‘AMERICA’S DAY’
Area residents respond to inauguration Joseph R. Biden Jr. sworn in as president. Kamala Harris becomes first female vice president.
SHELTON — Michelle Laubin was at her office staring at her cellphone around noon Wednesday, watching history being made.
Matt McGee sat in the middle of one of Bridgeport’s East End community markets watching a television there along with coworkers as Joe Biden was sworn in as America’s 46th president and Kamala Harris as his vice president.
On the other side of the figurative aisle, State Rep. Jason
Perillo, a Republican, watched at home with his daughter, Lydia, a first-grader.
Perillo said the family view allowed him to turn watching the historic inauguration into a mini social studies class.
For Laubin and McGee, both Democrats, the long-awaited event brought with it both joy and concern as they heard calls for unity and moving forward from the country’s newly inaugurated leaders.
“Never before can I recall having any doubts about whether the inauguration ceremony would even take place, or whether it would take place outdoors at the Capitol,” Laubin, a member of Shelton’s Democratic Town Committee, said, as the pomp and circumstance of the rite was televised.
“The details of the ceremony tell me that the people who designed it value inclusivity and want all Americans to see themselves reflected in it and to be part of the American democratic experiment. After the president took the oath of office, like many Americans, I breathed a sigh of relief,” she said. “I am relieved that our democracy will live to see another day, and I am grateful to the troops surrounding the Capitol for providing the security necessary to defend that democracy.”
For Perillo, “Even though he never mentioned the former president’s name, I thought he tried to draw a distinct line between himself and Trump. He mentioned a number of times that politics doesn’t have to be an all-out war, implying that he will be a bit more mellow than Trump.”
Said McGee, who last winter jumped into politics as a Shelton High School senior and unsuccessfully ran for an alderman seat in 2019, “I am glad the president is trying to bring down tensions and putting an end to dehumanizing rhetoric. But the American people certainly need more than just words. We all need action.”
Shelton’s mayor, Board of Aldermen and the majority of many city boards are Republican. Laubin, who has often been on the opposite side during discussions, was one of
several people who successfully fought changes to the charter that would have, critics said, disenfranchised members of the minority party.
McGee was among the many students unhappy with the appointment of Beth Smith to interim school superintendent, and helped lead a petition drive to have her removed from the position.
Perillo was reelected in November to an eighth term representing the 113rd District and was recently named the deputy House Republican leader.
So politics, for all three, are local and personal. Hearst Connecticut Media asked them for their impressions of the event.
Perillo said Biden is a “seasoned creature of Washington, and I think compromise is something with which he is comfortable. However, I think he’s in for a rude awakening because his own party is being pushed hard to the liberal left by legislators who don’t care much for compromise.”
Laubin, who works at Bercham Moses PC in Milford, said she was in her office during the inauguration: “We strictly observe COVID protocols here, so no gatherings.
“I appreciated that Sen. Amy Klobuchar had an opportunity to draw attention to the remarkable achievement of our nation electing the first woman, and woman of color, as vice president. This is a remarkable milestone that has been so overlooked in the last few weeks as we have struggled to ... get past the horror of the insurrection on Jan. 6,” she said. “Let’s not forget that getting our first female vice president also gets us our very first second gentleman as well, and I will be interested to see how he defines that new role.”
For the speakers, she said, “I appreciated Sen. Roy Blunt’s remarks about always striving toward a more perfect union, always striving to get better, and the quote from Ronald Reagan that this day is both ordinary and miraculous. We appreciate those sentiments more this year than any other year that I can recall
in my lifetime watching this ceremony every four years.
“It is not a surprise, but it is a shame that our 45th president was not there today to symbolize the peaceful transition of power in our democracy,” she said. “It is a shame that our Capitol has become a fortress closed to the public, not only because of the pandemic and needing to keep distance, but also to guard against further violence from our own citizens.
“As an attorney, I recall taking an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States ‘against all enemies, foreign and domestic,’ and I remember thinking to myself at the age of 24, domestic enemies. Gosh, I can’t imagine under what circumstances that would actually be a concern. Now I know.
“The singing of the national anthem and the line ‘the flag was still there’ caught me off guard as well. It is particularly poignant after watching lawless people beating police officers with the American flag and watching the flag of the Confederacy being flown inside the Capitol rotunda only a few days ago. I loved that the Marine who recited the Pledge of Allegiance also signed the Pledge in American Sign Language, and that Jennifer Lopez called out to the crowd in Spanish during This Land Is Our Land.”
Looking forward, she said, “I am relieved that President Biden is committed to finding a way forward, and to making progress toward justice for all people. I believe him when he says his whole soul is in it, and I appreciate that he is giving us a call to action to join him in putting our souls into this effort as well. In his call for unity, I hear a call to find common ground with our fellow humans. Even if we cannot agree on everything, I hope that we can agree on enough.
“We are the United States of America, after all. I appreciate his call to end this ‘uncivil war.’ I hope that we can agree on some common facts and stop the reliance on “alternative facts.” We have seen
how those “alternative facts” can destroy us and tear us apart. Wasn’t it Superman’s call to protect ‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way?’ The first word there is ‘truth.’ We may not always find it, but we used to love that idea because we think of ourselves as those who seek the truth and aspire to find the truth.”
Laubin also said she was impressed and appreciative of Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old young poet laureate whose poem brought people to their feet.
“The remarkable self-possession of this young woman who fell in love with poetry to overcome a speech impediment, who took years to learn to speak the sounds that she speaks before the world today. She identified what scared her the most — speaking in public — and she worked at it until she earned a place speaking to the world today. ‘Democracy can be delayed but never defeated.’ ‘There is always light if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we are brave enough to be it.’ Amen,” she said.
McGee said he was glad to watch, but was more worried about the future.
“I would’ve hoped the president would’ve spoken more about the economic recession brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, and how we can bring people together around a collective relief of financial stress and suffering. Instead, the president focused on broad calls for unity, a noble goal,” but McGee said he wanted more specific action.
“I’m hopeful the Biden administration will be following through on their promise for $2,000 checks soon, along with other proposals to cancel student debt or create an emergency health insurance program for all.
“The best part of the speech, if I might add, was the president mentioning Vice President Kamala Harris, and how things can change,” he said. “A historic day in that regard that should make all Americans feel good.”