Inaugural tickets? Buyer beware

Posted: Monday, November 17, 2008 4:12 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC's CarrollAnn Mears
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced legislation that should be voted on this week to prohibit the sale and counterfeiting of tickets for the inaugural. She said inaugural tickets "are not issues of commerce."

"Excitement is at an all-time high,” said Feinstein, chair of the Senate Rules Committee and as such is in charge of the Inauguration of the President. “People are desperate to be part of it."

She also said there could be "as many as 1.5 million people descend on the capital."

The legislation would treat the selling of tickets for the Obama inaugural as a Class A misdemeanor with a fine and/or imprisonment for up to a year. Tickets to the inaugural are not yet available.

The legislation is intended at stopping those "who try to dupe the public," Feinstein said. She added that "the chance to witness [the inaugural] ... should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game. This is not a football game."

Of course, scalping tickets to football games is also illegal.

Feinstein said tickets -- which again are not even yet available -- are being offered on the Internet from $5,000 to as high as $45,000 apiece. There are as many as 15 to 20 Internet sites “selling” tickets they do not have.

"I find it unconscionable,” Feinstein said. “Tickets are supposed to be free to people" who worked on the election, for African-American community, for people all across the country. "They are free, and they should stay that way."

Feinstin added they must make sure the inaugural has the "dignity it deserves.” She told her fellow senators that she is working to see if there is any way the Senate can secure more tickets.

Feinstin also thanked eBay for announcing that no Inaugural tickets will be sold on its Web site.

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Comments

The election was B.S. So who really cares about B.S. Tickets???

FACT (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:19 PM)

The individuals who are abusing this process are really greedy, and trying to destroy the critical meaning of this process. Use common sense my fellow citizens, and everything should go smoothly. That is fact!

Rock,Janesville,Wisconsin (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:21 PM)

IT IS PROBABLY OBAMA'S IDEA TO SELL TICKETS AND HE WILL GIVE THE MONEY TO ACORN.

IT IS PROBABLY OBAMA'S IDEA TO SELL TICKETS. (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:22 PM)

Look, ten bucks a pop at the door. 10*1.5million. Proceeds can go to retiring one one-hundred-millionth of our national debt.

Wilson, Seattle (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:23 PM)

"...Of course, scalping tickets to football games is also illegal..." Not everywhere, it is legal in KC, MO. I was not planning on buying a ticket; my brother in law was promised them by the wife of a congressman,...is that not in the spirit of the intent?

PS. Did Meg Whitman have a stake in reducing the number of attendees? If ebay won't do it for money, it can't be done,...Or something less sarcastic.

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Jess, from earlier – Apparently you weren’t watching the same campaign or debates that I was. McCain is a ‘has been, washed up’ DC CAREER politician. His mediocrity and frat boy behavior caused his ‘sacrifice’ for his country and he’s played the POW card every opportunity he could. He has gamed the system, his personal life and basic relationships to a literal tit for tat. His idea of Country First is McCain First. He is lacking in character and substance and was not able to articulate a single policy issue during the campaign that would be different from the existing administration. He showed a complete lack of judgment in picking the pitbull with lipstick after one face to face interview. The ‘heartbeat away’ would have been a blunderous disaster. I can see you are still in pain; but Obama received more than 7 million votes more than McCain. In our wonderful democracy – Obama WON. And yes, as a public servant who has literally been paid by my tax dollars, McCain DOES still have to prove something to me. He is in DC to do the PEOPLE’s work. I don’t give a good hot damn which state he represents – I help pay his salary and bennies and he needs to not forget that as he continues in his service to this great country.
Byrd Doggie (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 2:32 PM) But of course, that dog won’t hunt,…(laughter card, please).
New York Mike (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 3:03 PM) On the schumer comment,…the term ‘professional comedian’ implies that someone might actually pay money to hear his jokes. He is amateur at best.

Clara Kansas City, MO (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:24 PM)

If you gotta pay, that ain't the way!

Channeling my inner Johnnie Cocheran.

Wish I could get my hands on some. Called both senators, my rep, and even Joe Biden's office and they're all sold out. Still taking that day off of work as a holiday. Not missing this day of history even if I have to watch it on TV. I'm looking forward to it even more than Christmas.

64 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:28 PM)

Actually, scalping laws vary wildly by state and event type - most permit selling above face value (scalping) beyond a certain number of feet from the venue. Otherwise, StubHub would not exist, and the Cubs would not have recently started scalping their own tickets (they call it a "premium").

Certain organizations make your tickets forfeit if you sell above face value (SB) but almost no one gets caught on that.

So DiFi is looking to plug a hole in the law - just not sure it would ever really be enforced (at least without buy-in from the big e-sites).

Berkeley Bear in Illinois (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:33 PM)

Only one ticket per voter registration. Same rule applies that ACORN used. Want more, register more. Just be careful.

Mike Rouse, Tabor City, NC (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:36 PM)

Hey...if I can get tickets to the inauguration and sell them, why shouldn't I? It could go toward the higher taxes I am going to be paying under Obama. (And before I get hammered by people saying that I must make more than 250k, I don't. When he raises corporate and capital gains taxes, who do you think pays those? Corporations?)

El Perro (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:36 PM)

Would someone please explain why I need an inauguration ticket? Pennsylvania Avenue is a public street. You just stand there and wave as the limo with the president goes by. Has something changed from past inaugurations that would prevent me from doing this without a ticket?

nuanced (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:37 PM)

Hey FR!!! How about some info on when these tickets will be available?!?!?

I really wanna go!!!! (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:51 PM)

Fake tickets - for a fake President. Fitting really.

HMI-MI (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:56 PM)

Everyone that attends the inaugeration gets a free years pay that's paid for by the ones that didn't attend the inaugeration. That's also known as a "Trickle Up" economy.

Dick Trickle (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 4:59 PM)

Fake tickets - for a fake President. Fitting really.
HMI-MI
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Then why don't you just stay home? Thank God people like you are a dying breed.

Jealous much? (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 5:03 PM)

Man, the Repukes are STILL grumpy, aren't they? Well, my friends, welcome to OUR world for the last 8 years! Get use to it; Obama's going to be in office for at least 8 years! Maybe if you hadn't put up a 72 year war monger and an idiot, things might have been different for you....then again, maybe not. You ARE Republicans, afterall! HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Diane from Illinois (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 5:08 PM)

Nice to know that the Democratic controlled Senate feels that scalping tickets is more important then the problems they caused.

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 5:11 PM)

Republicans are just jealous that if McCain won his inauguration would not have filled the rotunda of the White House.

Debbi2 (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 6:36 PM)

Ah, I love to see the Republicans pain...Time will heal your wounds..

Brad, Portland,OR (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 7:49 PM)

As a Californian, I am once again disappointed in Feinstein, seriously with all that is going on, she worries about this.

Also we need to have some way to get tickets, there is only 200 for each congressman to give out, and for someone in a congressional district with almost a million people my odds of getting a ticket the regular way is not high, unlike someone in Wyoming where the whole state doesn't have as many people, as some districts.

Proud Democrat but tired of Feinstein, shes only in office to make sure her husband gets more military contracts. US citizens die, innocent civilians die and Feinstein's husband makes more money. Great system.

CA resident (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 9:52 PM)

you need a ticket to get on the Capital lawn area, you don't need one for the capital mall.

Gabriele, Seattle (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 10:00 PM)

I heard John McCain has a couple hundred tickets he's looking to ditch. God knows he doesn't need them NOW.

Full Moon (Sent Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:04 AM)

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