Many of California’s congressional Democrats skipping inauguration
by Matt Fleming | January 17, 2017 5:31 pm
At least 15 of the 39 House Democrats from California are planning to boycott the presidential inauguration of Republican Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.
The reasons range from district work[1], to disdain for Trump[2], to responding to Twitter polls[3]. In all, more than 50 House Democrats[4] are planning on skipping the event.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will attend, however, out of a sense of “responsibility”[5] and to honor the “peaceful transition of power.” The two remaining undecided Californians[6] are: Senator Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles. Feinstein had a pacemaker installed[7] last week, while Becerra is going through the confirmation process to become California’s next attorney general.
While critics are already panning the boycotts, attending the inauguration is not a requirement; skipping it in protest is uncommon but not unprecedented. Around 80 Democrats skipped the ceremony for Richard Nixon in 1973 to protest a military strike in North Vietnam.
The only real requirement surrounding the inauguration is the oath of office being administered; everything else is a matter of “custom and tradition.” But that in itself creates a problem for Trump, said John J. Pitney, Jr., a Roy P. Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.
“Here is Trump’s problem. He proclaims that he is a disrupter and takes pride in flouting customs and traditions. … Accordingly, he and his defenders cannot turn around and fault the other side for flouting customs and traditions,” Pitney said. “If he wants a disruptive tenure, he’s going to get it, and he won’t like all of the results.”
- district work: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-congress-skip-inauguration-20170115-story.html
- disdain for Trump: https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/821391773549236224
- Twitter polls: https://twitter.com/RepKarenBass/status/821386974795743232
- 50 House Democrats: http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/here-are-the-democrats-skipping-trumps-inauguration?utm_content=buffer5adf1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- “responsibility”: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/house-democrats-inauguration-233613
- two remaining undecided Californians: http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-rep-tony-c-rdenas-will-skip-the-1484673793-htmlstory.html
- pacemaker installed: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/dianne-feinstein-pacemaker-233466
Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2017/01/17/many-californias-congressional-democrats-skipping-inauguration/