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Obama's second inauguration will be a lower-key affair

For one thing, the president's oath of office will be taken in a private Sunday ceremony, before Monday's festivities. But overall, the event will be less lavish than it was four years ago.

January 18, 2013|By Kathleen Hennessey, Washington Bureau





The lower key is intentional, arguably unavoidable. Second inaugurals never capture the energy of the first. There's little point in trying to match the first inauguration of the first African American president, even if his second swearing-in is also unprecedented. And then there's the economic slump.

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To be sure, there will be plenty of parties and politicos. Celebrities are flooding into Washington to headline balls. (Beyonce, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson will perform at the ceremony.) Democratic groups hope to rake in cash. Donors are coming to call in their chits. Volunteers and supporters are keen on taking a victory lap.





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One White House aide has been very focused, however. Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau has worked on the inaugural address for weeks, working from the president's hand-written drafts on yellow notepads. The White House has been mum on details, but presidential historian H.W. Brands notes there really is only one theme it can take.

"You have to sort of summarize and justify your first term, even as you say more work needs to be done. And that's basically the theme of all second inaugural addresses," said Brands, who met with Obama last week as part of a small group of historians the president has periodically invited to off-the-record discussions at the White House.

Aside from the speech, Obama's inauguration is finding ways to reinforce his first-term highlights. Visitors may be invited to attend "policy briefings" on administration priorities. Organizers have assembled a committee of "citizen co-chairs," including many who benefited from the president's policies.

The list includes a laid-off autoworker from Ohio who went back to work after the federal bailout of auto companies, and Erica Chain, a San Franciscan who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and obtained insurance coverage through a government program created by the new healthcare law.


That enthusiasm hasn't quite spilled over to the big-money donors.

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"We're not there yet, but we're getting closer," said one top Democrat involved in the effort.

In another change, Obama allowed the inaugural committee to collect corporate contributions. And the committee won't disclose the size of each donation until April. Some groups have complained about a lack of transparency.

Such are the compromises that can take the bloom off a president. At a second inauguration, like a second term, hope is replaced by reality, said Brands.

"There's no honeymoon anymore."

Matea Gold and Christi Parsons in the Washington bureau contributed to this report.

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