PoliticsNow - Capital Braces For Inauguration

Capital Braces For Inauguration

While the 1997 inauguration will enter the history books as the first to send a Democratic president to deal with a Republican majority in both the House and Senate, the ceremony will begin a second term for Bill Clinton in a cooperative spirit.

Inaugural construction is underway at the U.S. Capitol. Meanwhile at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, grandstand construction is a matter of pride for one Maryland carpenter. Three committees -- one each from the White House, Congress and the military -- are planning events surrounding the inauguration. The Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee will manage the swearing-in ceremony, as well as a luncheon for the president and his cabinet. Parades, balls and galas fall to the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The Armed Forces committee organizes military marching bands and other ceremonial services for the parades.

All three committees, in addition to congressional offices, are receiving requests for tickets to the events, yet few requests are getting favorable responses. Without connections in the right places, obtaining prime seats at the ceremony or invitations to one of the twelve official inaugural balls is virtually impossible. However, the committees have also planned a calendar of free events for the public, including the "Sharing the Light" fireworks celebration on the Mall.

In naming the presidential committee, Clinton rewarded friends and tried to appease those wounded by his transition. The co-chairs will be Terence R. McAuliffe, his former campaign finance chairman, and Ann Dibble Jordan, wife of presidential adviser Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Moreover, Clinton named departing Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes -- who lost a power struggle with incoming Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles -- to coordinate inaugural events from the White House.

Beyond the personalities, the inauguration is a ritual as old as the nation. When George Washington was sworn into office outside the Federal Hall in New York City, his troops from the Revolutionary War spontaneously began to march with the president through the streets of New York, thereby giving birth to the Inaugural Parade. While today's parade echoes this tradition, it certainly lacks the spontaneity, as committees carefully design parade routes well before the presidential ballots are counted.

Inaugural week means activities, balls, and places to be seen. The events have drawn such large crowds that, since Andrew Jackson's populist celebration in 1829, proceedings have been held outdoors. President Nixon's first Inauguration in 1969 drew 200,000 people, while Clinton's had attendance estimated at 800,000. This year, the Inauguration day overlaps with Martin Luther King Day, promising even larger crowds.

This popularity does not come cheap. While Nixon's Inaugural Committee spent $2.3 million, Clinton's 1993 Inaugural Committee spent $33 million, though the government actually made a profit from ticket, advertising, and food sales. The cost was also offset somewhat by personal contributions. This year, fundraising will play a minor role as the president has limited individual contributions to $100.

The 20th Amendment, adopted in 1933, moved the Inauguration from the fourth of day March to the 20th of January.

The Executive Directors of the Committee will be Craig Smith, Political Director of Clinton-Gore '96, and Debbie Wilhite, who served during the 1996 campaign as Director of the Coordinated Campaign for the Democratic National Committee.

The Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee has a web site at http://www.senate.gov/inaugural/

Presidential Inaugural Committee members:

Co-chair Terrence McAuliffe, chairman of American Heritage Homes Corp. and former campaign finance chairman

Co-chair Ann Dibble Jordan, former Department of Social Services director

Executive Director Craig Smith, campaign political director

Executive Director Debbie Wilhite, Democratic National Committee coordinated campaign director

Ronald Burkle, Managing Partner, The Yucaipa Companies

Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO

Lawton Chiles, Governor of Florida

Beth Dozoretz, Senior Vice President, FHC Health Systems

Gordon D. Giffin, Long, Aldridge & Norman, Atlanta, Chairman of Clinton-Gore '96 in Georgia

Robert Johnson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BET Holdings, Inc.