I know that a lot of Kossacks did a lot to aid in the cause of getting Barack Obama elected. And I appreciate that millions of people across the country donated money, in many cases, money they could not really afford (especially in retrospect).
But I am at a bit of a loss to understand the inauguration ticket process.
My brief story after the jump...
On the day after the election, I got in contact with the office of my Congressman (called and emailed) and explained that I would love to receive a single ticket.
I told them of my two-year commitment to the campaign and that it was my understanding that tickets were doled out in a 'first-come, first-served' basis.
I received no reply for more than a week. I then got a discouraging form letter suggesting that I contact my two Republican senators as well. The letter said that they had received thousands of requests, well more than the number that they would be allotted and yet, they would take requests for another week.
So I contacted each of my senators. One of the senator's office called me back, told me that they had received 8,000 requests and were allotted 300 tickets.
Okay, I understood that. And I was not first in line with them in any manner.
So today I called my Congressman's office (he had given a contact name and encouraged phone calls in his form letter). I was told that it was highly unlikely that I'd get a ticket. I asked if the fact that I had made such an immediate request was a factor and she seemed not to care.
From the start, I viewed this as a long shot. But I am selfishly pissed off at the fact that someone who was involved with this campaign from day one, doing phonebanking and canvassing, donating far more than I ever expected, gets dismissed so easily while Republican lawmakers get hundreds of tickets to do with what they'd like.
In the grand scheme of things, my desire for a ticket is not at all important, but shouldn't the Obama campaign, with its massive database resources, be better suited to reward those who got involved?
They know who gave, who phonebanked and such...
Sorry for my rant... and again, in the big picture, this doesn't make the canvas, but I'd like to hear the experiences of others.
UPDATE: I wrote this missive without a great deal of thought, but I want to express that I simply wanted a fair system, however that system was to be determined. If someone made thousands of phone calls for Barack, they deserve it more than me. It just pisses me off that Joe Lieberman has a stack of tickets.