Inauguration Days marks start of a new beginning for America

For some, Inauguration Day will mark a beginning of a new chapter in American politics.

I was one of the millions of people who flipped on the TV two years ago and watched Barack Obama announce his candidacy in a very cold Springfield, Ill.

My first reaction was: "Nice speech. Hillary has it wrapped up. Maybe he will make a good vice president."

This presidential race will go down in history, causing a seismic change in how these contests will be run and won.

Marlisa and I were lucky enough to be in New York City the week of the election. I had competed in the NY Marathon on Sunday and the election was on the following Tuesday. My mom also joined us.

During the marathon, hundreds of Obama signs lined the race course. At the registration desk, there were free "Obama for President" and "McCain for President" signs and tattoos for the taking. In a harbinger of things to come, all of the Obama paraphernalia was gone in the first hour and the McCain swag looked like it hadn't been touched.

Other than Chicago, New York City was the place to be to watch the election results come in. Back in Sandpoint, it was business as usual at the 219, I was told.

On Election Day, downtown Manhattan was buzzing with activity. There were Obama buttons and bumperstickers for sale on every street corner. Again, you were hard-pressed to find a McCain button to buy.

We went to Rockefeller Center early that morning to get a sense of what might be coming later. There were already hundreds of people milling about the famous landmark. The ice skaters had been kicked off and the ice sported an outlined map of the United States.

Later, those states would be filled in with either blue or red to signify which candidate had won the state and the Electoral College votes. There would also be ribbons on a building that would keep track of who was winning. The ribbons were attached to window washing scaffolding and would be raised as the tallies came in.

On a whim, I stopped by the restaurant that is next to the rink with the faint hope of getting a reservation for about the same time I guessed we would know who won the election.

We got in. The next step was getting next to the rinkside window to see what was going on. All I had to do was ask and we were there. Front and center to history.

As the results came in, Rockefeller Center packed in tighter than a subway car at rush hour. People from all over the world were there to be a part of what nearly everyone believed would be the election of Barack Obama.

As soon as the West Coast results came in, it became obvious that Obama had won. Horns blared, people hugged, tears flowed. It was an unbelievable show of emotion.

We broke away from Rockefeller Center and took the short walk to Times Square. It was an eerie trek between the two landmarks. We could hear jubilation at both venues but in between the city was the same.

As we broke from the relative darkness, Times Square was alive with jubilation. While the electronic readerboards announced Obama's victory, people of all races danced and sang.

A woman wearing African garb sang a song we couldn't understand. Only when she said "Obama, Obama" after a minute did we realize she was celebrating this victory in her own way.

Traffic stopped for a few minutes in Times Square but the NYPD was determined to keep things moving. I can't imagine what New Year's Eve is like there and I don't think I ever will.

At one point a group of people surrounded a taxi.

Being the newsman I am, I was immediately drawn to this potential scene. As we approached, I saw something I will never forget.

These 20 or so people had surrounded the taxi to listen to Obama's acceptance speech through the taxi's radio. They were drawn together because they didn't want to miss history.

As we begin a new administration, I fully expect the far right to take as many shots at this president as the far left did with Bush. That's politics.

It would be my hope that all sides would find a common ground as we face unprecedented challenges. Time will tell.

But as I begin the first day of the rest of my life, I will always remember how our new president touched thousands of people in New York that night and that millions of Americans have rallied behind a man who led us through the doorway of history.

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.