What does this Inauguration mean to you?

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Displaying responses 51 - 60 of 81 in total.

Randy are you that dense? This is a monumental day for America and this site provides an outlet for society!

Chad, 28 from Saint Louis, MO US

WTF? i thought this guy has been president since november. Old news, please take down this dumb site.

Randy, 37 from Eatontown, NJ US

thinks that today in DC is the equivalent of the falling of the Berlin Wall and I’m happy to be at home, not in it #inaug09 #changeincommand

bigolpoofter via Twitter

We are finally going to raise the bar. We have a leader we can look up to, one who will lead by example, one with integrity, one we can believe in.

melanie , 45 from Chicago, IL US

I believe many people are missing the magnitude of what tomorrow means for this country. Just the election of Obama signals the most historic day in American history, despite what you might think of his politics, his abilities, or his intentions. What is wrong with people looking to a leader to guide them in troubling times? We’ve done it in the past and will in future days. To me, Obama not only represents our coming to terms with our past, but he represents the future. Our country MUST undergo a dramatic political, economic, and social paradigm shift. I see Obama as the first step in this shift. It may not be complete by the time he leaves the presidency; in fact, i argue it won’t. These things take time. But he will certainly initiate it. Obama restores my hope in this country and its place in the world. And that’s a pretty good feeling to have.

Erin, 35 from Morgan Hill, CA US

Nothing. Change is not the job of one man who thinks he has all the answers. To change America you have to change Americans. I don’t think he’s up to the task.

Jaxon, 22 from Springfield, MO US

Hope. Change. A new era for the USA. Maybe, hopefully President Obama can take this country into a new and healthier direction. He has a lot on his plate and so many people have lost faith in our government.

Laura M., 42 from Milwaukee, WI US

“Obama is prepared to take power and begin to rule day one.” (on Meet the Press) [I can’t wait for the new monarch to start ruling.]

Valerie Jarrett from Laingsburg, MI US

I guess I can’t help but wonder what Senator Obama meant when he made that comment about people who “cling to their guns and religion.” Cling? That’s a fairly strong insult.

Potus Lies, 46 from Laingsburg, MI US

This inauguration, doesent mean anything to me. He talks about change, but I don’t see it. He’ll take troops out of Iraq, but he’ll continue raiding Afganastan and start sending troops to Pakastan? That’s not change. He’s better than Mccain but I still don’t trust him as our president.

Zakariya, 16 from Syracuse, IN US

44 Issues in 44 Days

Explore and respond to the issues that matter to you.

# 18: Family
# 3: World View
# 20: Rural America
# 38: Child Advocacy
# 12: Health Care
# 7: Sustainability

Inaugural Insight

  • The inauguration for the first U.S. president, George Washington, was held on April 30, 1789 in New York City.
  • Should January 20 be a Sunday, the President is usually administered the oath of office in a private ceremony on that day, followed by a public ceremony the following day.
  • Immediately following the oath, the bands play four ruffles and flourishes and "Hail to the Chief", followed by a 21-gun salute from howitzers of the Presidential Salute Battery.
  • The inaugural celebrations usually last ten days, from five days before the inauguration to five days after.
  • Since Thomas Jefferson's second inaugural on March 4, 1805, it has become tradition for the president to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
  • According to tradition, in the first inaugural, President Washington added the words "so help me God" when reciting the oath, although there is no contemporary evidence of this.
  • In 1977, Jimmy Carter started a new tradition by walking from the Capitol to the White House, although subsequent presidents have only walked part of the way for security reasons.
  • The War of 1812 and World War II forced two swearing-ins to be held at other locations in Washington, D.C.
  • The new President assumes power at noon on January 20th, regardless of whether or not he has actually taken the oath of office.
  • There is no requirement that any book, or in particular a book of sacred text, be used to administer the oath, and none is mentioned in the Constitution.

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