The nation is holding out hope for Obama the President.
D.C. area businesses are banking on the Obama phenomenon to produce its own economic stimulus package.
Entrepreneurs and local businesses are hoping Obama — “The Product” — will help their bottom line — Yes We Can — cash in!
With almost two months to go before Inauguration, the Obama-mania has become the Obama obsession.
Entrepreneurs are one-upping each other. According to the Washington Post, “At CafePress.com there are 96,000 different Obama-related designs for sale.”
Times are tough. We’re in a falling economy that hasn’t hit bottom yet and desperate times call for creative huckstering — wrapped in the red, white and blue of a historic inaugural celebration.
We can expect more than a million people to attend the inauguration – with many of those coming from out-of-town. Twenty thousand national and international media outlets will swoop in.
In the D.C. area, some residents see an opportunity to make quick cash by renting their homes to out-of-towners for inflated prices. Craigslist features many of the potential rentals. You can get a 3- bedroom, 2-bath home within 8 miles of the Capitol for 4 days starting at $10,000.
Actor Will Smith and basketball star Shaquille O’Neal got into a bidding war for a palatial residence on the water in Annapolis, Maryland. The actor outbid the athlete. My source says the going price was quarter of a million dollars.
Hotels within a hundred mile radius quickly sold out — except for the priciest packages. The Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill has a deal to accommodate eight people. They’re offering their Presidential Suite and three Capitol Suites for four nights, including limo pick-up; spa treatments; a couple of free meals and perhaps eight inaugural ball tickets (they’re still working on that) — for only $75,000! Hyatt spokeswoman Tammy Hagin told me the hotel has had a couple of serious inquiries — so, if you’re interested you’d better move fast.
Scalpers were salivating at the prospect for making big bucks selling tickets on line. Senator Dianne Feinstein rained on that parade by introducing legislation to make it illegal.
In a statement, Feinstein said:
“The Inauguration of the President is one of the most important rituals of our democracy. The chance to witness this event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game. This legislation is meant to immediately stop the unscrupulous behavior of those who obtain these tickets for free and then seek to profit by selling them, often at dramatically inflated prices. This bill also would target those duping the public with fraudulent tickets or promises of tickets they don’t actually have.”
Let the games begin — but “CAVEAT EMPTOR”.
