The Barometer Online

Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Cory Reed Students, faculty and community members gathered to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama Tuesday morning in the Memorial Union.

The 2009 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden is a change. Millions of people from both blue and red backgrounds poured into the streets starting last Sunday for the opening ceremonies of the inauguration.

Many of those in the streets were people who had never voted before for reasons varying from youth to negativism or indifference. But last year was different.

Luke Russert, in a speech to a group of college students attending the inauguration, put it well when naming important factors of this election: social networking.

Facebook, Twitter and MySpace did all the campaigning through applications, groups and events that no throng of door-to-door knockers could ever accomplish. Instead, those volunteers were able to reach out to urban and rural citizens as well as those who had never before considered their votes an important part of being an American. Yet, in the 2008 election, the U.S. nation, with a never-before-seen voting populous, took a giant leap - and won.

With optimism and pride, citizens of the U.S. filled the National Mall at the opening ceremonies. Stars such as Garth Brooks, Beyoncé, U2, Jack Black and Denzel Washington sang and gave praises to not only the new president, but to the patriotism of the American people over the last several months.

"Obama is sitting on 82 percent approval ratings," said Paul Begala, a CNN political news correspondent, in an address to students at the inauguration. "That means that more than half of McCain's supports now are lending their support to our new president. And that is something to be proud of."

Many speakers leading up the inauguration stressed the importance of student involvement in public office.

"Young people powered the movement for change in the 1960s," said Al Gore, former U.S. vice president, when he addressed a collegiate conference in Washington, D.C.

"It is when the parents can't answer the question that addresses the purposes of laws that change begins to happen."

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