on TV. To further show my age and my post-partisanship I note that I attended the inauguration of Harry Truman even though I voted against him. And I froze my tail off in the process.
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Bando
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Post by Bando on Jan 21, 2009 14:43:39 GMT -5
Next on Man vs. Wild.... ....Bear Grylls teaches you how to survive Inauguration Day in Washington, DC. ;D ;D To one of Stig's comments: I am glad that there were Republicans there with you and I agree that such a thing is significant. I also think it is a function of youth a little bit (I am not speaking for all 2 million people, so hold your rebukes). When I went to the one Inauguration I have attended (GHWB, 1989), several Democrats who voted for Dukakis went with me as well. Not that I am discounting the added histroical significance that many people have felt with this election, but it is just something you need to see, and I think it's more exciting when you're younger. When you get old and cranky like me, I think it's something that you realize is OK to watch on TV. Hey, I voted for him and live in DC, and I wasn't going to go anywhere near the Mall. I watched from my couch, mostly for the same reasons I never go to July 4th on the Mall.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Jan 21, 2009 15:02:46 GMT -5
Next on Man vs. Wild.... ....Bear Grylls teaches you how to survive Inauguration Day in Washington, DC. ;D ;D To one of Stig's comments: I am glad that there were Republicans there with you and I agree that such a thing is significant. I also think it is a function of youth a little bit (I am not speaking for all 2 million people, so hold your rebukes). When I went to the one Inauguration I have attended (GHWB, 1989), several Democrats who voted for Dukakis went with me as well. Not that I am discounting the added histroical significance that many people have felt with this election, but it is just something you need to see, and I think it's more exciting when you're younger. When you get old and cranky like me, I think it's something that you realize is OK to watch on TV. Agreed 100%. I have to say that if somebody told me to gather at the front gates at 2AM tomorrow to do it all again, I probably wouldn't go. The same would probably be true if somebody asked me to attend an inauguration in 20 years - I'd stay in my heated home and watch it on TV, even if the new President was a guy I liked as much as I like Obama. This was a once in a lifetime experience in a lot of ways. I think the fact that some Republicans were a part of our group is more of a reflection on those particular people being high-class people than on Obama's popularity It takes a pretty special kind of person to wait 10 hours in the freezing cold to politely attend the inauguration of somebody they don't particularly like (I wouldn't say that I'm one of those people - I would have probably stayed in my nice and warm dorm if McCain had won). I think it's also a reflection on Georgetown. Not all Hoyas were classy about the event - some were probably singing at Bush, while one Republican friend of mine refused to go because he didn't want to be around a crowd of "hippies and communists." But I do think that at Georgetown you're more likely to find thoughtful and classy people who are conscious enough of the history going on around them that they can put aside their political disagreements and come together in a celebration of a historic event such as the swearing in of a new President.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Jan 21, 2009 16:33:39 GMT -5
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FormerHoya
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Post by FormerHoya on Jan 21, 2009 18:28:57 GMT -5
Thanks from me too for your great recap of the "adventure." It is something that you have with you all your life and won't have to look back in your old age and say, "well, I could have been there, but wasn't." Kind of like me and JFK's funeral. I could have stayed on campus and gone to the funeral, but I went home for an early Thanksgiving. I feel the same way about the last Grateful Dead concert. Also, ed, I knew you were old, but I forget just how old until you type something like the above.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Jan 21, 2009 18:37:13 GMT -5
Thanks from me too for your great recap of the "adventure." It is something that you have with you all your life and won't have to look back in your old age and say, "well, I could have been there, but wasn't." Kind of like me and JFK's funeral. I could have stayed on campus and gone to the funeral, but I went home for an early Thanksgiving. That was actually one of my main motivations for going - I knew I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't!
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jan 21, 2009 19:25:27 GMT -5
Of course there has never been an inauguration like this one and probably never will be again.. at least in our lifetimes. "Definitely worth it" indeed! How many inaugurations have you lived through? Oh, yes, the world did not exist before your time!
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Jan 21, 2009 19:28:19 GMT -5
Ah, I thought as much. Some events you know will make history, such as the inauguration yesterday, and so you can make plans to go and be part of history. There are other events, which seem as if they will be ordinary events, but something great happens and again you are part of history. I never knew that I would witness history in Oct. 1956 in the World Series, Yanks vs Brooklyn Dodgers, Don Larsen vs. Sal Maglie, until after the game was over.
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AvantGuardHoya
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Post by AvantGuardHoya on Jan 21, 2009 19:46:02 GMT -5
It's amazing how yesterday's events are lost on some. Sadly, they just don't get it.
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HoyaNyr320
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Post by HoyaNyr320 on Jan 21, 2009 20:44:05 GMT -5
Of course there has never been an inauguration like this one and probably never will be again.. at least in our lifetimes. "Definitely worth it" indeed! How many inaugurations have you lived through? Oh, yes, the world did not exist before your time! So you're saying it doesn't mean anything to you that we now have our first African-American President? You said you are old enough to remember Harry Truman's inauguration. That means you were around when African-Americans couldn't go to the same bathrooms, drink from the same water fountains, or attend the same schools as white Americans. I know you don't agree with his policies and you enjoy being a scrooge- but just think about the historical significance for yourself - not just what the media is feeding you (over-feeding, I agree). I wasn't around for that time, but i can still appreciate the significance of yesterday in our nation's history.
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Post by Coast2CoastHoya on Jan 21, 2009 20:58:20 GMT -5
It was cold but the "air" was warm!
Some of us trekked down to the Mall at about 8:15, but couldn't get past security at a couple check points, so we walked for a while and ended up going back to Chinatown to watch the events at both Clyde's and Bar Louie. Good TVs, good crowds all, and it was almost eerie (but a reverent eeriness) to hear both places totally silent during the show. The cheering pretty much echoed the crowd on the Mall---cheers for the Dems, boos for Bush and Cheney, but cheers for Bush Sr. Our party clapped for all of the former Pres' and no one gave us bad looks; a couple people joined in. And talk about merchandizing, merchandizing, merchandizing! Yogurt the Wise would be proud. If you could stick an O on it, it was being sold for $5 or more all over town!!
I was very impressed by the speech. I thought it struck the right set of tones and touched on the right points: hopeful, reconciliatory, departing from the past 8 years, reaching out to those around the nation and world who thought America had gone astray, pledging to work hard to achieve our collective goals, recognizing that we are in a very tough situation and not too expect too much too fast, a call to civic duty, and several overt and subtle references to presidents and addresses gone by. He basically said what I wanted to hear.
Afterward, we waited about two hours to get to Coast2CoastGirlfriend's office on Penn, and watched the parade from within the warmth with GREAT views of the route, including the part where Obama, Michelle, Biden, and Jill got out and walked. Then we cruised home. Nice day. Magnificent, really.
I thought Chief Justice Roberts' small gaff added a great moment of levity to the proceedings; for some reason, it made me think a small understanding between the two men was established.
We also threw a small party of our own on Sunday, and about 100 people came, which was a blast ---- thanks to those members of the HoyaTalk family and their friends and significant others who came and I hope you enjoyed yourselves!
The city felt unified this weekend in a way I've never felt before. I know it votes overwhelmingly Democratic, but this was different. In some ways it was like a time warp---like it lasted forever but only a moment. It was like 8 years of having to whisper and hide our shared views and interests for fear of attack and derision finally washed away; I can almost scarcely believe it. And the best part is that it's not about "beating the other guys," it's about getting beyond partisan vitriol and getting together to let the best ideas rise to the top (reasonable people can argue this, but that's how I see it), and one of my favorite lines in the speech was about not having to compromise our ideals for our security.
Last night, the bars on U Street were still packed (they were packed all weekend; I'm sure this was true all over town), and the mood was very happy----like we could greet strangers as....I dunno....teammates, friends we hadn't met, people who'd all be working to make this presidency a success. Something of all three maybe. Anyway, it was a cool, mellow feeling.
Good luck to President Obama and Vice President Biden and their Cabinet and appointees, and thanks to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and your Cabinets and appointees for your service to this country.
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sead43
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Post by sead43 on Jan 21, 2009 21:25:30 GMT -5
I thought Chief Justice Roberts' small gaff added a great moment of levity to the proceedings; for some reason, it made me think a small understanding between the two men was established. Apparently someone in the White House counsel's office disagrees about its levity...or at least was sufficiently concerned that someone else would disagree enough to cause a stink: www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/21/obama.oath/index.htmlI just felt bad for Roberts...has to be one of the most embarrassing moments for him ever.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Jan 21, 2009 22:00:34 GMT -5
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Post by Coast2CoastHoya on Jan 21, 2009 22:03:10 GMT -5
I thought Chief Justice Roberts' small gaff added a great moment of levity to the proceedings; for some reason, it made me think a small understanding between the two men was established. Apparently someone in the White House counsel's office disagrees about its levity...or at least was sufficiently concerned that someone else would disagree enough to cause a stink: www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/21/obama.oath/index.htmlI just felt bad for Roberts...has to be one of the most embarrassing moments for him ever. Sounds like the second oath went slowly and smoothly. For the über-nerds among us, Obama joins Chester A. Arthur and Cal Coolidge as the only three presidents to have to re-take the oath. President Arthur also has the distinction of being the first to say "so help me God" and being the subject of a plot vignette on Die Hard With A Vengeance. Coolidge, of course, was known as "silent Cal" and those of us who have taken Wills & Trusts have read his crazy-short final wishes.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Jan 21, 2009 22:46:41 GMT -5
Great thread with the recollections/observations. A couple thoughts and experiences of my own...
I think it was reasonable to expect that the arrangements/plans that were made would not be executed perfectly. Not the least among the reasons for this is that the planners are human and they are dealing with human variables. My sense of this was only strengthened by the ever-changing estimates of crowd sizes in advance of the event. How can we start at 4 million and move to 2 million without much of an explanation. The effort beyond that to pinpoint things exactly appeared to be minimal (i.e. no analysis of 2.3 million vs. 2 million or 1.7 million vs. 2 million. One hundred thousand here or there makes a difference. While I wish that we could expect people to do their jobs well, it, unfortunately, is not always accepted as a reasonable expectation.
Beyond that, I think it was reasonable to expect that ticketing would not go as planned given that the unticketed masses would vastly outnumber the ticketed crowd according to all estimates. So, rule of the road would be that the unticketed folks would dictate things in the event of a security error or something not going according to plan.
My strategy was to attempt to wait for the initial rush to pass on the Metro and then ride in on the Yellow line, exiting at L'Enfant. I originally thought about walking in on I-395, but suspected that I would not need to do so. I had no problem on the Metro itself and ended up in what could be described as a light rush hour crowd on the train. What I did not expect, along with the construction outside the station that restricted crowd flow out of the station, is that the crowd from the initial rush would not clear the station by the time I arrived around 5:15. All told, the situation was workable even if it was unexpected.
After following the crowd out of the station toward the Mall, I found a perhaps unintentional access point through the Smithsonian castle complex that allowed me to walk on the Mall roughly 100 yards west of the MSNBC setup. I had thought that the Mall would not open until 7, but perhaps that was misinformation. In any event, I did get the sense on the ground due to the trickle of people arriving on the Mall at that time that I had taken advantage of some security error.
I ended up standing behind a elementary or middle school group that managed to haul sleeping bags onto the Mall and next to a camera man for TVN out of Chile. Other neighbors included a pair of students from UC-Berkeley with friends from the area. I was near the front of the public viewing section, immediately north of a First Aid Station, and dead center with respect to the stage/podium. Based on the maps, that would place me smack dab in the middle of the first Mall square allocated to the general public - a spot for a die hard but not a spot for someone who staked out a Metro station before 4:30 a.m. All told, I was pleased by the spot and got what I wanted out of my strategy.
My only regret is that I was cold and did not pay enough attention ahead of time to figuring out how to stay warm. I did not have hand warmers or, more importantly, toe warmers that seemed to be available to many, but I could not figure out where. I did dress warmly but simply not enough for the temperature and am probably fortunate that I did not end up with frostbite.
As for the ceremony, I felt that it was anticlimactic in many ways given that there was intense focus locally on what was going to happen, how big the crowd would be, and the like. Many appeared to be there just to take part, which is great, but it gave the sense that it was not a politically active crowd (perhaps a goal of Obama, organizers, etc.). Most of the discussions I had were not along the lines of how quickly Obama would reverse the Mexico City policy and the like but rather over hearing others' "stories." At about 9:00, most of us were overcome by the achievement of the event already and how it was then clear that we would be participating in the largest gathering in the Mall's storied history
Also keen in my mind was the sense that billions of people around the world would have happily given anything save their lives to participate in an event of the kind that I was now privileged to enjoy. In many ways, Barack Obama is a global figure apart from the office he now occupies and has taken on a life of his own as something like a cultural phenomenon. The photos of villages in Kenya and others watching the ceremony in some of the darker corners of the world should all give us hope and a sense of global purpose.
Most of the cooked-up controversies, including the Rick Warren angle, simply did not do it for me in the end. I found Warren's selection interesting and his invocation unusual for a ceremony of the inauguration's kind, but I would not classify it as "bad" just the same. Warren does good work, has rigorous beliefs, and should be appreciated for this. The cold welcome of Bush to the Mall also does not do it for me, especially when you consider what President Bush stands for unapologetically and what he and Dick Cheney have said about opponents, again unapologetically. But, I agree that the focus should not have been turned away from the purpose of the inauguration and Bush perhaps earned a better reception for the grace which he and Laura Bush displayed during the transition.
My thoughts beyond that are more visual and emotive than anything else. I cannot help but feel that Obama has already eclipsed many Presidents in terms of stature and profile and more will be written about him to this point in his life than will be written about the lives of former presidents such as Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and the like. Were it not for Lewinsky, I think you could add Bill Clinton. What was clear was the utter lack of a particularly distinguished ex-President on the dais (i.e. a Ronald Reagan).
If I were to pick a highlight apart from the Obama speech, I would pick the Hail to the Chief/Gun Salute component particularly due to the fact that I was close enough to the cannon that the ground underneath me shook.
Anyway, my $.02.
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jan 22, 2009 7:19:57 GMT -5
How many inaugurations have you lived through? Oh, yes, the world did not exist before your time! So you're saying it doesn't mean anything to you that we now have our first African-American President? You said you are old enough to remember Harry Truman's inauguration. That means you were around when African-Americans couldn't go to the same bathrooms, drink from the same water fountains, or attend the same schools as white Americans. I know you don't agree with his policies and you enjoy being a scrooge- but just think about the historical significance for yourself - not just what the media is feeding you (over-feeding, I agree). I wasn't around for that time, but i can still appreciate the significance of yesterday in our nation's history. What I was saying was the inference of the post that this was the most important inauguration ever. That was not said precisely but that was the inference as I read it. I did not say that Obama's inauguration was not historical as it truly was. But, in comparison with other inaugurations, I think the inauguration of Washington was more important. I think Lincoln's inauguration before and during the Civil War was far more important. And, in my time, I think the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt during the depression was more important; as were the inaugurations of Roosevelt in 1941 and 1945 when we were leading up to and fighinting Germany and Japan; and that of Truman and those who came after him in confronting the Soviet Union when they had ICBMs aimed at our cities. So, in my view, Obama's inauguration was important and historical but, in the context of history, not nearly as important as many others.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Jan 22, 2009 9:40:49 GMT -5
Are we traveling in time like on 'Lost'? If not, I would only mention that the Obama inauguration was probably historic, not historical. ;D The race factor notwithstanding, and I grant that is of enormous significance, I agree with ed that there are any number of inaugurations that are of equal or greater historical ( ) significance. JFK comes to mind. So does Ronald Reagan. I know some on the left might not necessarily wish to acknowledge that, but anyone who can remember back to the late 70s and how miserable this country was, and how much Reagan inspired people to be proud Americans again might have to at least recognize the weight of that inauguration.
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Jan 22, 2009 10:02:52 GMT -5
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Jan 22, 2009 10:38:20 GMT -5
Are we traveling in time like on 'Lost'? If not, I would only mention that the Obama inauguration was probably historic, not historical. ;D The race factor notwithstanding, and I grant that is of enormous significance, I agree with ed that there are any number of inaugurations that are of equal or greater historical ( ) significance. JFK comes to mind. So does Ronald Reagan. I know some on the left might not necessarily wish to acknowledge that, but anyone who can remember back to the late 70s and how miserable this country was, and how much Reagan inspired people to be proud Americans again might have to at least recognize the weight of that inauguration. I had this conversation with my friends (some of them big obama supporters) about what Republican inauguration might compare, and we came up with Reagan in 1981. And it turns out we were right, what with Obama's neilsen ratings being 2nd to Reagans in 1981. tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/20/will-obama-break-1981-ronald-reagan-record-for-inauguration-nielsen-ratings/11134
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Post by strummer8526 on Jan 22, 2009 10:49:55 GMT -5
I expected Reagan to be the closest. I also heard two lines of his speech as hopefully marking an end to the big versus small government BS argument of the last 30 years--an argument that Reagan very effectively lived on: "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end."
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