Pics From Washington, DC

Seven Days correspondent Kevin J. Kelley is in Washington, covering the inauguration for the Kenyan newspaper, The Nation.

He'll also be sending us updates, which we'll post here.

These are photos of:

1. A kitschy Obama painting at a downtown DC gallery."
2. A scene from The Mall late Monday afternoon. Says Kevin, "The Mall is lined with jumbotron TVs that are currently showing replays of yesterday's concert."

More as we get it.

Obama Approval

President Elect Obama is apparently receiving high approval ratings, even from people who didn't vote for him. Vermonter Steve Benen, who blogs for Washington Monthly, expressed surprise about this the other day.

But after spending Christmas with my family in North Carolina, I'm not surprised. I had some interesting conversations with my conservative relatives — including my 89-year-old, World-War-II-vet, Catholic grandfather — all of whom supported McCain.

All of them were ready to give Obama a chance — even my uncle who loves Rush Limbaugh. My grandfather actually told me he was "hopeful" that Obama could bring about "real change," because "we sure need it."

These are people who mocked me mercilessly when I supported Bill Clinton as a teenager. People who loathe Al Gore and John Kerry. 

I'm not sure why they've changed their minds, but I know that something has definitely changed. Honest to God, I never thought I'd see the day that we'd both look at the same politician and see the same thing. But here we are. I wonder how long it can last?

Anybody else have unusual Obama approval anecdotes?

Interview With the 'Hope' Portrait Artist

TPMtv interviews artist Shepard Fairey. He's the guy behind the iconic "Hope" and "Progress" portraits of Obama.

He's also responsible for those Andre the Giant images that pop up every now and then — there used to be one spray painted on the low concrete wall by the Fletcher Free Library. Not sure if it's still there.

Inauguration Information

Planning to watch the inauguration tomorrow? Planning to party afterwards?

We listed a bunch of inaugural events in our NOW e-newsletter this week. Here's a recap, in case you missed it:

• Inauguration Party, hosted by Democracy for America and Vermont Daily Briefing, Tuesday, January 20, Nectar's, Burlington, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free.
• Inauguration Screening, Tuesday, January 20, McCullough Student Center, Middlebury College, noon, free.
• Inauguration Screening, Tuesday, January 20, Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Free, bring a dish to share to the potluck.
• Inauguration Footage, Tuesday, January 20, McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael's College, Colchester, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free.
• Inauguration Celebration, Tuesday, January 20, Montpelier City Hall Auditorium, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Free, bring a potluck dessert to the evening dance party, featuring the Dave Keller Band.
• Obama Inauguration Celebration, hosted by the Rutland County Democrats, Tuesday, January 20, Table 24, Rutland, 11:30 a.m., Donations.
• Inaugurating Hope, Tuesday, January 20, Big Picture Theater & Café, Waitsfield, 5-9 p.m. $4-6, bring a potluck dish to share.
• People's Inaugural Ball, Tuesday, January 20, Langdon Street Café, Montpelier, 8-11 p.m. Free.
• 'Yes We Did' Inauguration Celebration, Tuesday, January 20, Hanover Inn, Hanover, NH, 5:30-9:30 p.m. $20 includes appetizers and one drink ticket.

And if you haven't yet had your fill of inauguration coverage, check out The Chicago Reader's comprehensive Obama Reader. Some great links here to articles from the Reader's archive, including their first profile of Obama, from 1995.

The Washington City Paper also has a comprehensive Inauguration Guide, with info on news and events in D.C.

For coverage of locals headed to D.C., check out the Community Reports blog on WPTZ's website. We'll also have reports here on Blurt from our correspondent Kevin J. Kelley, who's in D.C. covering the event for the Keyan paper The Nation.