Obama's inauguration theme: "Faith in America's Future"

President-elect Barack Obama speaks at 'We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial' January 18, 2009 in Washington, DC. The event includes a diverse array of talent featuring both musical performances and historical readings and an appearance by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. / Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images

The theme for President Obama's second inauguration will be "Faith in America's Future," Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced today.

Schumer, the chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said the theme was chosen to celebrate the United State's "perseverance and unity." It is also, perhaps, an implicit acknowledgement of the fact that Mr. Obama's reelection took place against the backdrop of an economy that has yet to fully recover from the 2008 financial crisis.

The theme will also mark the 150th anniversary of the Statute of Freedom being placed on top of the partly constructed Capitol Dome in 1863, which the committee calls a transformation year.

A news release by the inaugural committee says the year 1863 is "one of the most fateful in our nation's history" because of the Civil War, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the transcontinental railroad and the first land grant college.

"Our nation has faced countless challenges throughout its history, and each time we have come together as Americans and moved forward with renewed strength," Schumer said in a statement.

The inaugural committee is made up of a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders. It is responsible for planning and implementing the ceremonies to officially swear in the president.

Mr. Obama's second inauguration will be the 57th presidential inauguration. While the president will be officially sworn in on the constitutionally mandated date of January 20, that date falls on a Sunday, so the ceremony will take place on Monday, January 21.

[ElizabethCarol99]

Great story, I am looking forward to the inauguration. You mentioned JCCIC but there is also another organization working on the parade and other elements of the inauguration. It's the Joint Task Force - National Capital Region. If anyone is interested, check out http://inauguralsupport.mdw.army.mil. You can also view photos of past inaugurations at www.flickr.com/photos/mdw_events/collections/72157631880836857
and follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/jointtaskforceNCR

[ce747]

Here we go again, Pharaoh Lincoln riding on the back of Abraham Lincoln hoping the fame of the former will rub off on him. The old popularity by association trick. This is disgusting, Obama is not Abraham Lincoln and never will be. As far as Schumer, he's just one more crooked, corrupt Senator cheezy, glamour boy, ingraciating himself up to illegals and giving away of our country for his own greed. Schumer/Dirty Harry Reid/Obama, what a team. Senators think congress is low on approval, well guess what, they are neck to neck. This administration is he most pathetic in our history, full of corruption, theft and big egos. Only about 1/4 the Senators are worth anything and do an honorable job, the rest are useless, greedy power mongers.This administration is giving the Civil War era a black eye and demeaning our country.

[MissToni50]

Get over it,idiots.

[therifleman]

Obama is getting ready for his family's $20 MILLION vacation to Hawaii. While the rest of us are lucky to take a vacation he'll spend three weeks living it up on us...

[MissToni50]

So what!!! Get a life!!!

[luadda22]

jmn122736 says: All these Obama haters keep changing their monikers but the obviously racial-bigotry never changes.

As I have said repeatedly since the election, it really is satisfying knowing they will be choking on that hatred for 4 more years.
Just imagine what will happen if another person of color is elected in 2016.
=========================================================================

In all and total honesty I wish it HAD been another person "of color" this time. You know like, Condoleezza Rice, Mia Love, Artur Davis, Herman Cain, etc. Why not? Condoleezza and Mia, heck of a ticket. That way we could have had a person "of color" in the office for the next 16 years and a woman on top of it.

I'll call your race card and raise you two women? (Boy, what a goober)

[tsigili]

Obama is emulating Lincoln........and trying to make himself out to be a leader of the same reverence.......and perhaps he needs to be reminded, that Lincoln was responsible for the deaths of 640,000 Americans.......in the bloodiest war ever fought by Americans........and NO........it was not over slavery.....it was over states rights.

Few people today, bother to find out the truth about Lincoln, or the civil war, and its true cause.

Lincoln is far more revered, than deserved, for what he did to America.

[Millennial]

The confederate LOSS..GET OVER IT, Romney LOSS get OVER IT! President Obama was re-elected get over it...ans the conferate didn't vote for him this time around.. except so it appears florida..

..the civil war was about the forth coming state rights...if not for the civil war, would there be two nations known as america?

LINCOLN made a choice which was GOOD for the colonies of which emerged the United States.

Slavery was NOT going t be the thumb of RULE this nation as revenue for the RICH ONLY.. human salvery for PROFIT is a crime against HUMANITY!

[logictoo]

Somebody got it right. States rights that is what it was about. Romney mentioned States rights during his campaign. Very few heard it and if they did they would have cried racism. The War of Northern Aggression has been over for nearly 150 years and the Carpet Baggers will always exist.

[jmn122736]

All these Obama haters keep changing their monikers but the obviously racial-bigotry never changes.

As I have said repeatedly since the election, it really is satisfying knowing they will be choking on that hatred for 4 more years.
Just imagine what will happen if another person of color is elected in 2016.

[chevyhotrod]

It has nothing to do with the color of ones skin, but the content of their character.

Future generations of American's will be choking on the debt and deficits that have been created by the current generations.

Any fool hearted teenager can run up a credit card. Who is going to be the adult and cut it up once and for all?

The strength of a nation can be measured by will of the people to work for a living and not live off thy neighbor.

[jmn122736]

Chevyhotrod, your past comments fit in very well with the Obama haters I refer to.

I do agree with you that future generations of American's will be choking on the debt and deficits. However you fail to mention that the top tax rate was 70% and the national debt was less than $1 trillion when President Reagan took office in 1981, and that the top tax rate had dropped to 48% (at one point) and the debt tripled by the time he left office

You also failed to mention that the Debt was $5,8 trillion when Bush Jr. took office and had more than doubled to $11.9 trillion by the end of his last fiscal-year budget, and tax rates had been reduced twice more, even with two unfunded wars, which brought on the worst recession since the great depression of the 1930's.

You should also have mentioned that, even though Bush/Cheney claimed Reagan proved that the debt doesn't matter, the $4 trillion increase in the debt over the past 4 years were the direct result of nearly $2 trillion in interest paid on the already accumulated debt plus the effects of the huge unemployment rate (which had reached 10% by the end of Bush's last fiscal-year budget plus the costs of previously passed bills/debts.

These are documented facts accessible to everyone, and I believe the results of the election proved that point very well.

Enjoy the next 4 years.

[luadda22]

It will probably look like the scene from the movie when Cleopatra enters Rome.

[ReallyPeopleReally]

With you as president I have zero faith.

[murkymook]

Obama so wants to be compared to Lincoln. It's a disgusting idea.