Inauguration day has meaning, at least it used to.
In the United States we have holidays to reflect our patriotism, such as the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, etc. These are all nice, but America’s Day is truly symbolized by the presidential inauguration, particularly when the pendulum swings from one political party to another, as we are about to experience. During my lifetime, I have witnessed the transfer of power from Ike to JFK, LBJ to Nixon, Ford to Carter, Carter to Reagan, George HW Bush to Clinton, Clinton to George W. Bush, GW Bush to Obama, and now Obama to Trump.
It is amazing we can transfer such power without a military coup. Instead, we do it peacefully; maybe not happily, but grudgingly. Nonetheless, somehow the transfer is executed smoothly. It is this phenomenon that truly amazes the world; to see the power switch in this country from one political ideologue to another without violence. Only in 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was installed as president, did the country descend into chaos and bloodshed.
Now we are on the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump where his opponents threaten various protests and boycotts, claiming his election was illegitimate and questioning the fitness of Mr. Trump to serve as president. They hope to disrupt the inaugural festivities and somehow find a way of stopping Mr. Trump from taking the oath of office. The rhetoric is just as passionate and harsh as the South’s criticism was of Mr. Lincoln, which should cause concern.
Whereas southern Democrats split away from the Union following Republican Lincoln’s election, today Democratic congressmen are protesting the election of Mr. Trump by boycotting his inauguration:
Don Beyer (D-VA)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Anthony Brown (D-MD)
Judy Chu (D-CA)
Katherine Clark (D-MA)
Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
William Lacy Clay (D-MO)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
Dwight Evans (D-PA)
Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Jared Huffman (D-CA)
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
John Lewis (D-GA)
Ted Lieu (D-CA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Jerrold Nadler (D-CA)
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
Jose Serrano (D-NY)
Darren Soto (D-FL)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Mark Takano (D-CA)
Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
Maxine Waters (S-CA)
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)
Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
John Yarmouth (D-KY)
(Names come from various news sources).
Frankly, I do not care if they attend or not, it is their choice. Nor should they be embarrassed in the future when Republicans do likewise to a Democrat President.
As to protesters, there have always been a minimal number attending the inauguration who were easily controlled, but activists today are calling for what could potentially be the largest number ever assembled. These are bitter people upset with the outcome of the presidential election and are pledging to disrupt the festivities and make Mr. Trump look bad.
Between angry protesters threatening anarchy, and boycotting Democratic Congressmen, America is now perceived as dysfunctional by the world community. They are also sending a dangerous message that America is on the verge of a second Civil War. This is hardly the perception we need to portray in order to remain the leader of the free world.
Stoking the flame of discontent is the media who has declared war on the incoming president. Their slant on the news can hardly be construed as fair and balanced, leaving the American people with only one side of the story. It is no small wonder Mr. Trump fights back through his Twitter feed.
If it was left to the protesters and media, they would like nothing better than to have Mr. Trump resign before he is even given a chance. Then again, this would mean our electoral process is flawed and the country is run by mob rule. To people who believe in the Constitution, this is simply not acceptable.
Let us hope the transfer of power goes smoothly on Friday and that Mr. Trump can pull off half of what he has promised, and the country will be a roaring success. It is either that or we return to gridlock or possibly much worse.
Keep the Faith!
