(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

As dawn bursts over the Capital,  with airports filled with Gulfstreams and hotel penthouse suites all full, this city prepares for the inauguration.

The celebration is not just in wealthy DC, in Texas representatives from Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Express, and The Nationwide Tea Party Coalition have gathered in the heart of the Texas Panhandle to prepare for the festivities surrounding the inauguration of Republican Mitt Romney as President of the United States .

“It’s like a dream come true,” said Tea Party Express Leader Amy Kremer. “We worked hard to kick that Kenyan Muslim Socialist Commie out of office and get a true patriot into the White House. On Monday, we celebrate our hard-earned victory.”

Planning for what organizers are calling The Real American Inauguration have been underway almost from election day, and organizers promise an unforgettable event beyond the staid events in Washington, DC.

“Folks are going to flip out when they see who we’ve got coming,” said Tea Party Nation CEO Judson Phillips. “For starters, Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammar are opening the show with a dramatic reading of all the good parts of the Constitution. Then we’ll have speeches from Allan West, one of the Palin kids, and Rand or Ron Paul, I forget which. After that, Keynote Speaker Glenn Beck will give the Oath of Office to President Romney, and we’ll close the show with Ted Nugent singing Cat Scratch Fever. It’s gonna be hot!”

With the amount of energy, passion, and enthusiasm on display as organizers installed port-a-potties throughout the city.

Meanwhile, the quieter events will proceed in DC.  President Romney has already gathered with his family for their morning prayers. Soon though, Ann and Mitt will be in the center of parties.  “It’s a chance for President Romney and his supporters to enjoy the city. ”  As for the Democrats, there are better places to be,” said Charlie Spies, a Republican lawyer and Mitt Romney supporter.

And the Democrats?

“Almost everybody I’ve talked to has said they’re getting out of town. I would be surprised if you found many Democrats at all were in downtown D.C. on Monday.”

The decision, they say, is not borne out of any animosity for Mr. Romney’s election celebration. Rather, the concern is largely logistical and pragmatic; Washington all but shuts down during the inaugural because of security and crowd concerns, and because Democrats .. and even Tea Partiers, are hardly the A-list guests this time around, the occasion provides an easy excuse for a long weekend out of town.

One group is headed to a Las Vegas confab, complete with its own slogan — “We still believe in America,” a cheeky play on Mr. Romney’s campaign slogan, “Believe in America” — is perhaps the most elaborate of the Democratic gatherings,  The e group this time has ballooned to roughly 100, a mix of former campaign staff members and supporters, as well as clients of PR firms disappointed by the outcome of the 2012 election. .

The main events — complete with surprise Las Vegas showgirls and food by Wolfgang Puck — will be Sunday night at both the Wynn Las Vegas (ironically owned by Steve Wynn, the billionaire Romney supporter) and the Venetian (owned by Sheldon Adelson, the other billionaire Romney supporter), and the get-together will even include “Inaugural Dinner 2013” T-shirts.

Other comments from the exodus crowd:

“Inaugurations are wonderful events when you have a role, are attending the ceremony or going to the parties, If not, it means bad traffic.”

“the thrill is gone.  It’s sort of a nothing right now. It’s not getting the attention it got four years ago,”  “It feels like it’s going to come and it’s going to go and unless you’re really paying attention, you’ll hardly know that it’s been here — other than staying away from downtown for a few days.”

 “D.C. is a wonderful town,”  “D.C. with a few extra hundred thousand out-of-towners is not an easy place to navigate, and I figure I’m doing my little part to make a little extra space for those who are here to party.  “I wish them luck. It’s a great moment for the country, but they don’t need me to be here for it.”

 “The inauguration is happening, and with all of the inaugural activities occurring, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a work retreat out of town,”

“Regardless of what party you’re with, it is a time to inaugurate a new president,”  “That’s a great thing in our republic, and instead of sitting home and watching an episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ we’d rather go out and have a few drinks with friends.”

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