Presidential inauguration 2013
An inauguration planning official says turnout was “definitely above 800.000″ and possibly up to one million people.
Chris Geldart, who directs the District of Columbia’s homeland security and emergency management agency, says early and unofficial estimates of the number of people on the National Mall indicate a turnout higher than 800.000. That’s based on aerial views of how the crowd filled sections of the mall.
Officials initially anticipated as many as 800.000 visitors, but lowered the projections to 500.000 to 700.000, based partly on an updated number of charter buses and restaurant and hotel reservations.
But Geldart (who’s also co-chairman of the district’s presidential inaugural committee) said the event benefited from relatively mild weather.
About 1,8 million people attended President Barack Obama’s first swearing-in in 2009.
Inauguration 2013.
A confident President Barack Obama kicked off his second term on Monday with an impassioned call for a more inclusive America that rejects partisan rancor and embraces immigration reform, gay rights and the fight against climate change.
Obama’s ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry, but it was a scaled-back inauguration compared with the historic start of his presidency in 2009 when he swept into office on a mantle of hope and change as America’s first black president.
Despite expectations tempered by lingering economic weakness and a politically divided Washington, Obama delivered a preview of the priorities he intends to pursue – essentially a reaffirmation of core liberal Democratic causes – declaring Americans “are made for this moment” and must “seize it together.”
His hair visibly gray after four years in office, Obama called for an end to the partisanship that marked much of his first term in the White House in bitter fights over the economy with Republicans.
“We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate” – Obama said from atop the Capitol steps overlooking the National Mall.
Hours after President Obama was inaugurated, long after the parade ended and before most of the D.C. politicians got back to work, the music continued and looked as if it would go on well into the evening.
Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Mana, fun. and John Legend were among the artists slated to perform at Monday night’s inaugural balls – a live feed of the Commander-in-Cheif’s ball is embedded below.
After Obama gave a brief speech at one of the balls, Jennifer Hudson serenaded the president and the first lady to a slinky, upbeat rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” It’s a song Obama knows well, but even our crooner in chief is no match for Hudson’s stately earthiness.
The mood at this inauguration was definitely lighthearted and jovial, at least if one is judging by the music. Early in the night, Keys, dressed in a regal red ballgown, took to the piano to belt out a medley of recent tunes that couldn’t have been more appropriate for the evening, including “New Day” and “Girl on Fire.”
She even changed the “Girl on Fire” lyrics to turn the song into one seemingly about the president. “He’s got both feet on the ground, and he’s not backing down” – Keys sang, further changing to lyrics to sing: “(he’s) filled with catastrophe and knows he can find a way.”
“Obama’s on fire” – she continued, louder still, and perhaps over-singing to anticipate cheers form the crowd. “He’s president and he’s on fire.”
The galas were capping off a day of music, and there is more to come. Lady Gaga, fresh from her two-night stay in Los Angeles, is scheduled to perform Tuesday at a ball for White House staffers – according to the Associated Press.
Tuesday’s event is private and one Associated Press says featured Jay-Z in 2009. Gaga’s next tour date is January 23 in Phoenix, making it possible for her to have a quick detour to D.C.