By U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich
You could hear them coming. By 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the revelers and enthusiasts were on the street outside the window of my Capitol Hill apartment. It was bitter cold outside but you couldn’t tell by the large number of people making their way to the inauguration at this early morning hour.
By the time my wife Julie and I walked over to the Capitol building around 9:30 a.m., the crowds were everywhere. As members of Congress gathered on the House floor, Reps. Russ Carnahan (Mo.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.) and I walked out onto one of the Capitol’s many balconies to look down the mall toward the Washington Monument. The mall was a sea of people that seemed to go on forever. It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen and it shimmered and moved with the motion of thousands of American flags. The moment was awe inspiring!
Soon, all the members of Congress filed outside and onto the platform so that the ceremony could begin. I was seated off to one side about 50 yards from where then-President-elect Obama would soon take the oath of office. Julie was seated in the section just below but facing the president-elect. She had a great view and I have included in this posting a photo that she took of the dais. The wind was brisk, and before long I couldn’t feel my ears, but I wouldn’t trade yesterday’s memories for the world.
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Aretha Franklin and former Secretary of State Colin Powell were some of the many dignitaries sitting just a few yards away from me. Occasionally, the enormous crowd would break into a chant of “O-BA-MA… O-BA-MA,” but with such a huge number of people it wasn’t possible for the chant to remain synchronized for long. Overhead, the sky was clear and blue with a just a few wispy clouds. A Cooper’s hawk that calls the nation’s Capitol home circled overhead.
After Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath of office and the crowd erupted again, President Obama began his inaugural address. He spoke of the great challenges that we face and how we will meet them. His words were emotional and passionate, but tethered to the reality of policy. By this time, my toes had become as numb as my ears, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
I think the most important thing our new president touched on was the idea that in order to rise to the challenges we face as a nation we need more than just great leadership. We must have the faith and determination of Americans across this great land whose service and actions can restore our country to greatness. I believe that the American public has been hungry for a president to ask us again what we could do for our country. Whether your role is to serve in the armed forces or teach a child to read, to help feed the homeless or volunteer in the local library, we all have the capacity to make our nation, and the world, a little better. Our new president understands that and is already inspiring us to act.
As I sit in my office warming up from the cold, I can’t help but be optimistic for our country’s future.
Here are some photos of events related to the inauguration. Most were taken on Monday by John Blair, but the first was taken on Tuesday at the inauguration by Julie.
This is of people waiting to get into the inauguration:
This is me meeting with tribal leaders:
And me and Julie at the New Mexico Ball:
Heinrich represents the Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District.