MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow: ‘This is bigger than Christmas’

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MSNBC’s inaugural coverage opened with Keith Olbermann marveling over the hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

‘It is certain that the rush hour [President-elect Obama] and others are encountering today in Washington has never looked like this before’ he said. ‘It is likely that the swearing in of an American president has never looked like this before. Some sort of cross between Woodstock and a religious pilgrimage. As much as we have prepared for this ... I don’t think any words that have been used to anticipate the sight behind us, the sights around us this morning, could possibly do it justice. This is something from a movie, and a high budget movie at that.’

Co-anchor Chris Matthews added: ‘I just think there are two things to see out there, a lot of African American faces, predominantly in this crowd at least and an amazing number of flags. I keep thinking, 139 years after African Americans won at least the constitutional right to vote, an African American president is about to take office, and you see it.’

A few minutes later, Olbermann, again noting the size of the crowds, talked about the way pundits underestimated Obama at every turn--from undercutting his chances of winning the nomination and later the election to the size of the audience his inauguration would draw.

Co-anchor Rachel Maddow sized it up: ‘I think we’ve underestimated the capacity for forgiveness, enthusiasm, lack of partisanship among people who have been angry at the Bush administration, people who do not like the Bush administration, who are not turned against their government, who are not cynical about politics. But are willing to absorb their feelings about Bush and move on in a way that makes them feel positive, involved, enthralled, patriotic.’

‘Patriotic,’ Olberman repeated.

‘If you’re a civics dork, this is bigger than Christmas,’ Maddow said.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez