Now that Inauguration Day is upon us, what should President-Elect Donald Trump do or say in response to the nonsense exhibited by Congressman John Lewis and a third or more of the House Democrats?

It would be beneath our new president to make acerbic comments about the absence of so many Democrats during the inaugural ceremonies.  Absenting themselves can be seen only with the same eyes, and the same attitude, mature adults would have in watching immature children running around with their hands over their ears while screaming, “La-la-la-la-la!  I can’t hear you!”

I would not, however, try to pretend that there is nothing unusual going on.  I would go to the Senator Blunt, master of ceremonies for the inauguration, and insist that the sixty or so seats that were reserved for Democratic Party members not be used for anyone else.  I would ask that the master of ceremonies move every single one of those seats together.  And leave them together.  And leave them empty.  I would want them not only isolated, but able to be clearly seen and photographed, videographed, and televised as a gaping hole in the audience.

If I were the new president, I would address portions of my speech directly at those empty seats.  I would tell the remaining audience members something similar to “I’m sorry that those sixty odd people are not present to hear what I’m about to say.”   Then address the absent members of Congress, explaining what his goals for the nation and his plans for his administration are over the next four years. 

Addressing empty chairs is not a particularly new idea.  Anyone who has paid attention to politics over the past eight years, I’m sure, remembers the address by Clint Eastwood to an empty chair during the 2012 Republican convention.

The fact that President Trump would address empty chairs would plainly emphasize which of the two political parties we suffer through every day is the current source of discord and demonstrates an unwillingness to even listen to anyone else’s ideas.

It’s the kind of thing that will make ordinary citizens begin to wonder which group can be classed as mature and which must be classed as childish.

Jim Yardley is a retired financial controller, a two-tour Vietnam veteran and writes frequently about political idiocy, business and economic idiocy and American cultural idiocy.  Jim also blogs at http://jimyardley.wordpress.com/, and can be contacted directly at james.v.yardley@gmail.com.