‘Democracy Prevailed:’ The 5 tweets that sum up the Biden inaugural | Thursday Morning Coffee

Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

There’s much that stands out from the inaugural ceremonies on Wednesday that saw President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the keys to the White House amid one of the most challenging times our country has ever faced.

But one of the things that stays with us is the extraordinary ordinariness of the day. For the first time in four years, Americans saw an administration observing the norms that most of us have come to associate with American presidents as well as a few innovations: An inaugural address that that inspires, rather than casts a dark shadow; a resumption of business as usual, including the first White House press briefing in recent memory; and an administration that looks like the nation it will serve.

Certainly, after the violence that rocked the U.S. Capitol on Jan.6, that was by design. Biden stressed more than once that the days and hours leading to Wednesday’s ceremony was a triumph of American democracy. It surely was a reminder that we all needed.

Wednesday was a day full of moments. Here are five of those moments, captured on Twitter on Wednesday

Closing the door on one chapter of American history.

Before leaving the White House for the last time, President Trump is said to have left the traditional note for his successor in the Oval Office. It was not clear what he said in his letter to President Biden. https://t.co/SckQij3soE

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 20, 2021

And opening another.

Biden, Harris set to take oath in ceremony unlike any other https://t.co/lWgWN3KD1X

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 20, 2021

A glass ceiling shattering.

BREAKING: Kamala Harris takes the oath of office to become the first woman Vice President of the United States of America. https://t.co/qjeUynJUdz #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/S0X0yAuevr

— ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2021

A speech that called for the most tenuous  and elusive of all things: Unity.
“We can see each other, not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,” Biden said,

I hope you'll take the time to read the text of Biden's inaugural speech. Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, a conservative or liberal, these were needed healing words that I hope will resonate in every patriotic soul. https://t.co/AXSjMtYato

— Evan McMullin 🇺🇸 (@EvanMcMullin) January 20, 2021

An extraordinary moment of poetry: Amanda Gorman, 22, is the America’s youngest inaugural poet.. And she’s The future is indeed bold.

Amanda Gorman’s first political memory is her mother reading her Miranda Rights https://t.co/hzugAtbrjF

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 20, 2021

Bonus … U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and all of the memes.

I am once again asking you to check out these memes. https://t.co/1jMQkyTCNZ

— NPR (@NPR) January 20, 2021

Our Stuff.

A new police oversight board, created by an executive order signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, holds its first meeting today. Elizabeth Hardison has the details.

From our Washington Bureau and our staff: A complete package of coverage from Wednesday’s festivities, including excerpts from President Joe Biden’s speech; a rundown of the actions that Biden took during his first day on the job, and reactions from Pennsylvania’s elected officials, from across the political spectrum. And, from me, a column about the promise — and the challenge — posed during Biden’s inaugural address.

On our Commentary Page this morning, new opinion contributor Frank Pizzoli, the former editor and publisher of the Central Voice, talks to LGBTQ Pennsylvanians about state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine’s looming move to the Biden administration. And from the president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, a question: Why should Pa. school districts be on the hook for the spiraling cost of under-performing cyber-charter schools?

Elsewhere.
The Inquirer runs down the list of Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents who received last-minute pardons from ex-President Donald Trump.
Doctors in western Pennsylvania are warning of vaccine shortages, the Tribune-Review reports.
PennLive’s John Baer wonders whether President Joe Biden really can end the ‘uncivil war’ in our politics.
The Morning Call examines how Lehigh Valley Airport weathered the pandemic.
The Citizens-Voice talks to Democratic women in Luzerne County about the presidential inauguration.

Here’s your #Pennsylvania Instagram of the Day:

 

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The Observer-Reporter talks to young Black women in Washington County about Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic ascension on Wednesday.
The Philadelphia group entrusted with a vaccine clinic in the city abandoned testing, stranding communities, WHYY-FM reports.
Immigration groups in Pennsylvania and Texas are working to undo penalties for asylum seekers in sanctuary, WITF-FM reports.
Erie County Community College has named its interim president, GoErie reports.
Stateline.org explains how the pandemic has extended sentences for some incarcerated individuals.
With the election of three historic senators, the U.S. Senate moves to effective Democratic control, Talking Points Memo reports.

What Goes On.
11 a.m., online: House Democrats roll out bills intended to tackle the looming eviction and foreclosure crisis.
1 p.m., online: The House Democratic Policy Committee takes on Republican misinformation surrounding the election.
2 p.m., G50 Irvis: The House State Government Committee holds a hearing on election reform issues.