Posted on 01/21/2013 7:17:36 AM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON -- Four years after making history by becoming the first African-American president, Barack Obama will kick off his second term on Monday with a scaled-back inauguration that reflects the tempered expectations for his next four years in office.
Lingering high unemployment, bitter political battles and a divisive re-election campaign have punctured the mood of optimism and hope that infused Obama's 2009 inauguration after a sweeping election win.
This time, Obama's inauguration will feature smaller crowds and a reduced slate of inaugural balls and parties to match the more subdued tenor of the times.
When Obama raises his right hand to be sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts outside the U.S. Capitol at 10:55 a.m. Chicago time, it will be his second time taking the oath in 24 hours.
He had a private swearing-in on Sunday at the White House because of a constitutional requirement that the president be sworn in on Jan. 20. Rather than stage the full inauguration on a Sunday, the main public events were put off until Monday.
Obama begins the day worshiping at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House. He will then take the oath again and deliver his inaugural address from the Capitol's west front overlooking the National Mall, where a crowd of up to 700,000 is expected to watch.
That is down significantly from the record 1.8 million people who jammed Washington in 2009 for Obama's first inauguration.
As Inauguration Day dawned and people streamed through the wintry cold toward the Capitol grounds, Washington was in security lockdown, with thousands of police and National Guard troops deployed, barricades up and Humvee military vehicles blocking major intersections.
Outside the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, an elaborate presidential viewing stand, encased in bullet-proof glass, awaited Obama and other VIPs
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
We want Iphones and free pizza pie delivery too!
Forward!!
Ugh...James Taylor. Sounds dreadful.
I seriously doubt it. He joked that he was taking the day off to be in solidarity with the low information voters, trying to be low-key. But I suspect he is just as disgusted as the rest of us.
I’d bet the farm the msm inflates the attendance figures.
LOL OH MY GOD FUNNY.
HER NAME IS MICHELLE WONG NOW SINCE SHE LOOKS ASIAN.
NO WAY- I am not even listening to the radio.
Obama sucks
Barf
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Barry must have been gagging having to recite that.
Forward - it’s over!
At last...
Al Jazeera thinks he must act decisively now!
My mistake, that was written by Katharine Lee Bates
OUT OF THE APPROXIMATELY 700,000 WHO WILL ATTEND THE INAUGURATION TODAY ONLY 7 WILL MISS WORK!!
I just tuned in to listen to Mark Steyn. He’s funny enough to make this day almost bearable.
And now Kelly Clarkson followed by a poet!
“OUT OF THE APPROXIMATELY 700,000 WHO WILL ATTEND THE INAUGURATION TODAY ONLY 7 WILL MISS WORK!!”
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Now that right there is funny; I don’t care who you are! :-D
The Woody song I remenber is “This Land Is My Land, This Land is Your Lsnd”. Could you be confused? Listening to this drivel might do that to a person.
This made my day! What a great photo!
yup!they curl so far up, they look like bangs.
BTW, is it PC to say "bangs" considering all the gun talk et al?
They are pandering to the northeast elite...Taylor is probably one of Zero's disciples.
Interesting, He mentioned every pet project of his and doted on them with the exception of gun control.
He did mention Newton but that was it.
He knows he has bit off more than he can chew on gun control.
I’ll be missing it, have more important things to do like cutting my toenails.
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