Obama re-inaugurated as 44th President of the United States
January 21, 2013 saw the second inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Around 800,000 people showed up in Washington, D.C. to witness the event, but those further afield chipped in as best they could via social media.
Here are some key quotes from President Obama's inauguration speech (full transcript here):
- "America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands."
- "We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. "
- "Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free."
- "My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment and we will seize it; so long as we seize it together."
- "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children."
- "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law: for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
The actual swearing-in oaths were taken yesterday (January 20), so today is purely ceremonial. Still, we at home cannot help but try to involve ourselves into the story. It's in our nature. That's why tools like Twitter survive and thrive.
Twitter responds to Obama inauguration
You all took to Twitter in droves, with over 1.1 million mentions of the inauguration. That's more than 13 times as many inauguration-related tweets during the 2013 ceremony than in 2009.
My first inauguration as a citizen! Pretty cool feeling.
— Rafat Ali (@rafat) January 21, 2013
PLAY FREEBIRD! #jamestaylor #inauguration
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) January 21, 2013
Jay-Z's got 99 problems, but getting invited to the inauguration ain't one. #PresidentialInauguration
— Darth Vader (@DepressedDarth) January 21, 2013
President Barack Obama is sworn in to a second term at the 57th Presidential Inauguration: blog.instagram.com/post/411110114…
— Instagram (@instagram) January 21, 2013
UH OH! Benediction included spanish. A million xenophobic heads just exploded into irrational fear. #inauguration
— Upworthy (@Upworthy) January 21, 2013
the worst thing to come from this otherwise lovely inauguration is suggesting to our children that poetry is a viable career option.
— Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) January 21, 2013
That's the biggest bible I've ever seen.LADIES.#inauguration #joebiden
— Elizabeth Galle (@drinkerthinker) January 21, 2013
Ooooh finally a full-length photo of Michelle Obama's Inaugural Day outfit, complete with sparkly J.Crew belt: bit.ly/ULfSmY
— Fashionista.com (@Fashionista_com) January 21, 2013
In Mongolia's inauguration ceremonies, there is wrestling foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/…
— Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell) January 21, 2013
Sweet Brother James Taylor sings with such grace.
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) January 21, 2013
Joe Biden rocking the DEEP tan.
— The Fix (@TheFix) January 21, 2013
And the 2016 race begins....I am KIDDING. Kind of.
— The Fix (@TheFix) January 21, 2013
Obama: "History tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing." read.bi/13WuhS8
— clusterstock (@clusterstock) January 21, 2013
What do you think Mitt Romney is doing right now? I bet cursing the tv. #inauguration
— Rajni Jacques (@Rajni_Jacques) January 21, 2013
Once again, love Obama using "she" as a pronoun. #inauguration
— Upworthy (@Upworthy) January 21, 2013
Climate change! No one drink, because no one had even thought to include this in their Inauguration Drinking Game Rules.
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) January 21, 2013
