Pre-Inauguration Lineups: Bipartisan Dinners; Children's Concert

by A. Tran | January 11, 2009 at 12:56 pm

3146 views | 77 Recommendations | 15 comments

Bipartisan Dinners

On Jan.10, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC2009) announced that President-elect Obama will host a series of bipartisan dinners honoring Senator John McCain, General Colin Powell, and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden on Jan. 19, the night before the Inauguration.

The bipartisan dinners serve to highlight President-elect Obama’s commitment to renewing America’s promise by celebrating bipartisan accomplishments.

According to Mr. Obama, all three honorees have built reputations as leaders who work across the aisle to progress the nation.

"In these times of great challenge and great change, leadership requires rising above the same old narrow partisanship," Mr. Obama said. “Each of these distinguished Americans has spent his life in service to his country, at each and every moment placing the interests of America before issues of political party. That is precisely the spirit of common purpose we need as we begin the work ahead."

United States Senator John McCain will be honored at a bipartisan dinner held at the Hilton Washington. Democratic Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick will serve as master of ceremonies, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will introduce Senator McCain.

Ms. Patti LaBelle is the performer for this bipartisan dinner.

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) will be honored at a bipartisan dinner held at the National Building Museum. U.S.Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will serve as the mistress of ceremonies, and U.S. Senator John Warner (Ret., R-VA) will introduce General Powell.

Ms. Faith Hill is the performer for this bipartisan dinner.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be honored at a bipartisan dinner held at Union Station. Democratic Governor of Virginia Tim Kaine will serve as the master of ceremonies, and U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) will introduce Vice President-elect Biden.

Ms. Carole King is the performer for this bipartisan dinner

Congressional members from both parties and Americans from around the country will also attend these dinners at the National Building Museum, Union Station, and the Hilton Washington.

The dinners are just another aspect of the President-elect’s commitment to bridging the bipartisan divide. The list of honorary co-chairs for the Presidential Inaugural Committee includes leaders from both sides of the aisle, including President George H. W. Bush, Senator Dick Lugar, Gen.Colin L. Powell, and President William J. Clinton.

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Neighborhood Ball and Children’s Concert To Air on TV & the Web

PIC2009 announced on Jan.8, that ABC and The Disney Channel will broadcast the Neighborhood Ball and the Children’s Concert as part of ongoing efforts to include all Americans in the 2009 Inauguration.

Additionally, PIC2009 will webcast the swearing-in ceremony and the Neighborhood Ball on its site for all who want to witness the Inauguration and celebrations.

The Neighborhood Ball will air live on Jan. 20 from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET on the two channels.

On Jan.19, Mrs. Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and their families will be attending the Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future concert to honor military families and children at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

Musical performances for the Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future concert include:

The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Bow Wow. Billy Ray Cyrus, Keke Palmer, and Usher Raymond IV.

The special backstage correspondent is 13-year-old Perry Rubin, daughter of entertainment reporter Sam Rubin.

Additional performers and guests will be announced as they are confirmed.

This concert will be simulcast on Radio Disney and streamed on Disney.com immediately following the telecast on The Disney Channel.

Tickets will be distributed to local residents through a number of local organizations working with PIC. The Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC) have made thousands of tickets available to the families of military personnel free of charge.

Updated information pertains to the schedule of the Inaugural events have been released by PIC as of Jan.14, 2009.

Other NP piece about the Neighborhood Ball by J. Martineau

Additional Inauguration-related articles by this writer:

External Resources:

The Smithsonian Institution

The National Register of Historic Places in Washington D.C.

The National Mall

The Lincoln Memorial

The United States Capitol Building

The National Building Museum

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Rhonda J Mangus

at 16:07 on January 11th, 2009

Thanks for a great informational piece, Pythiian1.

A. Tran

at 16:18 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you for reading, your comment and recommendation. I'm so glad that you've found the information useful, and hopefully, to others who are interested in this historic Inauguration.

Jon Azpiri

at 16:55 on January 11th, 2009

Thanks for the synopsis. Good to see that there will be some bipartisan events taking place during the inauguration.

A. Tran

at 17:14 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you so much Jon for reading, your comments, and recommendation. I've always appreciated knowing that my works are informative and useful to others, especially about the Inauguration when there are so many wrong bits of information floating around.

Amy Judd

at 17:28 on January 11th, 2009

Good, well written piece - sounds like it's going to be quite the series of events. Is it just that I can't remember or did other presidents not make this big a deal out of their inauguration? I can't remember this at all before..

A. Tran

at 17:56 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you so much, Amy. I really appreciate your reading, comments, and recommendation. I am glad that my pieces with details, URLs, and resources are informative.

You're quite right, previous Inaugurations were not as big and inclusive. The differences could not be compared in that Mr. Obama has PIC. It operates like Mr. Obama's campaign by reaching out to everyone including children and in every possible way.

The Obama teams also utilize technologies to share the Washington experience with Americans around the country and the US military posts around the world.

158

at 19:21 on January 11th, 2009

Avery good story.

Thanks.

A. Tran

at 21:57 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you so much 158 for reading, your comment, and recommendation. I'm delighted that you've enjoyed my piece(s).

Sanjay Jha

at 20:31 on January 11th, 2009

Thanks for your well written, exhaustive and full of information. I think Mr. Obama's inauguration seems on much higher level than his predecessors. Keep us updated.

A. Tran

at 21:54 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you so much Sanjay for reading, your comments, and recommendation.

I really appreciate your acknowledgment of my compilations and for making them accessible to everyone. As I mentioned above, it is a bigger inauguration because Mr. Obama insists on involving and engaging as many American citizen as possible.

Uwe Paschen

at 20:37 on January 11th, 2009

This is a good post. Well written.

A. Tran

at 21:58 on January 11th, 2009

Thank you so much Paschen for reading, your comment, and recommendation.

Fripouille

at 07:12 on January 13th, 2009

This is a splendid initiative, and I am more than impressed by the fair-play and lay-down-your-guns style elegance and maturity shown here by American politicians.

I wish everyone, Republicans and Democrats alike, a great time.

Heartwarming post this, thanks.

A. Tran

at 21:58 on January 13th, 2009

Thank you Fripouille for reading, your comments, and recommendation.

Thank you for your well wishes to the American public as we, the people celebrate the transition of presidential power and welcome the 44th President.