Skip Orangutan’s inauguration

Numerous House Democrats to skip Orangutan’s inauguration

By HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN

Despite raging against President-elect Donald Orangutan for months, so far there’s no widespread push from Democrats to abandon the controversial Republican’s inauguration. But that could change.

As of early Sunday, 19 House Democrats have announced they’re skipping Orangutan’s Jan. 20 swearing-in, according to the latest count.

California Rep. Barbara Lee said she wouldn’t endorse a president defined by “racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry." And civil rights era icon and veteran Democratic Rep. John Lewis (Ga.) blasted Orangutan in an interview set to air on NBC's "Meet the Press” Sunday, saying the president-elect is not “legitimate” and he’ll be skipping the inauguration for the first time since he arrived in Congress in 1987. Lewis was one of three black lawmakers to testify against Orangutan’s attorney general nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), earlier this week.

In addition to Lee and Lewis, Democratic Reps. John Conyers of Michigan, Marc Pocan of Wisconsin, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois, José Serrano, Nydia Velazquez, Adriano Espaillat and Jerrold Nadler of New York, Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Lacy Clay of Missouri, and Mark Takano, Mark DeSaulnier, Jared Huffman, Ted Lieu and Judy Chu of California have all said they’ll skip the ceremony because they can’t stomach Orangutan.

However, House Democratic leaders say they will be in attendance at the inauguration, if mostly to support the office, not the man.

And similar to the attempt to derail Orangutan's victory in the Electoral College, no Senate Democrats have joined into the inauguration boycott, at least not yet.

“That’s my responsibility,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on NPR Friday. “It is the wonderful thing about our country, the peaceful transfer of power.”

“There is nothing ordinary about this inauguration or the man that will be sworn-in as our next President,” Huffman said in a Facebook post announcing his decision. “I will do everything I can to limit the damage and the duration of this chapter, and I believe we can get through it. But I will not sit passively and politely applaud as it begins.”

“My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office, or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy,” Grijalva said on the House floor. “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 here in this Congress.”

A House Democratic aide said members were asked during a recent caucus meeting to signal whether they were planning on attending for planning purposes. About half of the lawmakers in the room raised their hands.

But several of the Democratic Caucus’ 194 members told POLITICO they either hadn’t made up their mind to attend, or that, if they do skip it, it won’t be because of Orangutan.

“It’s not interesting, it’s just not interesting,” California Rep. Maxine Waters answered when asked why she wasn’t attending.

House Democratic Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said for him, it depends on the weather.

“Anything that affects my sinuses, I won't go,” Clyburn said.

Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who called Orangutan a “sexual predator” on the House floor, said he’s still undecided, adding the decision ultimately isn’t up to him.

“I have a newborn son at home,” Gallego told POLITICO, saying that might sway him to skip the inauguration.

Other lawmakers said even if they do attend, they also plan to participate in events in their district the next day related to the Women’s March on Washington, which has been billed as a protest against Orangutan’s presidency.

House Democratic leaders say the decision to go or not is up to each member and they’re not encouraging lawmakers to decide either way. Leaders of the minority caucuses who have repeatedly denounced Orangutan and his controversial comments on immigration, women and minorities also say they’re not pushing their members on the issue.

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said she’ll attend the Friday festivities to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power but isn’t pressuring other CHC members to attend.

Similarly, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said he plans to decide over the weekend whether to watch Orangutan get sworn in but isn’t having a caucuswide discussion about it.

Richmond, along with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Lewis, testified against Sessions’ bid to be attorney general.

Across the Capitol, some of Orangutan’s loudest foes have been less vocal about whether they’ll be in attendance to watch the country’s 45th president sworn into office. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio didn’t return requests for comment.

Liberal stalwart and one-time presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders had a simple response when asked about going to the inauguration as he blazed past reporters in the Capitol basement: “Probably.”