January 20th will be a dicey day. It represents a joyous celebration of Change but also a reminder of how much we have suffered in the last eight years and the pain that now has to be eased.
Such uncertainty has clouded the triumph of Barack Obama, starting with Election Night when he canceled a fireworks display in Grant Park as inappropriate. As he takes office, what’s the right balance of celebration and dedication, of raising hopes and calming fears, of soaring rhetoric and sad reality for this American moment?
As Inaugural planners brace themselves for an estimated 3 million or more attendees, spokeswoman Linda Douglass acknowledges, “These are tough times, and certainly we are mindful of the struggles that Americans are going through in their own lives right now.”
At a time when unprecedented numbers of Americans are losing their homes, the Obamas will be moving into the White House as the Bushes relocate to their new $2 million hideaway in Dallas. Obama and his administration will be assuming their new jobs as millions across the country are losing theirs.