Members of Congress Flooded With Requests for Coveted Inaugural Spots
By Avis Thomas-Lester and Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Staggering under what Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton termed "unprecedented" demand for tickets to attend the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama, some members of Congress have suspended taking requests, and others are talking about holding lotteries for the chance to witness history.
Some House members, who typically get several hundred tickets to distribute, have received more than 4,000 requests. The office of Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin Jr. (D-Md.) said it had fielded 40,000 requests as of Monday. Meanwhile, Web sites are advertising tickets to the Jan. 20 event, even though no tickets have been distributed and the process is controlled by members of Congress and the yet-to-be-named Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, suggested that people think carefully before traveling to Washington, warning that hotel space is limited and temperatures on Inauguration Day could be "very cold." Norton (D-D.C.) is urging Obama's staff to consider adding inaugural events at venues away from the Mall to give more people a chance to join the celebrations honoring the Democrat from Illinois.
About 240,000 tickets have been printed for the swearing-in, according to the congressional committee. Those tickets give people a spot to watch the event, but the public can come to the Mall to join the scene for free, albeit from a distance. The inaugural parade typically has standing-room space along the route, free to the public.
Cardin's spokeswoman, Sue Walitsky, said the office probably will distribute inauguration tickets through "some sort of drawing." Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has the same idea.
"People should know that their odds in this lottery will be like their odds in Las Vegas," quipped Van Hollen, who said his office received fewer than 100 requests for George W. Bush's second inauguration.
Inaugural officials are warning the public about tickets promised on Internet sites. No ticket outlet or Web site has swearing-in tickets to sell, officials said. The tickets are being held in a secure location and will not be made available until about a week before the inauguration, according to the congressional committee.
"Any Web site or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth," said committee staff director Howard Gantman.
Norton's office stopped taking requests Friday. "We stopped counting at 3,000," she said. "No member of Congress wants to put herself on a 'do not call' list, but my constituents have forced me to ask them to wait while I ask for more information."
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) announced on his Web site Saturday that names were no longer being taken but decided this week to take the information from people in case they want news about related events.
Spokesmen for Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) and Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) said they also have been inundated. Both offices said they expect to receive fewer than 500 tickets and have not decided how they will be distributed.
Virginians also have been bombarding Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), a close friend of Obama's and one of his earliest supporters, with requests for tickets.
"We have received thousands of requests from folks across the commonwealth," said Charlie Kelly, Kaine's political director. "In fact, the day after the election, the voice mail at the office was completely full. That has never happened before."
Kelly said Kaine does not know how many tickets he will get to hand out but added that the governor "will be as helpful as possible" in fielding the requests.
Democrat Frank M. Kratovil, who finally won a seat in Maryland's 1st Congressional District yesterday after a close race, said: "I would certainly probably start with volunteers. It is interesting that the first issue I have to deal with is a procedural one relating to that -- how to distribute tickets."
People calling Republican offices on Capitol Hill aren't having much luck, either. Sens. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) are no longer taking requests, their Web sites say.
Online ticket brokers, meanwhile, are positioning themselves to make a profit. GreatSeats.com is asking $495 to $1,724 for tickets to the inaugural parade -- which also have not been distributed. Bleacher seats typically are ticketed; standing room is free.
Those interested in buying tickets for one of the official balls are told to leave their e-mail addresses so they can be contacted when tickets become available. One post on Craigslist says it will have "2 mall standing area tickets" for the swearing-in ceremony. The tickets, priced at $1,400, would be "delivered to your home or hotel by the day before" the inauguration, the posting says.
Feinstein said this week that she is drafting legislation to make it a federal crime to sell the tickets.
News of that proposal was met with disdain by Danny Matta, owner of Beltsville-based GreatSeats.com. "She has plenty of time on her hands, doesn't she?" Matta said. "Is this really what the government has come down to?"
Rather than turning to online brokers, some congressional staffers are encouraging constituents to attend events that don't require tickets. There is talk of organizing free events, in addition to standing room on the parade route.
Norton has urged Obama's advisers to hold events at sites such as the Verizon Center, the Washington Convention Center, RFK Stadium, FedEx Field and other venues. Van Hollen said he is encouraging Obama's staff to find "creative ways" to include as many people as possible in the festivities.
And, just to add some intrigue, it is always possible that more space could open up on the ticketing front. But don't count on it just yet.
Carole Florman, a spokeswoman for the congressional committee, said more tickets could be printed. That's "certainly one possibility," she said. "Printing the tickets isn't the problem. It's where do you put the people?"
Staff writers Tim Craig, Rosalind S. Helderman, Michael E. Ruane and Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.
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