Here is the promised update on the inauguration of President Joe Biden, observed from the Washington, DC home of Mary Cooper, a thankfully calm and successful event in a much more peaceful city. The pandemic may well stop Mary joining us all in Rye this year, 2021, too, but we can all hope for a better future.
The reflecting pool
The inauguration of President Biden and Vice-President Harris went off without a hitch, thanks to careful planning and impressive cooperation. Our new leaders began the night before they were formally installed in office by holding a memorial service at the Reflecting Pool on the Washington Mall where they lit 400 lanterns (one for each 1,000 people lost) in memory of those who have died from Covid.
The inaugural service
Their inaugural service was both impressive and touching. President Biden, who has struggled with a speech impediment since childhood, made the best speech of his life, both compassionate and resolute. He brought a message from former President Jimmy Carter, who is no longer able to travel at 96, and was surrounded by all but one of his other living predecessors. Later in the evening there was a celebratory virtual concert, where former presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama pledged their support and friendship in what was, for me, one of the most encouraging parts of the day.
Moving forward
There were 25,000 police and national guard troops lining the streets to keep peace after the attack on our Capitol on January 6. There were threats made against the inauguration, but none materialized. The troops are beginning to withdraw slowly, and the streets downtown are now opening up. The Vice-President swore in three new senators immediately following the inaugural ceremony, including the one taking her former seat as senator from California. The president was hard at work in his office immediately after the service, calling together the Coronavirus Task Force of medical experts that his predecessor had undermined. The party is over and the work goes on.
As our 22 year-old poet Amanda Gorman said, “a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished.”
Image Credits: Sandra Lanigan .