Pomp and circumstance permeated the alphanumeric streets of downtown Washington, D.C., Thursday in honor of the presidential inauguration, with an estimated 100,000 city-dwellers and tourists in attendance.
On Duke’s campus, however, the atmosphere remained virtually untouched by the manic frenzy of activity occurring just a few hours north. “To be honest, I slept through the ceremony this morning,” junior Andrew Blackburne said.
Students were generally in agreement, citing the “early” nature of the televised coverage as a major deterrent. The three-day-long event is traditionally attended by ranking politicians of all parties and persuasions; inaugural ceremonies in the past have tended to be fairly nonpartisan events, despite the quadrennial influx of protesters.
Blackburne said he plans to wait for a more compelling display of political sparring in order to assess the re-elected president. “I’ll be more interested in future events,” he said. “I’d like to see if, for example, in the next State of the Union address, [Bush] will outline the many visions he’s set forth in his campaign.”
A dearth of both campus celebration and protest may echo a national trend. Commentators covering the swearing-in and the parade noted that the number of protesters seemed to fall short of earlier approximations. Likewise, inner-city security, which was heavily ramped-up in the weeks before the ceremony, served to discourage and frustrate ball attendees. Security task forces and volunteers formed barricaded perimeters around each hotel where an inaugural ball was held, allowing only hotel guests and ticketed ball-goers to enter.
Still, the assembled demonstrators in Washington made their presence known. “I was personally disappointed in the protesters—not by their showing up and holding anti-Bush signs, but by their throwing things at the motorcade,” freshman Jamie Deal said. Police reportedly used pepper spray to repel the small band of snowball- and bottle-throwers as they tried to break through a security fence.
Deal further commented that despite the disturbances, the attendance of Rehnquist, who is currently battling thyroid cancer, was encouraging.
Fringe segments of the student body did deviate from the general apathy, some still harboring leftover election-day joy or disdain.
Junior Russ Ferguson, who attended both the ceremony and the parade, was overwhelmed by the positive response from the crowd. “By far the biggest hit was [Bush’s] comment on the unity of one America,” he said, noting that the address was more issue-oriented than past speeches. “He wasn’t talking about your get-out-the-vote stuff like lowering taxes—he really honored our troops.”
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