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| Obama family kicks off inauguration weekend with day of service | Obama family kicks off inauguration weekend with day of service |
| (25 days later) | |
| Pressing toward his second term, President Barack Obama touted "the importance of giving back" as he kicked off three days of inaugural celebrations Saturday with a National Day of Service. | Pressing toward his second term, President Barack Obama touted "the importance of giving back" as he kicked off three days of inaugural celebrations Saturday with a National Day of Service. |
| The president, along with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha, joined hundreds of volunteers Saturday at Burrville elementary school, one of many projects taking place across the country marking the National Day of Service. | The president, along with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha, joined hundreds of volunteers Saturday at Burrville elementary school, one of many projects taking place across the country marking the National Day of Service. |
| Standing in a hallway, he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, picked up a paint brush and helped stain a bookshelf. | Standing in a hallway, he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, picked up a paint brush and helped stain a bookshelf. |
| Looking ahead to his swearing-in, Obama told volunteers that inaugurations were "a symbol of how our democracy works and how we peacefully transfer power." | Looking ahead to his swearing-in, Obama told volunteers that inaugurations were "a symbol of how our democracy works and how we peacefully transfer power." |
| "But it should also be an affirmation that we're all in this together," he said. Obama added the day of service projects to the inaugural schedule in 2009 and hopes it will become a tradition for future presidents. | "But it should also be an affirmation that we're all in this together," he said. Obama added the day of service projects to the inaugural schedule in 2009 and hopes it will become a tradition for future presidents. |
| Earlier Saturday, vice-president Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, and other members of his family spent the morning filling care packages for US troops overseas, veterans and first responders. | Earlier Saturday, vice-president Joe Biden, his wife, Jill, and other members of his family spent the morning filling care packages for US troops overseas, veterans and first responders. |
| "We've had too much of the coarsening of our culture," Biden said. "We've got to get back to reaching out to people." | "We've had too much of the coarsening of our culture," Biden said. "We've got to get back to reaching out to people." |
| Other inaugural activities sprang up across the nation's capital on a sun-splashed day in Washington. | Other inaugural activities sprang up across the nation's capital on a sun-splashed day in Washington. |
| Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton headlined a service summit on the National Mall, while crews finished preparations for Monday's ceremonial swearing-in in front of the flag-draped Capitol. Hotels and government buildings along the parade route were adorned with red, white and blue bunting. White tents, trailers and generators lined the Mall. | Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton headlined a service summit on the National Mall, while crews finished preparations for Monday's ceremonial swearing-in in front of the flag-draped Capitol. Hotels and government buildings along the parade route were adorned with red, white and blue bunting. White tents, trailers and generators lined the Mall. |
| The president will be officially sworn in for his second term Sunday in a small ceremony at the White House. He'll take the oath of office again Monday before hundreds of thousands of people on the National Mall, followed by the traditional parade and formal balls. | The president will be officially sworn in for his second term Sunday in a small ceremony at the White House. He'll take the oath of office again Monday before hundreds of thousands of people on the National Mall, followed by the traditional parade and formal balls. |
| Yet there is decidedly less energy surrounding Obama's second inauguration than there was in 2009. That history-making event drew 1.8 million people for the swearing-in of the nation's first black president. | Yet there is decidedly less energy surrounding Obama's second inauguration than there was in 2009. That history-making event drew 1.8 million people for the swearing-in of the nation's first black president. |
| This time, Obama takes the oath of office following a bruising presidential campaign and four years of partisan fighting. He's more experienced in the ways of Washington. He has the gray hair and lower approval ratings to show for it. | This time, Obama takes the oath of office following a bruising presidential campaign and four years of partisan fighting. He's more experienced in the ways of Washington. He has the gray hair and lower approval ratings to show for it. |
| For at least the inauguration weekend, the fiscal fights and legislative wrangling will be put aside in favor of pomp and circumstance. Some Obama supporters said the president's second inaugural was no less historic than his first. | For at least the inauguration weekend, the fiscal fights and legislative wrangling will be put aside in favor of pomp and circumstance. Some Obama supporters said the president's second inaugural was no less historic than his first. |
| "There were people who said they'd never vote for an African-American president," said Julius Cherry, a Democratic activist from Sacramento, California, who brought his family to Washington for the inauguration. "Now they've voted for him twice, and he won the popular vote and the electoral vote. That says something about his policies and his team." | "There were people who said they'd never vote for an African-American president," said Julius Cherry, a Democratic activist from Sacramento, California, who brought his family to Washington for the inauguration. "Now they've voted for him twice, and he won the popular vote and the electoral vote. That says something about his policies and his team." |
| The White House sees the call to service as a way for Americans across the country to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. | The White House sees the call to service as a way for Americans across the country to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. |
| The day Obama publicly takes the oath of office marks King's birthday, and 2013 is the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader's March on Washington. | The day Obama publicly takes the oath of office marks King's birthday, and 2013 is the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader's March on Washington. |
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