COVID-19, threats of violence drag down Democrats' inauguration celebrations

With the sun setting on Republican Donald Trump's presidency, Democrats in Volusia and Flagler counties are eager for a sigh of relief rather than a joyous soiree.

Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday as the 46th president will be a muted affair, with much of the planning working around the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently the threat of a reprise of the Jan. 6 insurrection that rocked the Capitol.

Only members of Congress and one guest of their choosing will be in attendance, far fewer people in person than previous swearings-in. Biden and his Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, will ride down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, but that parade will feature no viewing stands. The evening inaugural balls will be replaced by a television special.

So Democrats such as Nancy Olson of New Smyrna Beach, who volunteered many hours to help get Biden elected, are left to celebrate at home.

"I think I'm going to jump on a Zoom meeting," Olson said.

"The biggest thing is staying safe, and that's why the Zoom meeting. Zoom is a way to share and be with people you know without being in the room with them," she said.

If it sounds boring, that's OK with Olson.

"Wouldn't that be great?" she said.

Virtual watch parties planned

Jewel Dickson, the former Democratic Party chair, plans to watch at her DeLand home while texting with friends, staying safe from COVID-19.

"It's sad, but it's great because you feel like there's a future for us," Dickson said. "There's actually someone who's going to run the country. ... We do want somebody in charge and to have a plan and do some good things."

Dickson's successor as Volusia County Democratic Party chair, Richard Thripp, won't be watching live, as he'll be working as a New Smyrna Beach High School social studies teacher. The Democratic Executive Committee is planning a virtual watch party, he said.

"I am looking forward to a return to a more normal government," Thripp said. "So many people are economically suffering as well as health and jobs."

A return to normalcy — if that's what a new administration brings — might mean fewer controversies. No one, for example, anticipates a debate over the crowd size at Biden's inauguration.

"It won't be Times Square on New Year's Eve," said James Gangitano, a former Volusia County Democratic Party state committeeman who's met Biden, if only briefly.  "A muted inauguration's not going to affect anybody."

More important, he said, is that the new president's arrival meets a moment of hope after a year of the coronavirus' wrath.

"Now, it's happening. People are getting the vaccine in Volusia County every day. For the first time we can see light at the end of the tunnel," Gangitano said. "Are people excited? Yes. People are longing for all the things that (Biden) is promising."

Gangitano, a DeBary resident, said Biden is aiming to deliver, starting with an ambitious start, ramping up vaccine production and distribution and bolstering the economy with a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan.

"He has an ambitious plan for his first 100 days. If he can accomplish that, it could be a game-changer," he said.

Reinaldo De La Pac, a Democratic precinct committeeman from DeLand, is more interested in watching that than the pomp and circumstance preceding it.

"I'm not really into celebrations," he said. "My feeling is it's more about, well ... what's going to happen."

De La Pac said he wants to see $2,000 checks, "and actually $2,000 checks and not just the $1,400," and Medicare-for-All, a position Biden has opposed.

'Sigh of relief'  

Biden, who received 81.3 million votes, most in U.S. history, also becomes the oldest president. His candidacy didn't inspire many Democrats the way Barack Obama, who Biden served as vice president, or even Sen. Bernie Sanders did.

"I will be honest and say I wasn't excited for Joe Biden. I was a Bernie guy," said Jay Harrold, a 32-year-old Ormond Beach Democratic precinct committeeman.

"The sigh of relief comes from Trump's removal," said Harrold, a father of three who lost his restaurant job because of the pandemic. "For me, the most shocking thing was all of the polarization and division. I kind of assumed a pandemic world would be one of those situations where people would leave partisanship out of it and do the right thing."

He views the United States' atmosphere as one of "instability," and feels overwhelmed and shell-shocked, albeit hopeful after seeing Biden's economic-recovery plan.

"It looks good on paper. Sounds good," Harrold said. "I'm interested to see the follow-through. Not that I don't have any faith he'll execute them — the Democrats control everything. I'm interested to see if it's going to be politics as usual."

Jacqueline Kelly, an 84-year-old self-described "news junkie" and Democratic precinct committeewoman from Ormond Beach, describes herself as "delighted," but concerned about the security surrounding Biden.

"Trump was blustery and very focused on himself, and also was always causing some kind of brouhaha with his comments and insults, and Joe Biden just doesn't do things like that," Kelly said. "I just think he'll be a nice, calm and thoughtful and empathetic person to have in the White House."

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