Inauguration Blog - Elliott Masie

Gowns, Tuxedos, Lines, Celebration and Chinese Food at 1 am

2009-01-21T08:22:00.007-05:00

After supporting and working for Barack Obama for two years, it was time to celebrate! After 4 days of events, parties, waiting, standing and wearing layers of long underwear, it was a time to dress up.

Last night, Cathy and I donned our formal attire and made our way via the Metro to the Washington Convention Center. We were guests of the Inauguration at the Mid-Atlantic Ball.

These Balls have a strange reputation. The wisdom of veterans of Balls is that the food is minimal (and hard to get to), the drinks expensive (and hard to get to), and the coat check lines are massive (and impossible to get to). Yet, it is worth it to come celebrate and welcome the First Couple as they do their First Dance.

Our Ball matched some of these predictions. So, our strategy was to eat before and after, skip the bar, find a space close to the stage and bring along a huge amount of patience.

The Ball started with an incredible set of music from Wyclef Jean, who blended funk, improvisation, soul, hip hop, rapping and latin music to get this dressed up crowd of several thousand rocking. As a long time supporter of Obama, Wyclef infused the new President's words and spirit into the entire set of rocking music.

The second set was a bit strange. The Dead, yes, the remaining members of the Dead, played a long set. Personally, it didn't work for us and for many of the non-Dead fans, but hey, that is what diversity is about, I guess.

The thrilling moments were when the Vice President and Jill Biden .. and then President and Michele Obama came, spoke and danced.

Michele and Barack were a couple in love, in tune and impressive. People had their cameras out and captured every moment of the First Dance.

Afterwards, the toughest part was recovering our coats. Imagine several thousand people heading to the coat check all at once. It was a mess and we almost considered leaving our coats as donations. But, that is where Patience came in handy.

And, at 1 am, we left the Ball, walked four blocks to the Metro station and were drawn to Chinatown, right next to the station. Boy, were we hungry. And, we joined dozens of other tux and gown attired couples, straight and gay, eating Fried Rice and decompressing from the weekend.

So, the day started at 4 am when we woke up to head to the Swearing In and ended when we got back to our hotel in Bethesda at 2 am. Twenty two hours of history, of celebration, of reflection and of emotion. And Cathy looked awesome!

Admission to Inauguration Party - Food Bank Donations

2009-01-20T16:57:00.006-05:00

The Obama campaign suggested that we link Inauguration viewing parties with suggested donations to local Food Banks.

Over 100 people came to our office in Saratoga Springs to watch the Swearing In - and we asked them to bring some cans or dollars to donate to the food bank - and they did!

Here is a picture of some of the goods that were brought and are now on the way to our local food bank agencies.

In these tough times, we have an opportunity to link to Service to America at every community gathering.

Impressions from the Swearing In

2009-01-20T15:16:00.003-05:00

We just returned from the Inauguration and are now in our hotel room defrosting. While our toes are almost frozen, there is significant warmth in our hearts and souls. Here are a few impressions and conversations from this morning at the swearing in of President Obama:

* The crowd was enourmous and joyous. It was high in diversity: race, age, social status and geography. We loved our instant friendships with a pair of radio show hosts from Laredo, Texas; a corporate lawyer from Chicago who talked about her parents' taking her to see Dr. King give his famous speech; a 10 year old boy from N.J. who clutched a poster of Obama; and a multi-racial Next Gen young woman who said: "Obam is just like me.. a milk shake of color and an audacity of spirit.

* The sound of a million people singing the National Anthem was overpowering.

* The tears rolled down our faces as the words of the swearing-in carried over the loudspeakers.

* The patience of the crowds as they waited from 5 am until 8 am when the Secret Service screening points opened and then another 4 hours until the start of the ceremony.

* The sight of George Bush's helicopter taking off as we were exiting the grounds of the Capital. It was a final verification that the torch had been passed.

* Everyone was talking to everyone on the Metro. The sense of the day extends to strangers befriending strangers. We chatted with a man who flew from Paris to be part of the day - in appreciation for what Americans did for France in World War II.

* We hosted over 100 people at our office during the Swearing In. I called back several times to give a live update from the lawn in front of the Inauguration and connect with our neighbors and fellow Obama volunteers.

Now we are back at the hotel, watching the start of the Parade and warming up for the Inaugural Ball that we will be attending at 7 pm tonite. More about the Balls in another post in a minute..

It's 4:30 am -- Time to Head for the Inauguration

2009-01-20T04:24:00.002-05:00

The clock says it is 4:30 am. Yup, that is early and on this historic day, this is our departure time for the swearing in of President Barack Obama.

We are staying in Bethesda, Maryland and must take the Metro into DC, as all of the bridges are closed. The city has added extra Metro trains and opened the system at 4 am.

We will head to the Union Station stop and then walk for a while to get to our designated security entry point. We are honored to have VIP tickets that give us a standing space right at steps of the Capital. We would like to get as close to the start of that section - so we are leaving now.

The Secret Service screening point means that we cannot bring any bags, chairs and a large list of excluded items. So, Cathy and Elliott are putting on multiple layers of clothing, bringing hand warmers and stuffing our pockets with food and water supplies. We will be standing outside from now until about 12:30 pm.

There are millions of people heading to the Mall. Every square inch will be occupied, with some folks over a mile from the stage --- viewing on these huge Jumobtrons and listening from a great stage.

Though we have access to the Parade, we can't acutally get to both the Swearing In and the Parade route. As soon as the new President is sworn in, there is a massive exit process from the mall.

We will head over to our friend's house for lunch - right near the Capital and watch the Parade on this television.

Then, back to our hotel - rest a bit - and head to the Mid Atlantic Ball. More about that later! (The Grateful Dead are the lead group at our Ball - and it will be fun to watch President and Mrs. Obama dance to their music.

I will be "broadcasting" live from the Mall via cellphone to a Saratoga Watch Party.

Ethel Kennedy Party at Hickory Hill

2009-01-19T22:05:00.005-05:00

Cathy and I were invited by Ethel Kennedy to attend a small reception early this evening at the historic estate - Hickory Hills in Virginia.

You can see our friend Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in the picgure to the right, with her mom, dad and siblings (she is the one in the front).

The party had an exciting group of folks who had supported Barack Obama and others from the world of journalism.

I had a chance to meet and talk with Joe Scarboro from MSNBC. We talked about the way in which people have gotten excited again about poliitcs and service.

Other fellow guests included Alan Greenspan, Andrea Mitchell, Sharon Stone, Harry Belafonte, Goerge Lucas and many others. Most of the Kennedy family was there, including Robert Jr, Kerry Kennedy (author of Speak Truth to Power) and others. (Nope, Caroline and Ted Kennedy were not there.)

The party was called "Yes We Did!" And, the spirit was exciting, historic and filled with perspective. Cathy and I were honored to be part of this party. In 1967, Robert Kennedy said, 'In 40 years, a Negro could be elected the President of the United States". Tonite, we felt the power of that prediction and the reality of the moment!

Colleagues, Neighbors, Peter Yarrow and Ben Vereen

2009-01-19T21:54:00.005-05:00

This afternoon we threw a party today for our colleagues, fellow organizers and neighbors from Saratoga Springs who were in DC for the inauguration. 100 of our friends gathered at the Hyatt in DC.

We had two special surprise guests: Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul and Mary) is a friend of ours and he brought along his buddy, Ben Vereen. The two of them stood casually in a corner and brought history alive as they sang This Land is Your Land, If I Had a Hammer and Blowing in the Wind.

Some Details and Logistics

2009-01-19T08:34:00.005-05:00

As a meeting planner, I am fascinated by the logistics in staging an event like the Inauguration. The details are mind-boggling. If you share some of my love of details, here are a few tidbits:

Warm Air Blowing: The stage in front of the Lincoln Memorial had a grate in the middle of the platform that blew gentle warm air to keep the performers from freezing in the very cold weather. The stream of air had to be strong enough to work and not so strong that it made noise or blew the clothing of the performers.
Everything Tracked: Each of the millions of tickets for the various events is bar coded and is tracked at entry and access points.
Welcoming Volunteers: Throughout the Conert yesterday, there were over 7,000 volunteers, at every few feet, wearing a red Obama hat to keep them warm. They informed, greeted and thanked us for coming.
Garbage Collected Continually: During the Concert, workers kept circulating to pick up and gather any garbage or trash.
Security High Yet Friendly: Scanning the entire ticketed crowd through Secret Service gates, while totally warpped in warm jackets was impressive. And, while there was massive security, it did not feel overbearing or intrusive.
Sound System Blew Us Away: The quality of the sound and video really was better than most of the high priced concerts that I have attended over the years. The goal was to make the experience high quality for people a mile away.

Today, we are off to several events, including receptions for our friends from Saratoga, from the Learning Field, a small party at Ethel Kennedy's house and then a dinner for the Inauguration Sponsors at the Mayflower Hotel. Stay tuned for updates.

A Concert of Hope and Inspiration

2009-01-18T20:32:00.004-05:00

This was the most powerful, inspiring and moving concert of my entire life.

We joined 500,000 others in celebrating Obama's inauguration with a music and arts filled event today at the Lincoln Memorial.

We arrived at 9:00 am at the Security Checkpoint near the Memorial. Each of us went through a Secret Service scanning and clearance - then on to our "standing" area. We needed to get there by 10:00 am to claim our spot, which was awesome - right below the steps of the Monument, even though we had VIP tickets.

During the next 4 1/2 hours, before the show, we met other Obama supporters, enjoyed the last minute rehearsals and watched as every inch from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Memorial filled up with people.

The crowd was excited, joyous, diverse and incredible. The logistics were awesome (No, Brownie was not involved). And, while the temperature was cold, our spirits were warm and it made it all wonderful.

The two hour event was filled with inspiration, talent and a shared sense of hope and connection. To watch the artists, from Bono to Garth Brooks to Pete Seeger to Usher connect with the crowd and with the Obama family was delightful.

And, to see this sea of humanity - in the same site where Martin Luther King gave his speech was overwhelming. Tears flowed and history surrounded us.

The concert is now streamable from HBO at http://www.hbo.com/weareone/

on the steps of the Lincoln

2009-01-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

We are so fortunate to be on the steps if the Lincoln monument. It is a Forest Gump moment with a 1/2 million people below. Tom hanks is rehearsing his piece. Wow!!!

Bono, Seeger and More

2009-01-18T07:52:00.002-05:00

In just a few minutes, we will heading over to the Opening Ceremony Party. The stars will include Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder.

We have VIP standing tickets, but still have to get there hours ahead of time - go through security and wait until 2:30 for the concert to begin. It will be worth it. Last ngiht they told us that Pete Seeger and James Taylor will do a duo. Here are the images from the prep:

A Night of Parties, Hope and Motorcades

2009-01-18T07:30:00.005-05:00

First we took the Metro to the Mall to attend a party in honor of Howard Dean, the retiring head of the Democratic National Committee. Our sense of direction led us to walk a few block in the wrong direction and we got ourselves "trapped" in a security moment.

We were standing on a corner where the police had shut down all traffic and pedestrian movement. Why? Barack Obama was going to be in his first full Washington DC motorcade as he went from his train to the Blair House. So, for 40 minutes, we stood with a group of 20 other tourists, freezing and having fun. Finally, the motorcade sped past and it was a great confirmation that "Change" was a coming. And, they let us cross the street to go to our party.

The 2 parties that we sent to that night were total contrasts. The Howard Dean party had great food, yummy drinks and almost no mention of or reference to Obama. The guests were long time DNC folks and supporters of Dean (which we were were neither...but they sent us a nice invite, so we went). The music was sedate and the vibe matched that. Since, Howard Dean was not invited to join the Administration, there was a sense of retirement and disappointment amongst his fans. So, we went, we ate, we drank, we schmoozed a little and we left.

The Obama party was kicking! In the room where one of the Inaugural Balls will be held on Tuesday night, the party included the major donors and supporters of the campaign. The DJ played a great mix of 80's, 90's and recent music. The crowd was in total celebration mode and it was fun to see supporters from Obama's law school, regional donors and folks like Senator Claire McCaskill from Missouri dancing to "We Are Family" and "RESPECT". The diversity in this room was stunning and it was quite emotional to rock out last night! The rythmn of Hope is incredible.

First Two Celebrations and Cold!

2009-01-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

We are off to our first 2 celebrations tonite. First a party for Howard Dean and them the Obama Finance kickoff

And it is cooold!!! 2 people with almost frostbite at the Starbucks where we are warming up

Stating warm if we can:)

Ikea Obama Ads, Tickets and More

2009-01-17T15:05:00.004-05:00

After a fun 3 hour train trip from NYC to DC, we are now in ObamaCity.

It is truly his City this weekend. Arriving in Union Station (where he will be in just 2 hours), the place is spruced up and the vibe is exciting.

There are ads from Pepsi and Ikea that use the logo of Obama or the phrase "Embrace Change". The security is in place and almost everyone is wearing an Obama pin or button

I took the Metro over to the DC Convention Center to pick up our tickets and get our schedule of events. It is quite organized and has the efficiency of the Obama Campaign.

The seats and standing areas are all ready at the Mall. Take a look at the picture above. Cathy and Elliott have standing room "spaces" on the Northwest Yellow section, which is the area near the front...which we will have to claim about 4 to 5 hours before the swearing in.

Training into History

2009-01-17T10:21:00.005-05:00

In just a few hours, our next President will board a train in Philadelphia, taking a special and important journey to DC.

The tracks will lead him to Delaware where he will pick up Joe Biden, a veteran train rider. I had a chance to meet Biden on a train ride from New York to DC a year ago.

There is already increased security visible along the route. Signs hang from some overpasses and the Amtrak staff are all deeply proud of their role.

He will be stopping along the route and taking a longer swing to allow more citizens in PA, DE and MD to wave at and see the train along the route.

Seeing America out the window (and from the back of his observation car) gives a clearer view of our country. The tracks show us the backyards of our cities and rural areas. We see a less polished and less prosperous view of the landscape. This is critical as he heads to take over the reins of the country -- the pain points are felt deeply in houses that line these tracks.

The spirit on our Amtrak is also upbeat. Celebs aboard include Angela Basset and others. Obama pins are everywhere and advice flows from keeping warm, to good parties to fixing the economy. I'd love to hear the parallel conversations on Obama Train Number 1.

Yaddo Poet Selected for Inauguration

2009-01-17T09:12:00.006-05:00

Elizabeth Alexander, a Yaddo alumni, who spent time at the retreat in Saratoga was selected by Barack Obama to deliver the Inaugural Poem on Tuesday. This is an incredible honor for her, the world of poetry and Yaddo. Here are a few of her comments:

“Words matter. Language matters. We live in and express ourselves with language, and that is how we communicate and move through the world in community.

President-elect Obama has shown us at all turns his respect for the power of language. The care with which he has always used language along with his evident understanding that language and words bear power and tell us who we are across differences, have been hallmarks of his political career. My joy at being selected to compose and deliver a poem on the occasion of Obama’s Presidential inaugural emanates from my deep respect for him as a person of meaningful, powerful words that move us forward. And as his campaign was a movement much larger than the man himself, I understand that as a country we stand poised to make tremendous choices about our collective future. The distillation of language in poetry, its precision, can help us see sharply in the midst of many conundrums.

This is a powerful moment in our history. The joy I feel is sober and profound because so much struggle and sacrifice have brought us to this day. And there is so much work to be done ahead of us. Poetry is not meant to cheer; rather, poetry challenges, and moves us towards transformation. Language distilled and artfully arranged shifts our experience of the words – and the worldviews – we live in.

This is only the fourth time in our history that a President has featured a poet at his inaugural. I hope that this portends well for the future of the arts in our everyday and civic life.”

iPhone Blogging

2009-01-17T08:09:00.001-05:00

For the techies out there, some of these entries will be done by via am IPhone to IBlogger. For example, this is from the train as we approach Philidelphia

The train is FILLED with Obama people. About 80% black. Lots of church groups hearing to DC. Spirits are high and friendliness to the max

Day 1 - Train, Howard Dean and Kickoff Event

2009-01-17T05:40:00.000-05:00

Our day begins with an early morning Amtrak trip from New York to DC.

After arriving in DC, we'll head over to the Inaugural Committee office to pick up our credentials and tickets for the events. Then, on to our hotel in Bethesda MD. We decided to stay at a hotel that was near the Metro, as roads will be shutting down over the next few days.

The two parties scheduled for this evening are:

* Retirement for Howard Dean - sponsored by the National DNC. This will be a large party with folks from around the country at one of the museums in DC.

* Welcome to Inauguration Finance Committee and Sponsors. Later this evening, we will head over to a welcome reception for the donors and sponsors of the inauguration . Entertainment and schmoozing galore.

What to Wear - What to Bring

2009-01-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

Packing for the Inauguration is not an easy task.

Consider the challenge:

* Standing outside for 4 to 6 hours - in the cold on Inauguration Day.
* Traveling to a Black Tie/Fancy Gown Ball - on the Metro.
* Parties that require fancy clothes and yet comfortable shoes.
* 4 Receptions on Tuesday - Starting at 10 and Ending at Midnight, without a trip back to the hotel.
* Taking my technology - including cold weather headset to "broadcast" from the steps of the Inaugural Swearing In.

And, I even ordered an electric heated vest - until I realized that going to a security area wearing a vest with wires and a large honking battery is not the smartest thing.

So, we are going to balance looking nice with feeling comfortable (and where possible - warm)

Sensible shoes are in.

Any suggestions? Leave a few comments

Change - Here We Come!

2009-01-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

In just a few hours, Elliott and Cathy Masie will begin our Inauguration Journey.

We're taking the train (just like Obama) to get to Washington, DC. This will start a five day adventure - filled with exciting events, meetings, conversations, parties, viewings, traffic and balls.

After working on the Obama campaign for two years, this is a very exciting event. The last inauguration that I attended was the Jimmy Carter many decades ago.

As Sponsors of the Inauguration, we have the honor of attending a wide range of official events and we are also hosting delegations from the Learning Field as well as Obama Supporters from Saratoga Springs.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates and reports from D.C.