I never got my invitation to the inaugural...and now I think I'm not all that upset.

[Atman]

At first I was a bit miffed that after TWICE donating to the Obama campaign I did not receive an invitation to the inauguration. But, after talking to friends and co-workers who attended, I'm glad I stayed away. If you were on the +++AAA list, you were good. If not...well, no further comment.

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[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. I got my invitation. See my post on the experience. You probably would have wanted to stay home.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4875261&mesg_id=4875261

[kwassa]

2. It is a more complicated than that.

Most of the mall was open and required no invitation, which is about what 1.5 million people did. People just showed up, saw it on the Jumbotrons, enjoyed it, and went home.

The ticketed areas were screwed up, and the people management part of it was terrible, but most people made it in.

About 4,000 people out of the 200,000+ ticketed were screwed out of their tickets, including most of the Purple ticket standing places on the lawn of the Capitol. This included my wife, who completely missed the ceremony. I was Silver ticket, much further away, and got in, mostly by luck. I believe most of the Silvers made it in, and they were by far the greatest number of ticketed positions.

But, no one was checking tickets at the Silver position. Anyone could crash it, and I'm sure many did.

[Atman]

3. Those who didn't get in were in the "failed security" sections

First of all, we're a Democratic (capital D) ad agency...we had A-list tickets. Of the ten people from our office with the good seats, only two made it in. These weren't "mall" invites. But they were in the areas where the metal detectors didn't work, and where the ticket scanners fucked up. If you knew you'd be in the mall, that's one thing. But when you book days around this, only to be shut out because of "glitches"...well...not good. That's all.

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[Captain Hilts]

4. People thought I was pissing on the inaugural threads, but...

most of the events - swearing in, parade and the balls - are just miserable to attend.

Folks in Washington, DC know this.

[vadawg]

5. yup miserable aint the word

i understand people wanting to bear witness to history, but when you have your kids in temperatures of 5 degrees and your sitting or standing for 12 hours, when the national guardsman tells you your kids are getting exposure and you need to take them into the warming station for first aid, you gotta listen to him. It shouldnt take a cop threatening you with endangerment to make you realise your kids are more importnant than your place at the fucking barrier.

[Captain Hilts]

6. I can't imagine taking kids to an event like that. nt

[kwassa]

7. The kids I saw couldn't see anything.

It was hard for shorter adults to even see the Jumbotron.

One thing about a big crowd; it sheilds you from the wind.

[Captain Hilts]

8. This short person made a point of being on the Monument grounds so that there would be...

a grade so I could see the Jumbotron.

The Mook has actually been in a few riots, and what can and cannot spur them is unsettling. How thin that line is. So, there's no way I would have taken kids.

[kwassa]

9. Yes, my wife was stuck in the Purple ticket mob

and she was getting nervous and moved into a doorway. At least she wasn't stuck in the tunnel. She never got in.

I had a silver ticket and had a different bizarre experience, but at least I saw some of the ceremony.

[Captain Hilts]

10. Man, that sucks for her!

Next time, tell her to hang out with me!