1/29/09

Presidential inauguration a shared moment

by Beckye Randall

"It's about time that hope won," said Willow Moon of Everett, one of about 50 people who attended an Inaugural Breakfast at Cedarcrest Restaurant and Grill in Marysville.

Planned by Jennifer Smolen, a regional organizer for the Obama campaign and the corresponding secretary for the Snohomish County Democratic Party, the breakfast buffet gave locals a chance to experience the festivities in Washington, D.C., with other enthusiastic supporters.

"Obama is the best man for the times," said Bob Burnett of Bothell. A precinct committee officer (PCO) for the 1st Legislative District, Burnett was impressed by the then-state senator the first time he heard him speak. "I knocked on doors during the campaign, something I'd never done before," he said.

Karen Winchell of Granite Falls appreciated that Obama's message was that "the answers and solutions we need are inside of us, all of us."  She and her husband Bob attended the Tuesday morning event "to celebrate with others and share the moment."

As President Obama delivered his inaugural address, the small crowd was transfixed, leaning on every word and applauding the new president's message. They were quiet and respectful during Pastor Rick Warren's invocation, and Aretha Franklin's hat only distracted them momentarily.

"It's been a long, hard eight years," said Moon. "But remember that the last thing out of Pandora's Box--after all the evils and tribulations of the world--was hope. That's what we're seeing now," she said.

"Hope has been let out of the box." 

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