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Dennis Donovan

(18,770 posts)
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 09:54 AM Jan 2019

10 Years Ago Today; History...



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Barack_Obama

The first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C., marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Barack Obama as President and Joe Biden as Vice President. Based on the combined attendance numbers, television viewership, and Internet traffic, it was among the most-observed events ever by the global audience.

"A New Birth of Freedom", a phrase from the Gettysburg Address, served as the inaugural theme to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth year of Abraham Lincoln. In his speeches to the crowds, Obama referred to ideals expressed by Lincoln about renewal, continuity and national unity. Obama mentioned these ideals in his speech to stress the need for shared sacrifice and a new sense of responsibility to answer America's challenges at home and abroad.

Obama and others paid homage to Lincoln in the form of tributes and references during several of the events, starting with a commemorative train tour from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C. on January 17, 2009. The inaugural events held in Washington from January 18 to 21, 2009, included concerts, a national day of community service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the swearing-in ceremony, luncheon and parade, inaugural balls, and the interfaith inaugural prayer service. The presidential oath as administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to Obama during his swearing-in ceremony on January 20 strayed slightly from the oath of office prescribed in the United States Constitution, which led to its re‑administration the next day.

In addition to a larger than usual celebrity attendance, the Presidential Inaugural Committee increased its outreach to ordinary citizens to encourage greater participation in inaugural events compared with participation in recent past inaugurations. For the first time, the committee opened the entire length of the National Mall as the public viewing area for the swearing-in ceremony, breaking with the tradition of past inaugurations. Selected American citizens participated in the train tour and other inaugural events, and a philanthropist organized a People's Inaugural Ball for disadvantaged people who otherwise would be unable to afford to attend the inaugural festivities. Among the celebrations for the inauguration, the committee hosted a first-ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball with free or affordable tickets for ordinary citizens.

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10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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10 Years Ago Today; History... (Original Post) Dennis Donovan Jan 2019 OP
Buh-bye! Dennis Donovan Jan 2019 #1
!!! akraven Jan 2019 #2
Na Na Na Na, Hey W, Goodbye csziggy Jan 2019 #3
How did we sink so low? mcar Jan 2019 #4
simple edhopper Jan 2019 #5
I was there and I really wanted to see change! rgbecker Jan 2019 #6
K&R Scurrilous Jan 2019 #7
I read this and then posted on FB: flotsam Jan 2019 #8
+1 oasis Jan 2019 #10
Here's to happier times! What a great president - and a special family! Rhiannon12866 Jan 2019 #9

mcar

(42,210 posts)
4. How did we sink so low?
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 11:13 AM
Jan 2019

We had the best President in my lifetime who accomplished so much. Followed by a sociopath grifter who has destroyed the country in 2 short years.

rgbecker

(4,806 posts)
6. I was there and I really wanted to see change!
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 11:59 AM
Jan 2019

It was Big. There were cheers like I never had heard when Bush's helicopter flew off.

How we ended up back with the likes of Donald Trump, the lying Bastard, as president, is beyond me.

God help us.

flotsam

(3,268 posts)
8. I read this and then posted on FB:
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 04:14 PM
Jan 2019

Today is the 10th anniversary of President Obama's inauguration. In case you've forgotten him, he was the two term President who had not a single member of his campaign or cabinet indicted, never mind convicted. He traveled through those eight years with scandals like a tan jacket and grey poupon. The GOP responded by questioning his nationality and religion. The day of his inauguration they met and agreed they would block any legislation he backed even if they had previously supported it. They were determined he would serve only one term. When a Supreme Court Justice died they violated all prior practice and refused to hold hearings on the President's replacement candidate-a man they themselves had approved to the Federal Bench. Then Trump "won" the election. For the next 2 years GOP controlled the presidency and both houses and locked democrats out of legislation. Which brings us up to 17 days ago...

That is when 40 new Democrats entered the house giving dems a majority. None of the newcomers have yet served while the government was fully open for business-the GOP shut parts of it down before they arrived.

10 years vs 17 days and now if you listen to the TV pundits the major course is "there must be compromise"! Where was that shit for the last decade? "Both sides are to blame"-You arrive and stare at a car wreck and suddenly you're partly to blame?

It's all a continuing lie. The republicans have always favored the rich and corporations-it can even be argued that is a good thing. I don't think so but that's why we vote. Now though the GOP has changed from championing a cause to rigging the wheel and that cannot be allowed. They now are fully working to undermine every American ideal. I don't know their motives but I see their actions. They are despicable.

You may now be an American or a Republican but only one or the other. Happy Anniversary

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