WASHINGTON -- For many Republicans, this is a good weekend to get away from it all.
With hundreds of thousands of Democrats traveling to nation's capital for President Barack Obama's inauguration activities, Republicans and supporters of last fall's GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, are leaving town, or staying put and trying to avoid the crowds.
After failing to recapture the White House for a second straight presidential election, many are not exactly in a partying mood.
"It's a good time to lay low," said John Feehery, the president of Quinn Gillespie Communications and a former top congressional aide.
As Democrats prepare to mark Obama's second inauguration on Monday by bundling up along the parade route or dressing up for balls, Republicans are spending the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend with quick vacation getaways, quiet time at home or trips to the movie theater.
Few plan any "mourning parties" or "bawls" that have been the staples of past inaugural festivities for the party out of power. But invitations to parties tend to be scarce if your candidate lost, and watching television provides a constant reminder of November's elections.
"Invitations must have gotten lost in the mail!" former Romney adviser Ed Gillespie wrote in an email saying he had no major plans for the weekend.
Charlie Spies, an attorney and co-founder of the pro-Romney super political action committee Restore Our Future, was in Las Vegas for the weekend, hosting about 100 Republicans, including some former Romney campaign aides, at events in the Wynn Las Vegas and Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.
Spies held a similar gathering for about 20 friends and associates four years ago but said he was surprised by the amount of interest this time.
"I was expecting more than 20 but no place near this response," he said. "But I think people were excited to have an opportunity to be someplace other than D.C. and let President Obama and his supporters have their day in the sun."
Ron Bonjean, a former Bush administration and congressional aide who runs a public affairs firm, convened a small work retreat at a resort in Mexico and said he planned to use the time to prepare for new challenges in 2013.
"It's the perfect time for us to be productive and focused on the year ahead while Washington is consumed with swearing in the president," he said.
Republicans will be part of the inauguration ceremony, with members of Congress gathered on the west front steps of the Capitol for Obama's swearing-in. Many Republican lawmakers are attending state balls during the weekend to welcome their constituents.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Armed Services Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., were among the GOP leaders who planned to attend an inauguration-related ball on Sunday night honoring members of the military.
After the parties end, the work to win back the White House begins. The Republican National Committee is holding its winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C., in the coming week. A major topic of discussion will be finding ways to reach out to minority voters and win elections.
Next weekend in Washington, a robust lineup of Republicans, including Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Romney's running mate, and Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, will address conservatives at a conference organized by the National Review Institute.
For Republicans, this is a season of introspection and planning for the future.
"When you're winning, you're thinking about the possibilities. When you lose, you're thinking about what went wrong," Feehery said. "When you're winning, you're thinking about your next job. When you lose, you're thinking about keeping your job."
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Also on HuffPost:
First Held In Washington, D.C.
<strong>Thomas Jefferson, 1801</strong> Jefferson's inauguration was<a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/thomas-jefferson-1801"> the first to be held in the District of Columbia</a>. It was also the first inauguration the Marine Band played at. They have played at every inauguration since.
First Inaugural Ball
<strong>James Madison, 1809</strong> Madison's <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/days-event/inaugural-ball"> first Inaugural Ball </a>was held the evening after his swearing-in ceremony. The ball took place at Long's Hotel. Tickets cost $4 each.
First Photographed
<strong>James Buchanan, 1857</strong> The first known <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=pin_mssmisc&fileName=pin/pin2003/pin2003page.db&recNum=0">photograph</a> of an inaugural ceremony was taken at Buchanan's inauguration.
First Parade Allowing African Americans To Participate
<strong>Abraham Lincoln, 1865</strong> Lincoln's <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/abraham-lincoln-1865">second inauguration</a>, which came just months after the passing of the 13th amendment, was the first that African Americans were allowed to participate in.
First Filmed
<strong>William McKinley, 1897</strong> <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/william-mckinley-1897">McKinley's inauguration</a> was the first to be recorded on a motion picture camera, a new technology in the late 1800s.
First Held On January 20th
<strong>Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937</strong> Previous to FDR's second inauguration, most inaugurations were held on <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan20.html">March 4th</a>. The 20th amendment, ratified in 1933, mandated that all future inaugurations be held on January 20th.
First Televised
<strong>Harry S. Truman, 1949</strong> Truman's <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/harry-s-truman-1949">inauguration</a> was the first to be broadcast on television, letting audiences across the nation take part in viewing the ceremony.
First Airplane Inauguration
<strong>Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963</strong> Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Johnson was <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/lyndon-baines-johnson-1963">sworn in</a> to office on Air Force One in Dallas - making his inauguration the only one to ever be held on a plane.
First Internet Broadcast
<strong>Bill Clinton, 1997</strong> Clinton's <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/bill-clinton-1997">second inauguration</a> was the first ever to be streamed online.
First Emceed By A Woman
<strong>Barack Obama, 2009</strong> <a href="http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/swearing-in/event/barack-obama-2009">Obama's inauguration</a> was emceed by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the first woman to ever emcee an inauguration. His inauguration also had the largest attendance of any event ever held in D.C. and had the highest online viewership ever.
Source : huffingtonpost[dot]com
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