WASHINGTON » The lines were a little shorter, and the temperatures a little warmer, for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration Monday.
But one thing hasn’t changed in four years: The hundreds of islanders who made the long trek to the nation’s capital to see Obama kick off another four-year term still swell with pride at the thought of a son of Hawaii in the White House.
"It’s still amazing to us; someone from Hawaii is our nation’s president," said AJ Halagao of Manoa, who attended the president’s swearing-in ceremonies with his wife and two children, ages 8 and 6. The family then watched the inaugural parade from the rooftop of their hotel.
Halagao, a leader in the effort to bring Obama’s presidential library to the islands, said it was emotional — all over again — to see a native son taking the oath of office.
"It reminded me how proud I am to be an American," he said.
Daphne Barbee-Wooten of Makiki said there is no doubt that a lot has changed over the past four years — for Obama and for the nation. The president, she said, has "been in the trenches."
And, she contended, his inaugural address Monday — in which he called for a balanced approach to cutting spending and urged greater equality for women, gays and minorities — was less cerebral and more action-oriented.
Barbee-Wooten, an attorney, also attended the inauguration four years ago. On Monday she watched the swearing-in ceremonies with a group of friends. As a show of pride, she wore an Obama sweatshirt over a Martin Luther King Jr. T-shirt.
She said Obama — only the second president to be sworn in on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — is representative of how far the nation has progressed.
"We are truly coming close to the equality Martin Luther King was fighting for," she said.
Islanders like Barbee-Wooten who attended the inauguration in 2009 said this time around things ran much more smoothly; there were fewer long lines and shorter waits.
Temperatures — in the 40s —were also much more bearable than the 17-degree weather that drove 2009 inauguration attendees searching for warmth in coffee shops, Metro stations and hotel lobbies.
Inauguration organizers put the crowd count at Monday’s ceremonial swearing-in at 800,000 to 1 million, roughly half the turnout for Obama’s first inauguration.
It’s not unusual for a second-term president to see a decline in turnout for the inauguration, and the crowd counts were actually higher than anticipated.
Even with the smaller numbers, many of those who came out to see the president take a ceremonial oath of office (after taking the official one Sunday) still had their patience tested by security checks and road closures.
The inaugural ceremonies began at about 10:30 a.m., with entertainment and introductions of U.S. senators and representatives, but inauguration attendees began arriving well before sunrise, gathering in the areas where they could enter with or without tickets.
By 11:30 a.m. authorities had closed entry to the National Mall. People without free tickets from their House or Senate representatives could watch the inaugural celebrations on 21-foot television screens. At the same time, some areas reserved for ticket holders appeared empty.
Meanwhile, security lines moved relatively swiftly, but clogs were reported in key areas and in Metro stations.
And well before the inaugural ceremonies wrapped up, the crowd began to diminish as many made their way to Pennsylvania Avenue to secure prime spots for the inaugural parade.
Lines to the parade, which featured two Hawaii bands — from Kamehameha Schools and Punahou School — were as long or longer than those for the swearing-in ceremonies, and security was tight. But as with the inauguration ceremonies, things moved quickly — and there appeared to be few complaints.
Gloria Borland, a documentary filmmaker who lives half time in Hawaii, skipped the inaugural parade, opting instead to catch up on her rest after a whirlwind weekend of Hawaii-centric events in the nation’s capital.
Borland did make it to the inauguration ceremonies, though, with her 10-year-old daughter, Imiloa. The two also attended the inauguration in 2009.
Borland said they got to the line for their ticketing area around 9 a.m. and spent two hours getting through security.
The time spent was worth it, she said, adding that Obama exuded the aloha spirit in his inaugural address.
"It’s about Hawaii, it’s about getting along," she said.
Keith Amemiya, senior vice president of Island Holdings Inc., attended the inauguration with his wife and son, Christopher, a seventh-grader at Punahou. (Amemiya and his wife are also Punahou alumni, like the president, who graduated from the school in 1979.)
Amemiya said he’s a strong Obama supporter and wanted to cheer on the president in person.
"We’re proud he’s from Hawaii," he said. "It’s very special to witness a historic moment like this."
Alden Adaoag of Puhi, Kauai, said the lines to the swearing-in ceremonies Monday were decidedly mild compared with 2009, when trying to get anywhere was a hassle.
Adaoag watched the swearing-in ceremonies with his wife and four children, who range in age from 8 to 16. The whole family also came four years ago.
As he waited for the inaugural parade to begin Monday, Adaoag said he approved of Obama’s more direct tone in his inaugural address but isn’t convinced that the nation has seen the end of congressional gridlock.
"He has a lot on his plate," Adaoag added.
FOUR YEARS AGO Brian Schatz was chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii and watched Obama take the office as a member of the massive crowd gathered to see the nation’s first African-American sworn into the presidency.
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Schatz watched Obama take the office from the Capitol Hill stage. Schatz was selected in December to fill the seat left vacant by the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
After the swearing-in, Schatz said Obama’s second inauguration was a "proud moment for everyone in Hawaii."
He said the president made it clear that he wants to take action on climate change, gun control and immigration, and "we’ll stand with him."
"We’re honored to be part of a delegation that’s going to support him in any way that we can," he said, adding that Obama’s message and life story resonate with islanders not because he was born and raised in Hawaii, but because he "has Hawaii in his heart."
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said she joins Hawaii in "sending our aloha to our island son, President Obama, as he begins his second term."
In a statement, she recalled working for Obama’s grandmother, a Bank of Hawaii vice president, and marveling at her "determination and fight for fairness that clearly lives on in our president."
