There are tens of thousands of people here - all draped in Obamania - e.g. buttons, bags, scarves, gloves, sweatshirts and so much more. Every street corner has a vendor selling you something to commemorate the inauguration of the 44th president! I have visited this city many times before – but I tell you nothing can compare to this! Everyone is in a good mood, happy. Click on this link to hear what the Bay Area people I found had to say: http://sharing.theflip.com/session/bb2ca502c8a397cb012998960526819f/video/2904679
Walking along Pennsylvania Avenue I bump into Karen, who won’t give her last name. “I’m from the Bay Area”, she yells happily. "Oakland. And I’m just so happy that we have a black man in the White House. We have tried 43 times”, she laughs. "Finally we got it right on the 44th time”. As she laughs excitedly, her Obama earrings are dangling in the cold D.C. breeze. “I know not everything will change immediately but it will change," she says.” Like what I ask? “Like the war. Our people will come home and that’s MAJOR”.
Later I interview a young African American man clutching a bottle of Obama water – yes bottled water with Obama’s image on the label. “This is what we’ve been thirsting for," he laughs at his own joke. ”This is the change America needs. We are going to drink our fill”. As we talk he gets serious. ”What’s the one thing you want from Obama?" I ask him. He squints for a minute and then says “Jobs. We need all kinds of jobs; White-collar jobs, blue-collar jobs, CEO’s and cleaners. If we don’t have jobs in America for Americans, what are we? We can’t outsource any more,“ he says. “That’s what I want from the brother president.”
Later I visit Busboys and Poets, on 14th street., a D.C. hangout where San Francisco’s own Alice Walker is reading from her new book ”We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For." "This is well worth coming to,” said Vincent Foster, from Queens, New York. He arrived here a couple of days ago. “I thought it was going to be very crowded and unpleasant. So far it’s been crowded but good”.
Busboys and Poets are serving a special Obama cocktail. It’s made of white and dark vodka and at $10 – its been selling fast.
