Democrats once dreamed of Inauguration Day. Now they're soul-searching instead.

Democratic Rep. Tony Cardenas of Los Angeles will spend the swearing-in hour meditating elsewhere. “A good use of my time is to promote positivity,” he said. Fellow Angeleno Rep. Ted Lieu decided to serve his Air Force Reserve duty in California.

“It took me a while to come to this decision,” said Lieu. “The peaceful transition of power is something I take seriously.”

Huffman said that almost every constituent who had contacted his office before the election seeking passes to the swearing-in called back later to withdraw their requests.

“One exception was a school group that had already planned a multi-day trip for the kids,” Huffman said. “We’ve heard from parents and teachers who now see this trip happening under the shadow of Donald Trump. But, hopefully, they will be able to make it a teachable moment.”