Criticism the cost of getting free Inaugural tickets

Today's Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News both feature editorial-page items knocking local politicos for not sharing information about how they divvied out their allotted free tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20. The Post went after all the members of Colorado's congressional delegation in its unsigned salvo, while...

By Michael Roberts

January 15, 2009

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Today's Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News both feature editorial-page items knocking local politicos for not sharing information about how they divvied out their allotted free tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20. The Post went after all the members of Colorado's congressional delegation in its unsigned salvo, while Rocky Mountain News scribe Vince Carroll zeroed in on Boulder Representative Jared Polis -- the very Polis who he lavished with extravagant praise in a column published on December 11. I guess the bloom is off the rose...

At any rate, those who didn't benefit from the largesse of elected officials can still get their Inauguration on -- but only if they have a wallet thicker than a Big Mac. StubHub.com is selling Inaugural parade tickets for anywhere between $240 and $1,509 a throw, and ducats for assorted Obama-centric events taking place around the same time are on the block, too. January 19's Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball is a relative bargain, with passes topping out at $206 per. In contrast, tickets for January 20's Presidential Inaugural Gala/Obama Home States Inaugural Ball are a whopping $7,500.

Makes you wish you'd done a little bit better at sucking up, doesn't it?

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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