On inauguration day I opted to forgo the massive crowds, freezing weather, and 7 am wake up in order to watch the inauguration at a reasonably crowed comfortably warm open city, which also served me lunch.
The inauguration of Barack Obama may not have changed the world or helped cure the many issues plaguing our country at the moment. However it is still incredibly significant. One would think the customers at open city would not Obama’s most intense supporters, since they were in DC and opted to watch on TV. However this theory was immediately disproved when I saw and heard these people stand and cheer nearly every time a shot of Obama appeared on the TV in front of them, which was approximately every five seconds. This scene, along with the shots of people lining time square to see the new president take his oath, and the million standing in the wintery DC conditions for hours, many in tears, to witness the occasion first hand made me contemplate the fact that Obama only received 53% of the popular vote.
Later when I was back at Calvert-Woodley I came across a site with pictures of inauguration viewings not only across the country but also across the world. Many of these photos were of foreigners embracing and Americans crying. These pictures really cemented the idea that not only is our country ready and excited for change, but we are ready for unity. Going from the second inauguration of George Bush, which was the least watched in history, to the Inauguration of Obama, demonstrates that the country is ready to lessen the divide internally and return to diplomacy externally. The viewing and attendance numbers of the inauguration shows many of those who chose not to vote for Barack Obama are still hopeful of the change he speaks of bringing.
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