Attending the Inauguration

Through a family friend that works in the Capital Building, I was fortunate enough to get tickets to President Obama’s Inauguration Ceremony. What an experience this was. From the start of the invocation, to Beyonce’s singing of the National Anthem at the end, I could not shake the incredible feeling that I was witnessing history in the making. And despite the fact that this event will happen every four years, to me, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

  

While I enjoyed the performances and President Obama's speech, what resonated most with me was being reminded of the importance of bipartisan politics. While the event focused on President Obama, the entire legislative branch being in attendance on the platform as well was a good visual indicator that our country’s success never rests on the shoulders of just one person. It takes the hundreds of people that make up Congress, as well as the Supreme Court, in addition to the President, to make successful legislation. While many Americans today are frustrated with the political climate, I realized at the ceremony that hoping for some bipartisanship is not futile. All of the legislation that has been passed within the president’s first term passed because a majority of those hundreds of people on the platform were happy enough with a compromise to vote in favor of it. This proved to me that while the partisanship of politics might sometimes be discouraging, we are making progress despite, or perhaps because of, our many different views.

Overall, the inauguration made me aware of, and incredible thankful for, the opportunities that await me throughout this semester. If my first weekend involved witnessing the presidential inauguration, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store.

Erika