Barack Hussein Ob
I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will fait
of America, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, p
INAUGURATION
some found somber considering the
excitement surrounding the inaugura-
tion.
“Underneath the hopefulness, there
was a pretty stern critique not just of
American leaders and American poli-
cies, but of the kind of lives we've
come to lead,” said political science
professor Bruce Smith.
“He emphasized that government is
not going to fix everything, and that in
the end, our determination to continue
the journey of the American promise
will depend upon whether or not
Americans can draw again upon the
resources of our character.”
Despite the speech's departure from
expected norms, the mood he instilled
across the nation and across party lines
was one of hope.
“We also have hope for the future,
and we are rooting for the president to
succeed,” said Rebecca Sorenson, '09,
president of the College Republicans.
“His success will be our success, and if
he fails we all fail.”
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AMELIA CONTE/The Campus
Although it did not follow his usual
rhetorical embellishments, Obama's
speech was familiar because of the
engaging and unifying speaker for
which he is known. His inaugural
speech returned back to themes of col-
lective participation, and seemed to
viewers to be a personal interaction.
“He seems like he's ad-libbing it,
and not reading it off a screen, and I
think rhetorically, that's tremendously
compelling,” said communication arts
professor Ishita Sinha Roy.
“What's phenomenal about the way
he frames [the speech] is he is not say-
ing ‘I am going to do this,’ he's got the
‘We.’
“It's a real energy moving from the
“I” to the “We” because he is making
you aware of the collaborative
process,” she said.
Sinha-Roy, while not at the campus
center, took time out of her day to
watch the inauguration over the
Internet in her office. Although she did
not have a large crowd sharing in her
experience, she saw something signifi-
cant about Obama's inauguration that
differed from many in the recent past.
“Even if people had been at work
they turned out to watch [the
Inauguration],” she said. “I can’t
remember over the last two or three
decades any other inauguration where
people were making that much of an
effort to see a President sworn in.”
With the end of his speech, students
began to file out of the campus center,
though the joyous feeling of the day did
not end for the Obamas or for many
Allegheny students.
“It didn’t seem real to me, it still
doesn’t feel real” Rigotti said.
“When you hear the words
‘President Obama,’ it just hasn’t sunk
in yet fully.”
The rest of the day’s festivities went
on, despite frigid temperatures and a
security force 42,500 strong. Many
stayed to watch the coverage of the
inaugural parade, and others kept their
televisions on at home all the way
through the coverage of the 10
Inaugural Balls that the Obamas attend-
ed.
“I just didn’t want it to end,”
Loyacona said. “It will be a significant
day in all of our lives.”
Though the day didn’t end until 3
a.m. for the Obamas, many Allegheny
students went to sleep well before that,
musing over what this new administra-
tion will bring to the future.
“It’s going to be different because,
people in our age group, for most of
their politically active lives, have been,
if you’re a Democrat, fighting the
establishment and going against the
administration,” Rigotti said.
“I think it’s going to be different to
change that tone to be supportive of the
administration in power.”
For young Republicans, the future is
unclear, but offers just as much oppor-
tunity.
“Right now we’re just trying to
unite and rebuild the party,” Sorenson
said. “We’re electing the new
Republican National Council Chair
next week, and so we’re just trying to
remember what the foundations and
values of our party are and go from
there.”
Despite the rapid change that has
come to America within the past few
months, President Obama requested all
Americans to work together in rebuild-
ing the nation. Unlike many previous
inaugural speeches, his did not shy
away from emphasizing that the task
ahead would not be an easy one.
“He saw the inaugural speech as
performing a different kind of func-
tion,” Professor Smith said. “It wasn’t
about articulating promises, but it was
about preparing the American people
for sacrifice.”
Although the need for sacrifice may
be greater at this point in history than in
many Americans’ lifetimes, the wide-
spread celebration during inauguration
day makes it clear that Americans, now
more than ever, are ready for the chal-
lenge.
AMELIA CONTE/The Campus
The inauguration of Barack Obama was an emotional ex-
perience for many Americans.