Chicago Tribune writers Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger do a wrap-up of what high-level Inauguration donors can expect for that $50,000 they've tossed into the January 20 Barackanalia Fund: Not much.In Inauguration long on cash, short on perks, Wallsten and Hamburger point out that The Inauguration is expected to cost $40 million, and committee planners are scrambling to figure out how to break down events to please those who've dumped what amounts to the annual salary of, say, a teacher--on four days of historic partying:
With less than a month to go, planners are hurrying to add elements to the master calendar. They've told some supporters they might not get all the goodies they'd expect in exchange for big-bucks donations. And they've scrambled to think up new ways to deal with the huge demand and keep important supporters happy. "It's a market frenzy out there," said one [anonymous] fundraiser, who is bundling money from several wealthy families and helping coordinate their travel to the inauguration. "There is frustration because individuals in some cases still do not know what they are getting for their donations."
To date, the Inauguration Committee has raised $21.9 million; they need to raise about a $1 million a day to meet their budget before The Inauguration; that might be difficult even for Barack. But the committee is being very savvy at every point of the Inaugural infoscape: When you sign up to get email updates on the inauguration, or to volunteer, or when you look at the donor's page, you're immediately taken to a page asking you to donate to the fund. Nice! Check out the complete list of donors here.The Honorary co-chairs for The Inauguration are: Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; DC Mayor Adrian Fenty; Senators Dick Lugar and Claire McCaskill; Representatives Ray Lahood, Tammy Baldwin, Linda Sánchez and Artur Davis; Hunter and Kathleen Biden; and General Colin Powell.
Barack's sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, and Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson, are also honorary co-chairs.
The most interesting co-chair? Assistant Senator Majority Leader Dick Durbin, who announced last week that Food Safety will not be a priority in the Obama Era, despite Obama's campaign promises. We suuuurrree hope Durbin's being kept far away from any of the planning for Inauguration Chow, wink wink.
Want to be an insider at The Inauguration, but can't toss your annual salary into the fund? The Inauguration Committee is looking for volunteers. Go here to check out how you, too, can witness history while directing inebriated people to port-o-lets in sub-freezing weather. But even volunteer spots are going fast, so don't get your hopes up! The comple schedule for The Inauguration is here.
Related: DC caves to Senators and limits Inauguration liquor sales, to the disgust of locals.
*Cake at top of post is from Sarah Ramey's blog.
