Still Two Americas

With all the hope and emphasis on a progressive agenda yesterday, these two photos — one from an inaugural ball last night and the other from a Washington CityPaper slideshow from the edges of the inauguration — suggest the size of the gap between haves and have nots, and the challenge going forward.

(photo: Max Whittaker for The New York Times caption: Julie Micelli, deputy general counsel at the Department of Education, danced as the band Fun performed on stage. From NYT slideshow: A Night of Inaugural Festivities. (photo: Darrow Montgomery caption: Inauguration, 2013 Washington CityPaper slideshow.)