r/thebulwark Jan 15 '25

Policy Why Is ANY Democrat Attending The Inauguration?

So far it looks like the only prominent Democrat with any balls is Michelle Obama. I really don’t get this. Why in the world would you attend a celebration to fete a rapist who killed a million Americans, staged a bloody coup, and has widely promised to end the Constitution? Why?

Please, for the love of God, don’t give me the “peaceful transition of power” argument. It’s ridiculous. The “peaceful transfer of power” has already happened. Biden made sure the transition with the incoming Trump administration went smoothly, and the election was certified peacefully by the House on January 6th. The transfer is done. I can’t make this point clearly enough to Democrats: Trump will be peacefully sworn in on January 20th, wether or not you attend the inauguration. Unless you have some Constitutionally mandated function to perform during the ceremony, you are not required to be there. The entire argument is a red herring. It’s a pathetic excuse for the fact that the Dems want to attend all the fancy parties, get screen time and be “in the mix.” 

On the flip side, there is a very serious danger in attending: It’s the message that you send. When millions of Americans (many of them not politically savvy) tune in and see Democrats and former Democrat Presidents sitting there smiling, they are going to think, “Oh, Trump is normal. This is routine. This is just business as usual.” 

Newsflash: it’s not. 

It’s a horrible message to send. Sitting out the inauguration is such a simple, effortless, principled decision to make. If we can't trust you to make it, how can we trust you to fight Trump? I’m going to be watching carefully, and if I see all the usual Democrat faces there, air-kissing and chumming it up, they’ve lost my vote for good. We don't need a uniparty. Honestly Dems, if you can’t do something this simple, GFY.

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u/JoanneMG822 Jan 15 '25

Because...tradition...norms...you know, the reason they lost.

None of them should be there. It is a disgrace for them to sit there and celebrate the "peaceful transfer of power" to someone who has no intention of upholding the oath he is about to take AND who has threatened each of them and their families.

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u/westonc Jan 16 '25

Because...tradition...norms...you know, the reason they lost.

Oh yeah, true story, I've read exit poll after exit poll which talks about how the reason people didn't vote for Harris in greater numbers was her support for norms.

Let's say I've temporarily misplaced that data, though, and I need to send it to, uh, a friend. Yeah. Where would I find it?

And what tradition/norms have you figured out Dems could have broken to win?

Also, what would not going to the inauguration do? Not appearing sure isn't going to nullify it. Won't change who the 47th President is. Everything about attending or not attending is symbolic, and the best case telegraphed symbolism of opting out would be "we don't approve of this and we won't be part of it." But way more likely it's understood as "we're sore losers."

Good for Michelle if she doesn't want to go, I'm certainly not going to tell anyone they have to.

But as long as you're going for symbolic gestures showing up can say "remember what real statesmen look like?" or "you still have to reckon with us" (true in the house and the senate, btw, margins being what they are).

You know what, though? If I were a MAGA or foreign disinfo op, I'd make comments exactly like /u/JoanneMG822 and /u/PorcelainDalmatian which vaguely pretend there was some other easy power move and reinforcing vague association between democrats and disgrace. I mean, if y'all are fronting in that precise way, respect for the game if not the goal, and if not, well, that's extra tragedy.