![]() “We are a better nation than the behavior we’re exhibiting,’’ he said. Martin Luther King III called upon the crowd to remember his father, the man whose likeness is now etched in stone. In the years since 1989, most other losing candidates have been sitting presidents, vice presidents, or senators, so they had a more formal reason to attend.Īt the new memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., hundreds gathered to pay homage to the man who delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 on the Mall, 45 years before Obama’s election. A former Romney aide said Romney would be on the West Coast. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney didn’t have plans to attend, making him the first losing candidate not to attend the inauguration since 1989 - when then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis stayed in Massachusetts, ate a tuna sandwich, watched on television, and sent a congratulatory telegram to the White House.Ī White House spokesman did not immediately return messages on whether Romney was invited or offered any role. Some Republicans were searching for reasons to not be in the city. Democrats have a majority in the Senate, and Republicans rule the House. Notwithstanding Obama’s vow to change the culture of Washington, his second inauguration takes place with the country and Congress still divided after a bitter campaign. Fewer than half as many people are expected to attend Monday’s inauguration. The festive mood is not as grand as it was four years ago, when 1.8 million people flooded the capital to witness the inauguration of the nation’s first black president after a campaign built on messages of hope, optimism, and generational change. A Mass was said at Biden’s official residence before his swearing in, and Obama went to the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.Īs workers put finishing touches on viewing stands along the inaugural route, blockades were formed with giant slabs of concrete to divert traffic and hotels and businesses adorned their facades with red, white, and blue bunting. If he ran for president in the next election and won, Biden in 2017 would be the oldest president to be sworn in to his first term.Īfter Biden was sworn in, he and Obama went to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “Let’s just say I see a number of superdelegates here,” said Donna Brazile, a top Democratic consultant, referring to party leaders who could play a key role in a nominating convention.īiden, 70, is the second-oldest man to be sworn in as vice president (exceeded only by Alben Barkley, who was a year older when he began his term in 1949 as Harry Truman’s vice president). In a potential sign of Biden’s further political ambitions, there were also several Democrats from early primary states, including newly elected New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan and South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian. She will return in time for Monday’s Capitol ceremony.īiden’s service was attended by his family, top administration officials, and several longtime aides. The early hour for his ceremony was required so Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor - who was the first Latina and third woman to administer the oath for a vice president - could catch a train to New York to sign her new memoir at a Barnes & Noble store. at his official residence at the Naval Observatory.
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