As luck would have it I am in D.C. this week and got to sit in the Senate Gallery when Al Franken was sworn in.
I had never sat in the Senate Gallery before, it was quite an experience.
When we found out that Franken was going to be sworn in today, my father and I were bound and determined to witness the affair.
The first thing we had to do was acquire gallery passes. We went to the Russell Senate Office Building to the office of Kay Bailey Hutchinson where the nice receptionist gave us the passes. My father promised me earlier in the moening that he would not say anything nasty to the Hutchinson staffers, and he kept his promise.
Next, it was on to the Capitol, a short walk from the Russell building. It is a beautiful, sunny day in D.C., the city never looked better. A perfect day to celebrate 60 seats in the Senate.
We arrived at the Capitol visitor center, I sacrificed my coffee, we went through the metal detector, and turned right to the first line of the day. We got to the front of the line and then got on an elevator. We got out of the elevator and went into a room where we checked our phones cameras and even our car keys. Then we walked through a labrinth only to arrive at another line. At the front of that line was another metal detector, which led to yet another line.
This was a special line, though, this was the line to get into the Senate Gallery, and it was only 11:15 (we had started our quest at 9:00). We started to feel optimistic about our chances of seeing Franken's first moments as a U.S. Senator.
We went in and sat down to an underwhelming scene. A grand total of about three senators were on the floor, Senator Durbin, a republican I didn't recognize and I believe Senator McCaskill, who was presiding. Senator Akaka(late correction: it was Inouye) came in and mumbled for a few minutes. The Senate chamber was much smaller than it looks on TV, and most of the tourists in the gallery looked bored. One of the ushers actually told a kid to sit up straight and look alive.
Then Senator Klobuchar came in and Introduced Al Franken. The gallery came alive. I looked around and realized that every seat was full, and everyone moved to the front of their seat to see better. Franny Franken was sitting in the gallery and she looked radiant. As Senators from both parties filed into the chamber, Senator Klobuchar told some stories about Franken, Franny, and Paul Wellstone. She finished and the cheeseball-in-chief, Vice President Joe Biden, got the proceedings underway.
He called for Franken, who came into the chamber escorted by Klobuchar and Walter Mondale. The swearing in was short, and everyone gave Senator Franken a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. The ushers tried to get us to sit down and stop clapping, but most of the audience refused, wrapped up in the moment.
And what a moment it was! Al Franken helped get us through the dark days of Gingrich, Limbaugh, and Dubya with humor and a fierce dedication to progressive ideals. I hope he is a suitable replacement for Paul Wellstone, and I have confidence that his tenure will be distinguished. Viva Franken!