By DAVID HERBERT
Three days after the Purple Tunnel of Doom KO'd the inaugural dreams of thousands of Obama supporters, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, head of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, is talking reparations.
The California Democrat announced this morning that the aggrieved parties will be getting packets of commemorative programs and glossy photos of the president and vice president to make up for the long lines and faded dreams. But that may not be enough, some purple ticket holders say.
Stuart Hess works part-time at a Dunkin' Donuts in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The 35 year-old cut back his hours to volunteer for Obama's campaign and then worked overtime to afford the bus fare to D.C. -- all to stand in the Third Street tunnel from 4 a.m. onwards watching people vomiting and defecating.
"I feel robbed," Hess said. "I believe proper reparations would be a handshake from President Obama, a thanks for my hard work, and an apology for what I sacrificed."
Time hasn't healed these wounds either. The Facebook group "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom" boasts more than 4,600 members, is attracting dozens of new registrants every hour and has more than 1,200 posts from angry ticket holders.
At the Washington Post's inauguration blog, the plurality of voters in a running Internet poll believe a dinner at the White House would be the best way to compensate those who couldn't use their passes.
Mauro De Lorenzo, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, thinks a special event with the president for himself and other aggrieved ticket holders would be nice, but he's also concerned that future events revolve less around security and more around openness.
"Major national civic rituals can't be declared to have achieved their purpose just because a bomb [didn't go] off," De Lorenzo wrote in an e-mail to NationalJournal.com. "I'm less concerned about someone being 'held accountable' than in seeing real discussion about how we're going to integrate civics and security better in the future."
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Responded on January 26, 2009 8:13 PM
Barbara M Henderson
I, too am a Purple Ticker Holder, who did not enter the gates during the ceremonies. Yet, deteremined not to be totally on the outside; I stayed over, after my family & friends decided to go back to the home TV-screen. So with some maneuvering, a few of my new found close-net commrades - (people I never knew or will likely never ever see again-)--, we decided to watch-out for the security who was directing the exist crowd and not allowing others to enter afterwards; well we managed to get on the grounds by squeezing pass those exiting & leaving..we got on the grounds. We wanted the opporturnity to get to the other side...of the fence.....to experience more from the actual grounds even though it was over... Oh yea, we saw the Bush's helicopter take-off...I met & visited with so many other people with the same glem in the their eyes.. Yes, I was very disappointed; yet not totally discouraged. I was still so very glad to have been a witness, whether from near or from afar..To be THERE with soooooooo many p...
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I, too am a Purple Ticker Holder, who did not enter the gates during the ceremonies.
Yet, deteremined not to be totally on the outside; I stayed over, after my family & friends decided to go back to the home TV-screen. So with some maneuvering, a few of my new found close-net commrades - (people I never knew or will likely never ever see again-)--, we decided to watch-out for the security who was directing the exist crowd and not allowing others to enter afterwards; well we managed to get on the grounds by squeezing pass those exiting & leaving..we got on the grounds.
We wanted the opporturnity to get to the other side...of the fence.....to experience more from the actual grounds even though it was over... Oh yea, we saw the Bush's helicopter take-off...I met & visited with so many other people with the same glem in the their eyes..
Yes, I was very disappointed; yet not totally discouraged. I was still so very glad to have been a witness, whether from near or from afar..To be THERE with soooooooo many people. I felt we belonged to some one-ness, a part one another; although our homes were from the multitude of varied locations.
After traveling from Texas and I don't regret the prayers, time, money, energy & family dynamics involved to make this journey possible...My daughter, who lives in DC was a HOST w/The MOST.
Also my son, daughter-in-law, her sister & brother-in-law,neice,my mother, grandson,2 sisters, 2 neices, plus several friends..even some from my church family were there & they traveled by bus.
Of course, I would appreciate whatever consolation which is offered to those of us, Ticket Holders, in particular the Purple People who did not get to be on the other side during the ceremony.......
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