Can Anything Prevent The Trump Take-Over Tomorrow?

This is what Trump has done to the Lincoln Memorial (the jumbo-tron is not photoshopped)

Tomorrow, America will see the inauguration of a deranged and narcissistic fascist with shady ties to brutal Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. According to a CBS poll released Wednesday, Trump's approval rating is just 32%. In contrast, other recent presidents of both parties have had sky-high transition approval ratings. George H.W. Bush's was 82%, Bill Clinton's was 81%, Obama's was 80% and even George W. Bush's, which wasn't nearly as high (72%), was still way over double Trump's. And yet... barely over a third of the Democratic congressmembers are boycotting the horror tomorrow. And not a single senator is joining them. (At last count, there were 70-something congressmembers who have announced they're staying away from the Day of Shame events.)

The 3 top leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, co-chairs Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva and first Vice-Chairman, Mark Pocan, are staying away. Grijalva explained why he's going to be in Tucson Friday. Rather than participate in the inauguration," he explained, "I will be joining with members of my district to reaffirm and renew this democracy and the people that are part of it. My decision to skip the inauguration is not motivated by disrespect for the office of the president, or by disrespect for the government. It is an individual act of defiance at the disrespect shown to the millions of Americans by this incoming administration."

Donald Trump wants to deport millions of people who call this country home, create a national registry for Muslims and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Skipping his inauguration is a necessary step in the fight to reject his harmful policies and stand with those who will be most at risk during his presidency.

The majority of voters rejected Trump-- they deserve respect. The 20 million Americans threatened by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act with no replacement-- they deserve respect. And the millions of voters who did not participate in the election because they blame both parties-- they deserve respect, too.

That's why during the inauguration I will be at home in Arizona meeting with seniors, the immigrant community, health care providers, and folks that care about the environment and climate change. I will join with the people of Tucson to demand respect from the Trump administration.

Now is the time for us to come together to defend and protect the future of all Americans.

David Cicilline is a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He's decided that he should go top the Trump Inauguration and he explained why-- after hearing from lots of angry Rhode Islanders-- on his Facebook page yesterday. He points out that he "worked hard to prevent Donald Trump from becoming our 45th President. When Trump's affinity for Vladimir Putin came into focus last summer, I asked President Obama to cut off his access to classified intel. I denounced his deplorable comments on women and people with disabilities, and his attack on Latinos as the hate speech that it was. And I condemned his selection of Mike Pence, a running mate with an unambiguously anti-LGBT record. Since his election, I have refused to give a single inch to the President-elect. I led more than 160 of my colleagues demanding that he rescind his appointment of Steve Bannon as White House chief strategist. I introduced new legislation that requires him to release his tax returns so we finally know what he's hiding. And just this past weekend I condemned him for his outrageous comments about John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement and a man who I am proud to call my friend."

And yet, Cicilline is still going tomorrow. Why? This is what he says:

I understand the frustration that people are feeling over the results of this election, and I share it. Some of my colleagues have decided the most powerful way to express their opposition to the incoming administration and the policies of the new President is to boycott the inauguration. I have deep respect for their decision and recognize that this is one way to express strong opposition. Others, like me, think it's an equally powerful message to attend the inauguration to make it clear that we're in this fight from the very first minute he takes office and for the next four years.

Tens of thousands of Americans and many Rhode Islanders are taking time out of their lives to travel to Washington D.C. to protest the incoming Administration on Inauguration Day, and I will be there in solidarity and in opposition to the policies and the rhetoric of Donald Trump. And to carry on that message, on Saturday, I will join the Women's March on Washington to oppose Trump’s agenda and to commit to fight for our shared values.

Serving our state is the honor of my life. It's a responsibility that I never take lightly. And as your Representative, I promise that I will not surrender the field to Donald Trump for a single moment. He may be our 45th President, but I will be there to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear in Washington.

I take him at his word. He's a good member of Congress; better than most. The DWT strategy-- articulated by Noah: "Disdain, Derision and Zero Tolerance"-- isn't the same as Cicilline's but that doesn't mean I don't respect his decision and his service. This is a symbolic effort. I believe in it.

Alan Lowenthal, a progressive policy wonk who represents Long Beach, California had been reported by the L.A. Times to be going. He told me he never spoke with the Times about it and that he's been undecided and trying to figure out the best thing to do after Trump's deranged attacks on John Lewis. He told me this morning that "After much soul searching, and two days of listening to my constituents, I felt I could not attend the inauguration." In a message to those constituents he said that "On inauguration day, our nation invests the President-elect with executive power. We do not anoint the President with respect.  Respect must be earned. Donald Trump, in his attacks on Rep. Lewis, and minorities, and women, and the disabled, has yet done little to earn my respect. For that reason, and in solidarity with those he has attacked, I have decided not to attend the inauguration. I sincerely hope that over the next four years President Trump will work hard to earn the respect of all Americans, not just those who voted for him. The American people deserve it and the office of the President requires it."

Meanwhile, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the most truly disgusting and unworthy member of Congress on either side of the aisle-- if Trump was smart, he'd ban her from his inauguration-- decided to send out an e-mail implying she was resisting Trump. She asked her supporters to send her money because Friday is the inauguration. What she didn't say, of course, is that she's one of the corrupt deplorables who can barely wait to mingle with the lobbyists and fellow insiders at the inauguration. She'll be there... in all her contemptible shame and lack of dignity.

Blue America started this page when only a tiny handful of members were supporting Luis Gutierrez's call for a boycott. We've raised nearly $12,000 in 4 days for members to encourage this kind of resistance. But, in the end, what we're looking for is men and women in Congress willing to hold the line on bad policies and bad nominees. Bernie says he's going to the inauguration. So are Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken. Did you hear their questioning of Trump's horrible nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary Wednesday? That's more important. The votes from Democrats on Tom Price's putrid  nomination will mean a lot more-- in every way-- than whether or not they decide to go to the Trumpanzee inauguration. But if you want to show solidarity with the members who aren't going... here's the place (just tap that thermometer):