SECOND INAUGURAL OF BARACK OBAMA
President Obama has taken his oath, delivered his inaugural address, and walked the parade route, and estimates are now coming in reporting that upwards of one million people gathered to watch the festivities. That’s a paltry number in comparison with Obama’s first public swearing-in, which had a record 1.8 million attendees, though it could still be the biggest crowd ever to see a second inauguration. The president was formally sworn in during an intimate, private ceremony on Sunday—the constitutionally mandated date for inauguration. Later tonight, the Obamas will keep the party going late into the night with two inaugural balls.
The president took to the podium after taking the oath of office Monday and quoted the Declaration of Independence—while also saying that “fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges.” The speech, which was longer than President Bush’s second inaugural address but shorter than President Clinton’s second address, hit on some very specific themes: climate change, gay marriage, ending the war in Afghanistan, and women’s rights. Quoting “we hold these truths to be self-evident: all men are created equal,” Obama said that it is "this generation's task" to follow through on those rights. The president strove for a unifying message in his speech, saying that “this generation of Americans has been tested by crises that have steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.”
Following an election dominated by a clash of economic philosophies, Mr. Obama used his second Inaugural Address to firmly embrace a progressive agenda centered on equality, opportunity and for a renewed national focus on the widening gulf between rich and poor. He called it “our generation’s task” to make the values of “life and liberty” real for every American.
President Obama’s second inaugural address indicated a leader unbound from much of what defined him four years ago, and who is less willing to negotiate by moving to the center.
