ESSENCE Poll: Will You Be Attending President Obama's Second Inauguration?

Let’s face it. Four years after watching the first Black man sworn in as President, many Americans are not quite as enthused about bracing the cold on the National Mall to see him take oath again. Even President Obama is aware that the thrill is kinda gone. “I think that a lot of folks feel that, `Well, he’s now president. He’s a little grayer. He’s a little older. It’s not quite as new as it was,'” he told supporters at a campaign event in March last year.

An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are expected to flock to the National Mall on January 21. That is far fewer than the estimated 2 million who were there in 2009. But it may not only be a change in attitudes that’s keeping crowds at home this time around. There are the economic strains felt by so many households to consider — it does takes lots of money to travel and find accommodation in Washington, D.C.

There’s also the fact that the Inauguration Committee has cut the number of events surrounding the President’s swearing-in from four to three days. There’ll also only be two official inauguration balls this year. There were 10 in 2009.

The political and economic climate has certainly changed, but has your enthusiasm? Will you still be attending the inauguration on January 21? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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