In a New Tux, Obama Seeks the Proper Inaugural Tone

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: In a New Tux, Obama Seeks the Proper Tone
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: December 8, 2008

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has ordered his first new tuxedo in 15 years for his inaugural celebration. And he has invited the marching band from Punahou School, his high school in Hawaii, to join the parade. (Nearly 1,400 bands have applied; only a few dozen are chosen.)

Plans for Mr. Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20 are slowly taking shape. But with increasing numbers of people out of work and American soldiers enmeshed in two wars, inaugural planners face the task of keeping the tone respectful while still celebrating Mr. Obama’s achievement.

“There’s no question that people are in tough times,” said Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Mr. Obama’s inaugural committee. “But we hope that this will be an event in which we celebrate our common values and shared aspirations.” She added, “What we are looking to achieve is a tone that is hopeful.”

Mr. Obama formed his inauguration committee only recently, and it has yet to establish a schedule for the day or reveal what events it may be planning after the noon swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. Much of the day is pro forma, but presidents like to tailor the details on everything from selecting the marching bands to which inaugural balls will be designated as official. And all will be dissected for meaning.

Among the options to have this year’s events reflect the mood of the nation, Democratic officials said, are having Mr. Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. take part in some form of community service in Washington. If they did so, they would most likely call upon people around the country to do the same in their own towns, which could help mitigate any criticism of inaugural celebrations.

The Obama team has been fairly consistent in its staging of events and could use as its model the election night rally in Grant Park in Chicago — a celebratory but serious gathering, striking in its simplicity, at which Mr. Obama tried to raise hopes but not expectations....

The swearing-in of the first black president will be a historic occasion, and Washington is expecting the largest attendance ever for an inaugural, way beyond the record of 1.2 million who reportedly showed up for Lyndon Johnson in 1965. For the first time, the full length of the Mall will be opened to accommodate the crowd.

Stars will descend on Washington, automatically ratcheting up the glamour....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/09inaug.html?_r=1&ref=us&pagewanted=all