Becoming just the second president in history to be sworn in to office four times — after 32nd president Franklin D. Roosevelt — President Barack Obama began his second term Monday as the 44th president.
Though Obama formally took office yesterday in a private ceremony at the White House, the public inauguration and celebrations were moved Jan. 21, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On top of yesterday and today’s oaths, the president had to be sworn in twice four years ago. During the public ceremony in January 2009, Chief Justice John Roberts misspoke, and had to repeat the oath the next day in the White House. After Obama’s oaths on Sunday and Monday, Obama became the second president to be sworn in four times.
With 42nd president Bill Clinton and 39th president Jimmy Carter in attendance, Obama gave his speech in front of almost 500,000 people, touching on topics ranging from education reform to revamping the tax code.
“We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher,” Obama said.
Obama also touched on equal opportunities for homosexuals, something that no president has ever done.
“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said.
After signing a bill supporting gun control last week, Obama said spoke on protecting our children in large and small cities.
“Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quite lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm,” Obama said.
Obama was adamant in responding to the threat of climate change and transitioning into more sustainable energy sources, while leading the world in technological advances,
“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,” Obama said. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.”
In addition to the public ceremony that featured two past presidents and hundreds of other political figures, onlookers were treated to performances by Beyonce, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson.
“They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope,” he said. "You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course."
az346610@ohiou.edu
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