Roaming the Mall: T-shirts, tourists, no feds
January 20th, 2009 | Transition | Posted by Gregg Carlstrom
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the inauguration: an atmosphere like that of Election Night, perhaps, a night that felt like a moment of national catharsis – thousands of people flooding the streets, cheering, crying, honking horns.
But Inauguration Day wasn’t like that. There certainly were emotions: tears after Obama took the oath of office; smiles after the Rev. Joseph Lowery’s benediction. Overall, though, the mood was more celebratory. The Foggy Bottom Metro stop looked like a street fair: Dozens of vendors sold everything from Obama t-shirts to commemorative copies of the Washington Post. They said business was slow – but, in fairness, this was at 5:45 a.m.
In Georgetown, I met a group of tourists from London who flew in for the inauguration. They were literally running towards the Mall (again: this was still before sunrise). One of them was born in Sierra Leone; he said the excitement over Obama’s inauguration wasn’t just an American phenomenon.
“All the world is excited about this! My family can’t stop talking about it,†he said, running off to catch up with his girlfriend before I could get his name.
Tags: Barack Obama, inauguration
Medics aid Kennedy, Byrd during Obama lunch
January 20th, 2009 | Congress | Posted by Rebecca Neal
Medical workers aided Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd during the inaugural luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
Both were wheeled out by medical personnel during the luncheon, which immediately followed President Barack Obama’s inaguration on the West Front of the Capitol. Kennedy recently returned to the Senate after a fight with a brain tumor, while Byrd has been frail for years.
Capitol staff had no further updates on the conditions of either senator though comments from Obama hinted at something serious.
“He was there when the voting rights act was passed,” Obama said of Kennedy. “So I would be lying to you if I did not say to you that right now a part of me is with him, and I think that’s true for all of us.”
Obama said his prayers were with Kennedy’s wife and family.
House Chaplain Rev. Daniel Coughlin told the assembled guests that Kennedy was responding to medical treatment and was on his way to the hospital.
Tags: Capitol, Congress, inauguration
Live-blogging Barack Obama's inauguration
January 19th, 2009 | Transition White House | Posted by Gregg Carlstrom
.tweetacc { margin-bottom: 0.25em; } .tweets { margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; padding: 0; font-size: 1.0em; } .tweets li { padding: 0.5em; list-style: none; } .flwtime { color: #666666; margin-left: 1em; }
At noon today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. We’ll be providing live updates via Twitter from our three reporters at the inauguration. Rebecca is in the official press section; Steve has tickets to the swearing-in ceremony; Gregg is roaming around on the National Mall. (The last 5 updates from each reporter will display here.)
Stephen Losey
- I’m signing off now–getting anywhere the parade seems impossible so I’m headed to the metro. Thank you ror reading!2 days ago
- some feel lowery went too long–overheard: “it’s a benedection,not a sermon”2 days ago
- Navy sea chanters singing anthem–crowd joining2 days ago
- Can’t hear a thing poet Elizabeth Alexander is saying2 days ago
- “let us brave once more the icy currents.”2 days ago
Gregg Carlstrom
- A restless and cold crowd on the Mall!2 days ago
- The musical program just started. Looks like the crowd stretches all the way back past the Washington Monument.3 days ago
- Cell coverage is getting a little spotty. Parade route is full, and the 7th Street Mall entrance is closed.3 days ago
- Here’s the obligatory “it’s cold out here” post.3 days ago
- A railroad conductor (and former Hillary supporter) hopes Solis will strengthen the rail unions.3 days ago
Be sure and check back after the ceremony, too, for stories and photography from the inauguration and the parade.
Tags: Barack Obama, inauguration
Fun Facts: Inauguration Edition
January 19th, 2009 | Transition White House | Posted by Elise Castelli
President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in at noon today and President Bush will bow out to Texas. To honor the peaceful transition between the 43rd and 44th presidents we give you a special edition of fun facts for the inauguration.
- 1.5 million to 3 million people are expected to attend today’s festivities. If those numbers are reached it will set a new inaugural record. The record is held by Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 inaugural, which was attended by 1.2 million people.
- The population of Washington is just 600,000 people.
- 58 agencies, including the Secret Service, will have a role in the event.
- 11,500 military personnel will be on hand. There will also be 8,000 police from DC and other departments across the country and 1,000 U.S. Park Police officers will be on duty.
- D.C.’s security cost estimate stands at $28 million, 60 percent more than the entire bill for the last inaugural.
- Congress has appropriated $15 million to cover expenses for the D.C. government.Â
Bonus Fun Fact: John Quincy Adams was the first president to be sworn in on a book other than a Bible. He was sworn in on a book of U.S. laws instead.
Bonus Fun Fact 2: Franklin Pierce was the first president, and perhaps only president, to choose to affirm his oath of office, rather than to swear it. Herbert Hoover was also said to have affirmed his oath, but that is in dispute.
Source: Jan. 12 issue of Federal Times and Wikipedia.
Tags: Franklin Pierce, Fun Facts, Herbert Hoover, inauguration, John Q. Adams
Live coverage of the Obama inauguration on FedLine
January 16th, 2009 | Transition | Posted by Steve Losey
Service members and civilians rehearse on Jan. 11 for the Obama inauguration. Defense Department photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo.
In case you haven’t heard, Barack Obama will be sworn in Tuesday. With as many as 2 million people expected to descend on Washington and temperatures topping out at a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the event will likely be a frozen madhouse. If you’ve decided to stay away from Capitol Hill that day, then well, you’ve got more common sense than us at Federal Times.
We’ll have three reporters on the scene. Congressional reporter Rebecca Neal nabbed the official press pass allotted for Fed Times and will be right up front as Obama takes the oath of office. My girlfriend pulled some strings and got us tickets for the Blue Section — it’s standing room only on the Southwest side of the Capitol, but judging from this map, we should have a pretty good view. And government operations reporter Gregg Carlstrom doesn’t have a ticket, but he’ll be on the edge of the action, talking to people (hopefully including some federal employees enjoying their day off) catching a glimpse of the historic day.
We plan to file live, up-to-the-minute accounts on FedLine throughout the day. All indications are that the wireless network will be clogged with thousands of people sending pictures, so we’ll be using Twitter to update FedLine via cell phone text messages.
So if you’re staying warm and indoors on Jan. 20, keep refreshing FedLine for the latest inaugural news.
Tags: Barack Obama, inauguration
Inauguration means four-day weekend for some feds
January 12th, 2009 | Transition | Posted by Steve Losey
Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Brooks stands in for President-elect Barack Obama during an inauguration dress rehearsal in Washington Jan. 11. Defense Department photo by Marine Lance Cpl. Bryan Carfrey.
Feds scheduled to work in the Washington area next week could get a four-day weekend, thanks to the inauguration.
Monday, Jan. 19 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, for which all federal employees receive a day off. And the following day is Inauguration Day, which is expected to nearly paralyze the nation’s capital. Federal employees who usually work in Washington, Fairfax Co., Va., Arlington Co., Va., Alexandria, Va., Falls Church, Va., Montgomery Co., Md., and Prince George’s Co., Md. will get Jan. 20 off, unless they were scheduled to be on official travel or telework in another location that day. In that case, employees will have to report to work.
Employees who will be in the Washington area on official business Jan. 20 will also get the day off, according to a Dec. 20 memo from the Office of Personnel Management. OPM said the day off is meant to allow federal employees to attend the inaugural ceremonies, but also to avoid traffic problems and work disruptions.
The swearing-in of Barack Obama as president is expected to draw between 1.5 and 3 million people to Washington and snarl traffic and public transportation. The Secret Service is also closing bridges over the Potomac River to personal vehicles.
Of course, the massive logistical and security needs of the inauguration will require thousands of feds to work Jan. 20. Those employees will get holiday premium pay, or twice the rate of basic pay.
Tags: Barack Obama, holiday, inauguration
Wanted: DC homes
November 13th, 2008 | Transition White House | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Turns out the historic inauguration celebration planned for President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20 has brought out the capitalist in many DC-area residents.
With most hotel rooms already booked, many homeowners and renters in the nation’s capital are advertising their homes for rent for the festivities. As this story from the real estate website Urban Turf points out, going rates are steep. A 2,600-square-foot, three-bedroom condo about two miles from the White House is asking $10,000 for the week — double the monthly rent for a comparable property in the neighborhood.
FedLine wonders if any federal employees are looking to get into the action.
Â
Tags: Barack Obama, inauguration
Create your own inaugural ball
November 5th, 2008 | Federal Travel | Posted by Rebecca Neal
I just discovered the most outlandish thing I’ve seen in quite some time.
JW Mariott is offering a “build your own inaugural ball” package for the three-day weekend for the mere sum of $1 million at its 14th and Pennsylvania hotel. Here’s what you’d get for your bucks:
• Two Presidential Suites
• Two Vice Presidential Suites
• 300 guest rooms
• $200,000 in food and beverage
• Private access to the 12th floor balcony under a heated framed tent
• Custom tailored events to fit 450 people
• 24-hour Red Coat Service™
• 5% of proceeds will be donated to the Amazona Sustainable Foundation
Oh yeah, and it’s non-refundable. Sorry ’bout that.
Will anyone do it? I’d surely be surprised if they did. But as a marketing move, it’s brilliant: after all, it gets people talking about the brand. Plus it makes other hotels for that holiday weekend seem cheap!
If you have friends coming to the District for the inauguration and want something more reasonable, check out this great Web site for hotels here. The Destination DC site lists plenty of hotels and prices for your perusal, and it includes lots of details about the ceremony and parade.
Tags: inauguration
Inaugural tickets, anyone?
November 5th, 2008 | Congress | Posted by Rebecca Neal
If you’re looking for tickets to President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration and parade, you may want to prepare yourself for disappointment.
While stopping in various congressional offices today, I noticed one thing: the phones are ringing off the hook. In fact, all of the phone lines were ringing at once for five solid minutes in one representative’s office, and all of the callers had the same question: How do I get tickets?
Aides told me tickets aren’t yet available, and some offices have started waiting lists. It’s likely that, due to demand, the majority of the inaugural tickets will be held for officials’ family and friends, leaving the rest of you standing on the Mall somewhere around the Smithsonian Castle. Parade tickets may be an achievable goal, though you’ll have to get on the list early.
“The calls haven’t stopped since we opened this morning,” said one congressional staffer.
With this being one of the most highly-anticipated inaugurations ever, it’s likely going to be a case of who you know. I’d hate to see what hotel rooms are going for now for the inauguration weekend!
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, inauguration