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More Than 40 Dems Now Skipping Inauguration, While Planned Protests Grow
Protests are taking place in Washington, D.C., and beyond starting Thursday
Jan 16, 2017
More than 40 U.S. lawmakers now say they will not attend Donald Trump's pricey inauguration on Friday, while the nation's capital braces for large protests on that day and over the weekend.
The Washington Post is keeping a tally and put the count at 44 Democratic representatives on Tuesday morning. New additions to the list include Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Al Green (D-Texas), and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine).
"I fully accept the outcome of this presidential election," Pingree told attendees at an event honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday evening. "And, under normal circumstances, I would have no question at all about participating in this important ceremony, whatever party the incoming president was from."
"But these are not normal circumstances," she continued. "Throughout the election, Donald Trump proved so, making disparaging comments about everyone from women to minorities to the disabled. But what he's done since the election goes to another level. He's shown no interest in holding a foreign power accountable for interference in our democracy; he's put his business interests ahead of the country's; he's tweeted threats about people's civil liberties; and he belittled civil rights hero Representative John Lewis."
"President-elect Trump's actions go beyond any kind of reasonable debate--they threaten the constitutional values our country is based on," Pingree concluded. "I won't dignify or normalize those threats by standing by at his ceremony."
Pingree, like others have done, said she would participate in Saturday's Women's March on Washington, which is anticipating more than 200,000 attendees.
Other protests are scheduled for Friday, including one along the parade route itself and another just a few streets away. Furthermore, "[a]n estimated 1 million people plan to demonstrate in all 50 states and 32 countries," USA Today reported Monday. That includes Women's March solidarity events as well as anti-Trump events on Thursday and Friday.
The group organizing as DisruptJ20 is planning a "festival of resistance" to include issue-focused blockades as well as a permitted march on Friday. It also is supporting plans to protest the "fascist alt-right Deploraball," taking place Thursday night.
"The idea is to shut down access to the parade as much as possible and slowing it down to a crawl," DisruptJ20 organizer Legba Carrefour told NBC News. "Then there's the broader goal of shutting down the entire city around it and creating a sense of paralysis that creates a headline that says, 'Trump's inauguration creates chaos.'"
Mic's live Storm the Swamp 2017 map will be updated throughout the week to show key protests, disruptions, and demonstrations for and against the Trump administration.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
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More than 40 U.S. lawmakers now say they will not attend Donald Trump's pricey inauguration on Friday, while the nation's capital braces for large protests on that day and over the weekend.
The Washington Post is keeping a tally and put the count at 44 Democratic representatives on Tuesday morning. New additions to the list include Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Al Green (D-Texas), and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine).
"I fully accept the outcome of this presidential election," Pingree told attendees at an event honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday evening. "And, under normal circumstances, I would have no question at all about participating in this important ceremony, whatever party the incoming president was from."
"But these are not normal circumstances," she continued. "Throughout the election, Donald Trump proved so, making disparaging comments about everyone from women to minorities to the disabled. But what he's done since the election goes to another level. He's shown no interest in holding a foreign power accountable for interference in our democracy; he's put his business interests ahead of the country's; he's tweeted threats about people's civil liberties; and he belittled civil rights hero Representative John Lewis."
"President-elect Trump's actions go beyond any kind of reasonable debate--they threaten the constitutional values our country is based on," Pingree concluded. "I won't dignify or normalize those threats by standing by at his ceremony."
Pingree, like others have done, said she would participate in Saturday's Women's March on Washington, which is anticipating more than 200,000 attendees.
Other protests are scheduled for Friday, including one along the parade route itself and another just a few streets away. Furthermore, "[a]n estimated 1 million people plan to demonstrate in all 50 states and 32 countries," USA Today reported Monday. That includes Women's March solidarity events as well as anti-Trump events on Thursday and Friday.
The group organizing as DisruptJ20 is planning a "festival of resistance" to include issue-focused blockades as well as a permitted march on Friday. It also is supporting plans to protest the "fascist alt-right Deploraball," taking place Thursday night.
"The idea is to shut down access to the parade as much as possible and slowing it down to a crawl," DisruptJ20 organizer Legba Carrefour told NBC News. "Then there's the broader goal of shutting down the entire city around it and creating a sense of paralysis that creates a headline that says, 'Trump's inauguration creates chaos.'"
Mic's live Storm the Swamp 2017 map will be updated throughout the week to show key protests, disruptions, and demonstrations for and against the Trump administration.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
More than 40 U.S. lawmakers now say they will not attend Donald Trump's pricey inauguration on Friday, while the nation's capital braces for large protests on that day and over the weekend.
The Washington Post is keeping a tally and put the count at 44 Democratic representatives on Tuesday morning. New additions to the list include Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Al Green (D-Texas), and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine).
"I fully accept the outcome of this presidential election," Pingree told attendees at an event honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday evening. "And, under normal circumstances, I would have no question at all about participating in this important ceremony, whatever party the incoming president was from."
"But these are not normal circumstances," she continued. "Throughout the election, Donald Trump proved so, making disparaging comments about everyone from women to minorities to the disabled. But what he's done since the election goes to another level. He's shown no interest in holding a foreign power accountable for interference in our democracy; he's put his business interests ahead of the country's; he's tweeted threats about people's civil liberties; and he belittled civil rights hero Representative John Lewis."
"President-elect Trump's actions go beyond any kind of reasonable debate--they threaten the constitutional values our country is based on," Pingree concluded. "I won't dignify or normalize those threats by standing by at his ceremony."
Pingree, like others have done, said she would participate in Saturday's Women's March on Washington, which is anticipating more than 200,000 attendees.
Other protests are scheduled for Friday, including one along the parade route itself and another just a few streets away. Furthermore, "[a]n estimated 1 million people plan to demonstrate in all 50 states and 32 countries," USA Today reported Monday. That includes Women's March solidarity events as well as anti-Trump events on Thursday and Friday.
The group organizing as DisruptJ20 is planning a "festival of resistance" to include issue-focused blockades as well as a permitted march on Friday. It also is supporting plans to protest the "fascist alt-right Deploraball," taking place Thursday night.
"The idea is to shut down access to the parade as much as possible and slowing it down to a crawl," DisruptJ20 organizer Legba Carrefour told NBC News. "Then there's the broader goal of shutting down the entire city around it and creating a sense of paralysis that creates a headline that says, 'Trump's inauguration creates chaos.'"
Mic's live Storm the Swamp 2017 map will be updated throughout the week to show key protests, disruptions, and demonstrations for and against the Trump administration.
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