The Presidential Inaugural Committee: Out With the Old, In With the... Old

    Daniel Halper of the Weekly Standard noted the following on Thursday:

Two days after reports that hotels in Washington are not filling up ahead of Barack Obama's second inauguration, the president emailed supporters to encourage them to come to the festivities scheduled for next month in Washington, D.C.
"Because of you, I'll be taking the oath of office again on January 21st," Obama wrote in an email to supporters. "I'd like you to be part of this historic moment -- whether that's in Washington, D.C., or wherever you call home. As we make plans, we want to make sure the people who made this inauguration possible are the first to know what's happening."

    Also being a subscriber to the Obama for America email list used incessantly during the campaign, I received the same email as did no doubt millions of others.  The email goes on to note that to be updated on further developments relating to the upcoming inauguration, one can sign up for yet another email list and a link is provided:

Sign up and stay updated: 

http://action.2013pic.org/Inauguration

    The link is to a website established by the President Inaugural Committee 2013 (PIC).  There a visitor can enter an email address to receive the updates.  Once an email address is entered, visitors are taken to.... (drumroll, please) a donations page!

    While this organization is separate from the President's Obama for America campaign organization, once one gets beyond the honorary leadership of the committee, quite a few familiar names pop up:

• Chair, PIC Board of Directors  Stephanie Cutter
• Chair, PIC Finance  Rufus Gifford
• Chair, National Day of Service  Jen O'Malley Dillon 
• Chair, National Mall  Patrick Gaspard
• Chair, Inaugural Parade  Jim Messina
• Chair, Inaugural Balls and Receptions  Julianna Smoot
• Chief Executive Officer  Stephen Kerrigan (CEO of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee)
• Executive Director  David J. Cusack (Senior advisor to the CEO of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee) 
• Senior Advisor  Clark Jennings (Senior director of convention operations at the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee, March-Oct. 2012.)
• Communications Director  Brent Colburn (Communications director at Obama for America.)
• Technology Coordinator  Mackenzie Walker (Executive Tech Assistant at Obama for America from July 2012.)
• Compliance Director  Jesse Sendroff (Compliance director for the Democratic National Convention Committee, Dec. 2011-Oct. 2012.)

    Since it appears the Inaugural Committee is basically the president's reelection campaign with a new coat of paint, it can be assumed that the next three weeks will be filled with opportunities to donate to the 57th Presidential Inauguration.  And in case you were wondering, the PIC wants your donation to be as hassle-free as possible, so in keeping with the tradition established by Obama for America, you won't have to be bother to turn over your credit card and enter that annoying three-digit security code (security-schmecurity!)  It's comforting to know as we enter the uncertainty of 2013 that a new year always brings, some things will never change.