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Subscribe to RSSIf you were hoping to snag tickets to the Inaugural Ball when they went on sale Monday morning... you're already too late.
Due to a Ticketmaster goof, some users received the link to buy tickets 12 hours early.
A spokesperson from the Presidential Inaugural Committee confirmed to NBC Washington's David Culver that tickets are sold out, but wasn't certain whether that happened Sunday night or Monday morning.
"I was one of the ones who was literally watching my cell phone the entire time for that message saying how and when to buy tickets," Fran Hill told NBC Washington's Megan McGrath. "I was very disappointed... It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The Presidential Inaugural Committee had promised to make a limited number of tickets available online for $60.
Those who wanted the chance to buy tickets signed up at www.2013pic.org. The email containing the link to buy tickets should have gone out Monday morning.
Ticketmaster is attributing the issue to a testing error. The company sent a second email to users Sunday night that reads in part:
Public tickets to these events were originally scheduled to go on sale [Monday] morning -- you received the email tonight in error, and Ticketmaster takes responsibility for this mistake.However, a significant number of public tickets were purchased this evening, despite the early email. Ticketmaster will be in touch with any additional information.
However, some users received neither email.
Would-be ticket buyer Sarah Ward-Dahl received both messages from Ticketmaster, but missed the opportunity, she told NBC Washington.
"Unfortunately I am not glued to my devices unless I need to be (say the morning of January 7th to buy inauguration tickets) so by the time I logged in everything was sold out," she wrote.
The Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center is the only official ball also open to the public. The other official ball, the Commander-in-Chief's Ball is open to military servicemembers.
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Um, isnt this a RE-election?
Of course, those who bought will now they will sell on ebay for outrageous prices!
This wasn't a mistake.
It was Clint Eastwood who bought all the empty seats to have friends to talk to.......
It's not as big a goof as the results of the election were.
I think it's more like a once in every four years opportunity.
are they having booths with free obamaphones and welfare stamps?
It was reported last week that 1/2 the hotels in DC were still empty ? now its sold out ? sounds like the DNC convention that was moved from the football stadium to smaller venue because of weather (wink wink)
....It's more like "Goofballs snap up Inaugural tickets early."
Who in hell wants to see this useless and meaningless circus?
http://www.dropshots.com/GCaplan#date/2013-01-07/19:20:10
Corporate sponsors underwrite Obama’s inauguration extravaganza
By Eric London
8 January 2013
Figures released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee last Friday reveal that corporate sponsors are bankrolling the official gatherings surrounding President Barack Obama’s second inauguration later this month.
Providing support for red carpet events associated with the main inaugural balls allows the business elite to make good on quid pro quo arrangements established during the recent electoral and legislative seasons.
Included among the firms donating to the inaugural ball fund are Financial Innovations, a promotional products corporation that received nearly $2 million in business from the Obama re-election campaign, and Centene Corporation, a Medicaid management firm that is a major beneficiary of the administration’s health care overhaul.
Other donors to date include Genentech (biotechnology), Microsoft and AT&T. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is not required by law to release the donation amounts, although the committee has established a series of contribution levels, ranging from the “Washington” ($1 million) and “Adams” ($500,000) to the “Jefferson” and “Madison” levels of $250,000 and $100,000, respectively.
The decision to allow corporate donors to pay for the 2013 inaugural festivities is a shift from the policy four years ago, when such donations were banned. But after Obama’s election to a second term, even this fig leaf has been removed. Corporate sponsorship for the celebrations surrounding the inauguration this time around seems to be the logical product of an election that was largely corporate sponsored. Obama and Mitt Romney, the two big business candidates, combined to spend over $6 billion in the recent election, the most in history...
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/08/inau-j08.html
This will be a memorable inauguration with all the best that massive corporate donations can afford. There is nothing like the party that pretends to be against corporate welfare stuffing the fiscal cliff bill with tax breaks for the rich. Maybe the Obama inauguration signals a change in corporate policies as they now realize Democrats only like to pretend to be against corporate welfare in public, and as such dollars they send to Washington get results from either party.
Another Ticketmaster booboo. They are getting notorious for that and you have to wonder why they were used for this event.
Agreed. Isn't it enough that they have a stranglehold on the music industry that makes concert tickets ridiculously overpriced? Does our government have to endorse them too?
I am livid, the last election my link was sent to an email address I hadn't used in a year, but the request for money always seemed to be sent to the right email address. Now this year I get the link AFTER everything is sold out, and then they have the nerve to send an email asking for me to donate to the PIC and volunteer yeah right and why would they have ticketmaster handling this darn right you will see this tickets on craigs list just like last time, so you don't take care of your loyal volunteers and then think they are going to help you when you need it, I may just have to writr a response that will just go out to the WH, sorry all sold out! Pathetic! thanks now I have a non refundable hotel room and no tickets, screw this guess I will go down and visit the nice tourist spots!
Don't worry people. If you weren't screwed by Ticketmaster, you will get screwed by Obama, more than once in the next 4 years! It is GUARANTEED.
Mel, unfortunately for you, you chose to believe that your politicians care about you. They only care about your hard earned money. On the other hand, since you're gonna be in town, you could go to all the free museums and the zoo for a nice weekend. I am sorry that you wasted your money though, it sucks.
Another total waste of money devised by the egomaniacs in Washington. All of this money spent for pomp and circumstance on a govt. that only wants to serve their own self interest?
SHAME ON OUR POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON.
THIS COUNTRY ARRESTS MOST PROSTITUTES, WHY NOT THE ONES IN WASHINGTON ?
Yep. And Ticketmaster forgot to tell the ticket buyers they will have to be x-rayed, strip-searched, probed, groped, fondled, and submit to body cavity searches to get thru the door.
Senior, ya gotta look good when wasting other peoples money.
obama is an ass.......spending all this money on pomp is morally wrong.....but obama has no morals...no principles...no ethics......
Oh, so no other presidents on the GOP side have had an inauguration ball during a recession? Wow. Just wow.
doesn't matter..obama is an ass......and his followers?...you decide
Zohra and McPaddy -
" no other presidents on the GOP side have had an inauguration ball during a recession"
Actually, no. no other GOP POTUS has had AN inaugural ball - they've had an average of 8-10 official inaugural balls. Obama is spending the least of all POTUS's in 60 years.
news,
Ok, I'll buy your argument - now show us the actual amounts by potus.
The only other ball was Democrat Bill CLinton....
Some sites to look at regarding comparisons in price between Obama and Bush as well as the last link showing past presidential fundraising and the break down of costs and the rise of those costs over time:
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/01/comparing-inauguration-costs/
http://mediamatters.org/research/2009/01/19/media-make-false-comparison-of-inauguration-cos/146896
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/politics/inauguration/money.pdf
To the haters, you sound like second graders. Grow up. You lost. Get over it.
ALL of AMERICA LOST. Yep The only one that won, was Barry.
So what Lene, you're in the 3rd grade?
You are an ass LOL
Someone will blame all this on Obama in 3...2...1...
It's Obama's fault!!!! Not really but I hope this made your day.
I thought it was only government that did everything wrong.
Wait! Are GOP'ers anti-business by criticizing Ticketmaster???
well you are quite naive aren't you?
I wonder what information was required when some one "signed up"? oooopppppsssss One of those questions we are not suppose to ask....
Will Obama make another mistake this time when he is sworn in?Once again I won't be watching.
He didn't make a mistake it was Justice Roberts who made the mistake which the President caught I was there so since you didn't watch why would you make this up
Justice Roberts read the illegal alien version of the Oath for the presidency! Kenyan style
LOL - He is still your president when you get thru lying, denying and crying !
Bet it was done on purpose. Read only 2 balls not ten and demand is very low for tickets. Besides who would want to party with this empty suit anyway??
Holly, I take it you voted for Romney. Too sad. Now THAT was an empty suit if I ever saw one.
True Americans - not the red neck, name calling haters LOL!!!
Why are we selling tickets on Ticketmaster to begin with? Isn't this a "public event" by invitation only? I guess it's more of a concert. Is Bruce gonna play?
Only a complete fool would think this was actually a mistake. Please people.
PSP---first of all Obama did not make the mistake when sworn in; it was the judge. Read the official address, you will see he (the justice) omitted something from the statement. Obama, being the gentlement that he is, waited until the Justice spoke the "correct" version of the inaugural statement. It's amazing that "HATE will allow you to see what is right in front of you and you will still believe a lie.
Time to do some research and see who the hidden investors are in Ticketmaster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticket_master
I am saving my money for a much more worthy event. The annual "watching paint dry" competition.
HAHAHAHAHAHA Love it
I'm squishing piss ants that day.
I would rather stay home and watch TV and drink beer AL Bundy style
Now that pot is legal here....just took about 20 pounds of smoked king salmon, 10 lbs of Elk backstrap, and 5 lbs of morals out of the freezer for the Super Bowl...and squishing piss ants...is there a game on? Probably get the truck washed. And the wife's car. God I love America.
and those of us attending appreciate you staying away thanks!
Lol agreed.but what kind of beer....decisions decisions...
Bah humbug.....nobody in their right mind would spend money on ticketmaster to see one of Obamas balls!
One question pls. What is to celebrate? The fact we as a country are no longer the great country we used to be? Maaybe it's the economy still in the toilet. I fail to understand.
I would never attend his party even if I could afford it. Who cares?
I would rather stay home, keep the heat turned down, enjoy my meal of spagetteos and rice, and
watched my old 25 inch tv.
Damn.. I'm gonna miss his coronation.
Of course, if some on the looney left such as Chris Matthews get their way, Obama will be running for a 3rd term.
You all can have my ticket.
I rather watch the inauguration of a REAL president so I'll watch an excerpt of President Ronald Reagan's inaugurals instead.
Did Ronnie's trickle down money get all the way down to you yet?
Give it time. It's only been 30 years.
NevadaJ, I saw the funniest bumper sticker, well it's sadly funny, "trickle up poverty".
The first time I saw trickle up poverty was a month after Obama's inauguration.
The NRA has boughten all of the available tickets and Obama will not show up at any of the balls knowing he will experience the same welcome Assad, Mubarak, Quadaffi, and Morsy experienced. Every ballroom gown will have an AK-47 under it. If any terrorists show up, they will get a fill of lead. That means no Democrats and no news journalists will show up at any ball. Truth terrorists have been declared more dangerous than al Qaeda. Obama now is looking up, fearing Seal Team Six helicopters nearing the White House. He couldn't read the Presidential Order. Did it say Obama or Osame? F**k! Obama had Reid and Pelosi proof read that order. But they can't read either. Chop, chop, chop, chop, ....
The NRA President is more of a president than Obama! At least he is qualified and knowledgeable in his responsibilities unlike Obama.
Let's vote on line too.
Why should anyone be concerned that the only people who will attend this event - the ultra liberal pariahs in DC - can't get tickets? Now they'll have to deal with the scalpers and who better to have to deal with scalpers than ultra liberal scumbags.
Attention all you Obamabots: The tickets COST $60. No, Obama was NOT going to GIVE you $60.
Bet all the email that supposedly were sent in error went to Ticketmaster know scalpers, or sent to Ticketmaster affiliates to be sold on the open market. They could cancel these sales as they are time dated and redo the ticket sale on Friday instead of Monday that way everyone would have a chance (LMAO). I have been on Ticketmaster many times when tickets go on sale at 10am but for some reason I can't get into the sale for 3-4 minutes after 10 then when you get in you get a message qty not available please try again. So basically it's all sold out. Just another rip off by Ticketmaster and the scalpers. For those 3-4 minutes it says tickets aren't on sale yet as I watch the clock tick by.