Tickets Here! Tickets There! A Ticket Thicket Everywhere from Cong. James Moran

He gave them away “from the trunk of his car” Saturday night after the Fairfax County Inaugural Ball, one recipient told me at the Netroots Ball in Arlington.

”I guess it just takes personal contact,” he gleamed. He is not a constituent of Cong. Jim Moran. I am.

I did not get one of Moran’s tickets.

I requested Inaugural tickets from Moran and from Sen. James Webb following the procedure outlined by the Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee. My requests were denied in almost replica e-mail letters I received from each. (See earlier post.)

Please understand: I campaigned for Jim Moran; I knocked on doors on fall weekends for Jim Moran; I telephoned for Jim Moran. For the Democratic ticket I cooked for the campaign, I used my car for the campaign. I gave up my time in-between jobs to work on the campaign. I went to weekly meetings for the campaign.

For Barack Obama I canvassed in three states. I traveled. I donated. I spent my own money on expenses.

I got a Inaugural ticket all right, but not from the campaign for which I worked so strenuously, so tirelessly, so energetically.

I got a ticket from a lobbyist.

Congressman Moran forgot about me. I won’t forget about him.

Rejected by Sen. Webb and Cong. Moran

Interesting, isn’t it, that almost identical letters from Sen. James Webb (D-VA) and Congressman James Moran (D-VA) arrive on the same day, rejecting my request for Inauguration tickets?

Who put the wording of the letters together? Better still, who gets the tickets? Sadly, my 24-year-old son serving in the Army, a young skeptic, said to me: “Mom, their cronies get the tickets.”

Will the offices release the names of the ticket holders? If not, why not? Why doesn’t the MSM write about that? Huh? Huh? Write about seats the MSM gets? Are you kidding?

Here is most of the wording:

Thank you for contacting Senator Webb's office regarding Inauguration tickets. As you may know, the Senator's office has received more than 35,000 total ticket requests and has been allotted only a few hundred tickets. (Who gets them?) Unfortunately, at this time, we are unable to accommodate your request for tickets to the Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol. However, please note that the remaining sections of the National Mall will be open to members of the public who were unable to obtain the limited tickets available. (Now isn't that sweet? On the Mall with 4 million others!)

We wanted to give you this status update well in advance of Inauguration Day so that you can plan accordingly. (Oh yeah? What am I supposed to do? Set up camp on the mall for three weeks? You think the Park Service and Secret Service will okay my plans?) Please also be aware that in addition to the public viewing area on the National Mall, there are a number of events during the week, including the Inaugural Parade, that do not require tickets. (Oh boy! I'll get to see the parade upfront and right on the Avenue! I wish.)

Due to the extraordinarily high interest in the Swearing-In Ceremony, Senator Webb has sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, requesting additional tickets to account for Virginia's proximity to Washington D.C. Should Senator Webb receive additional tickets from the Inaugural Committee or any other source and be able to accommodate your request, we will be sure to let you know. (You mean I have another chance? I am waiting in the wings, Senator Webb. Thank you!)

The Swearing-In Ceremony is the only Inaugural event to which our office has received tickets. Please see the links below for updated information on other Inaugural events that may interest you.

Senator Webb and Congressman Moran: Who got your tickets? Inquiring minds would like to know.