THE CRUX OF IT: Conscientious lawmakers are refusing to support the Drumpf
No less than 50 lawmakers have stated that they are boycotting the coming inauguration.
I applaud these people and would do the same if I were in their position.
Some will immediately cry foul and claim that these people are guilty of being petty, or unpatriotic, or of being sore losers. That argument is simply a distraction.
There is no reason at all that anyone should be expected to celebrate anything or anyone so erroneous as this person simply in mindless compliance.
To actively support the antithesis of your belief structure is to abandon them altogether.
(This is an updated list)
- Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.)
- Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)
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Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
- Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.)
- Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.)
- Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.)
- Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.)
- Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
- Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.)
- Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
- Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)
- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)*
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
- Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.)
- Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)
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Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.)
- Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio)
- Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
- Rep. Al Green (D-Texas)
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
- Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.)
- Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
- Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)
- Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.)*
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.)
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Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-N.J.)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)*
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)
- Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.)
- Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.)
- Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.)*
- Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.)
- Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)
- Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.)
- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
- Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
- Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)
- Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.)
These are some of the quotes from various lawmakers:
Representative Maxine Waters (California) “I never ever contemplated attending the inauguration or any activities associated w/ @realDonaldTrump. I wouldn’t waste my time.”
Representative Raúl Grijalva (Arizona) “My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy, but as an individual act — yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress,” he said.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Illinois) “I could not look my wife, my daughters, or my grandson in the eye if I sat there and attended, as if everything that the candidate said about the women, the Latinos, the blacks, the Muslims, or any of those other things he said in those speeches and tweets, and that all of that is okay or erased from our collective memory.”
It has been reported that three of the four living former U.S. Presidents have indicated that they would also not be attending the dubious ceremonies. Time will tell how accurate that will be. Only Jimmy Carter has confirmed his attendance. But I predict that we may see that decision reversed.
With only a few days to go, let’s all encourage like-minded individuals to join in a collective “NOT A LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT” statement of one kind or another.