Obama approval rating remains high for innaugural attendee

by Carol Henrichs

President Barack Obama has taken on numerous battles as he rounds out his first month as President of the United States. Partisanship has begun to reappear as Obama takes on some of the challenges facing the country. His approval rating, which remains high, has dipped from the 80's to the 60's.

Monee's John Anderson, a Democratic Will County board member considers that just reality sinking in.

"It's a tough job. The country is a mess. People are recognizing that this will be a tough road to hoe," he said.

He compared today with what he witnessed when he and his wife Lora attended Obama's swearing-in ceremony and remarked that during that special time of unity, political striped didn't matter. But that was then.

Obama's swearing in was the culmination of many things that came together resulting in a feeling of a new day. The country had grown weary of the past administration. Approval ratings declined steadily, the economic crisis, lost jobs and troubled futures for middle-class Americans, and no solution to a war that has lasted too long added to the anticipation of a clean slate.

It seemed the right time for an energetic community organizer, an African-American man from Chicago, who at one time couldn't even score a ticket to his own party's convention. But Barack Obama's story began with the 2004 convention when he gave the keynote address. From that moment on, the Senator from Illinois seemed to rise to political stardom.

During his campaign for president Obama's star-quality morphed into the kind of inspiration that motivates masses. His campaign was unprecedented in terms of money raised, mostly by a few dollars at a time. He effectively used the Internet as a communication tool. And in all ways possible, he reached out to young and old alike; and they responded. The first African-American nominee for President seemed to transcend all of the previous barriers between age, race, gender, and even political party.

Now as President, Obama's administration has had a few bumps along the way, but flawlessness is rarely a political attribute.

John and Lora Anderson were among the throngs of people across the country that traveled to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the 44th President United States.

Anderson noted that even if it had been John McCain being sworn in, he wanted to be there for history's sake.

He was aware of Republicans and Independents who attended the event, indicating that a wide swath of interests came together at that one moment in time.

"We all went to see history. We all went to experience a feeling of unity and optimism," Anderson said.

There is no question that Obama's inauguration was historic and the Andersons were thrilled to have witnessed it.

"It was fun, actually; very crowded, very crazy," he said. "I've never waited in so many lines, ever."

The Andersons stood on a hill in one place, for almost an hour, waiting. But that was nothing compared to the waiting that came before.

He said the view wasn't great, but they could hear very well. They were in what was identified as the 'purple section', to the right, and far from the podium.

From his description, the waiting they experienced made the lines at Disney World seem like child's play. But instead of waiting two hours for a 10-minute ride, they waited 10 hours for a 20-minute speech.

It all began about 3 a.m. Monday when the couple flew out of Midway Airport. They landed in Baltimore, which is not far from the nation's capital. They rented a car to take them to Washington, D.C. He said that surprisingly, parking was relatively easy. They picked up their inaugural tickets at the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who was newly sworn-in herself. She is now the Andersons' congresswoman. Anderson noted that she had her staff bring tickets to people who waited in long lines, eliminating probably a three- to four-hour wait.

To get around the city, they hopped on and off buses and other public transportation. They attempted to tour the city, but what is customarily a two-hour tour turned into five because of all the people in D.C. Anderson and his wife didn't return to their hotel until 9 p.m.

On Tuesday morning on inauguration day, they rose early, at 5 a.m. They drove to a far-out subway stop and rode the train into the city. He said it took two hours just to go through the turnstiles. He added that the lines were not single file. There were hoards of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder. And that is how it was everywhere they went, he said, remarking that it was dangerously crowded.

There were long lines to get into their area. When they finally got through security and made their way to their ticketed destination, it was about 45 minutes before the ceremony started.

Anderson later learned that some, who held tickets for the same area they occupied, never did make it in.

During the wait, the two talked with some of the other people around them. Anderson said there was a lot of talking, laughing, singing, and chanting, 'Yes we can.' "It was a very inspiring moment."

Anderson also attended the Democratic National Convention where Obama accepted the nomination for President. He said there was a difference in the two. At the convention, the feeling was one of exuberance. But at the inauguration, perhaps because of the economic situation, there was a feeling of optimism.

He said it was a very exhausting day. They had originally planned to attend the parade, but decided against it. For the same reason they changed some of their sight-seeing plans. They opted out of touring the Georgetown University campus. It was just too crazy with all the people. So, after they took the train back to their car, they toured Annapolis Naval Academy instead.

The couple didn't attend any of the inaugural balls. He is "more a cheeseburger kind of guy." Instead they ordered room service and watched the festivities on television.

He summed it up by saying, "I'm still optimistic that our country will move in a new direction in a spirit of unity."