Thanks to the connections of my friend Steve I was granted the privledge of a silver ticket for the swearing in ceremony earlier today. I left Steve's house on Capitol Hill about 8a and headed to the Potomac Avenue metro stop. The first train that came by was full, but there was still room to squeeze a few people on. On a normal day it would've been a seven minute ride, but today it took about 35 minutes. The problem was getting people out of the stations. We rode through Capitol South and Federal Center SW without opening the doors, which was a good thing. It was a bit frightening to see all the people on the platforms, but clearly they had crowd control, under control.All the time on the train, people were happy and friendly. Asking questions about each other, their friends, their plans, where they came from. There were only two Washingtonians near me. I spoke to folks from Colorado, New York, Kentucky and Alabama.
At L'Enfant Plaza everyone got out. While it was a mob scene, it was also a calm and happy gathering. As we were working our way up and out, somewhere a whoop would start and it would roll through the entire station, it was an amazing feeling.
Once I was outside, I started working my way to the security check point. There was a bit of confusion, but after awhile the crowds parted and I got into the lower area of the section. I immediately queued to get to the front section. All in all it took about 2 hours and 15 minutes, but I was able to be about 5 people back from the road that separates the reflecting pond area and the lawn of the Capitol, center stage. So, while the people were small, I could see them live.
With about 90 minutes to wait, all of us got to knowing our neighbors. My nearest neighbor was the student body president from Rochester Institute of Technology who had flown in the night before and was heading out tonight for classes tomorrow. There was one guy near me from DC, everyone else was from somewhere else...Ohio, New York and Minnesota. Periodically the crowd would break into cheers of "Obama" or "Yes We Can".
Finally things got underway. Ted Kennedy got a big cheer, as did Jimmy Carter. Bush senior got booed, as did Lynne Cheney and Laura Bush. When "W" came out the crowd broke into a chant of..."na, na, na, na, hey, hey, goodbye"...not booing, just chanting, over and over again. It was incredibly cathartic. When Obama came out we just chanted "Obama" again and again. It was great.
Aretha Franklin sang and then there was the John Williams piece, which I heard from people who watched on TV was amazing, but it was a little lost in the wide open space of the mall.
After he took the oath we started chanting "Yes we did"! And then the million plus people fell silent as Obama made his speech, which I thought was incredibly inspiring. The crowd was jubiliant with excitement and the relief of the end of the Bush era.
On my walk back to where I'm staying the people on the street were just so happy. Strangers were smiling and greeting each other on the street like we all lived in a small town. I was particularly struck by a group of old men and women gathered on a street corner. They had a TV and a barrel fire going and had been watching the moment. These people, who probably had very little to be happy about by traditional measures, were emanating the most energetic joy.
And now, the change begins with great hope.
