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January 12, 2009

Goshen's mayor going to inauguration

By JUSTIN CRIPE

On Jan. 20, history will be made in the United States.

That is the day that President-elect Barack Obama — the first African-American to be elected to the position — will officially be sworn in as the 44th President. The event will have a profound impact locally as well as globally.

Despite election results showing that a majority of voters in Elkhart and LaGrange counties continued to vote Republican, the consensus of voters in the state voted for Obama, the first time that Indiana has been considered a “blue state” since 1964 (Lyndon Johnson).

Tickets for the event have been difficult, but not impossible, to come by.

Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman said that while he is planning on going, his attendance depends on if he can find a family member willing to go with him. He said that he has always wanted to go to an inauguration ceremony, and the historical significance of Obama in the Oval Office was incentive enough for him to attempt to go.

“Every inauguration is historical, but this one has an extra feel to it,” Kauffman said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to see something like this again.”

Kauffman said that he is likely to stay with relatives that live outside of Washington D.C., and take the subway into the city rather than fight traffic. Police are blocking off all bridges crossing the Potomac River into Washington and a huge chunk of downtown when Obama takes the oath of office, securing the largest area of the nation’s capital for any inauguration.

Some 3.5 square miles of downtown, including the business district and government buildings surrounding the National Mall, will be closed to traffic starting the afternoon of Jan. 19 and remain closed until the morning of Jan. 21, according to an AP story.

This historical occasion is not lost on younger generations. Twin sisters Sara and Rochelle Zou, both 2007 Concord High School graduates who are both currently sophomores at Purdue University, are also attending the event.

Through a nationwide program called the University Presidential Inaugural Conference, the girls will have the chance to hear former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore speak as well as other White House officials and political experts.

The Zou twins will also engage in panel discussions and debates with political commentators and attend an Inaugural Ball to cap off the event. The conference will take place from Jan. 17-21.

“Obama has had a huge impact on the youth of America,” Sara said. “It will be interesting to see him connect with other countries.”

“America truly is a melting pot, and he is a perfect example of that,” Rochelle added.

Sara is majoring in political science, and hopes to go on to law school after graduation. Rochelle is majoring in communications and pursuing a career in public relations and advertising.

The Zous missed out on the chance to see Obama at Concord this past August, as they were in China. Rochelle said they followed his speech through the Internet.

Mindi Wood, press secretary for Congressman Souder, explained that each congressman received roughly 200 tickets.

Wood said that Souder worked extensively with community leaders to determine who would receive tickets.

“Approximately 70 percent of Souder’s ticket allotment went to organizations, with the rest on a first come, first serve basis,” Wood said.

Initially tickets were to be distributed, however with the possibility of people selling them on eBay, they now have to be picked up in Washington D.C. the day before the inauguration at the congressman’s office, and documentation must be presented to receive tickets.

Wood said that demand has been extremely high for tickets, and many people have been turned away.

“We received about 1,100 inquires,” she said, “and only had 198 to give away.”

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