January 6- Who are you going to believe? Me? Or your lying eyes?
Republicans are still trying to convince us that the insurrection was really just a peaceful protest. Tell that to the families of the five who died.
We’re ashamed of nothing.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
If Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won, not to mention, it would have been armed.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-FL)
Three years after the January 6th insurrection, the lies being told about that day are beginning to take root. It’s a well-established fact that a lie can easily circumnavigate the globe and be well into its second lap in the time it takes the truth to drag its sorry ass out of bed. Lies can be groomed and massaged to fit a specific narrative. The truth is…well, it is what it is, warts and all. You get what you get.
When it comes to January 6, an entire political party- the GOP- is heavily invested in crafting lies and propaganda intended to convince Americans that their lying eyes have indeed led them astray. And so they begin to believe the conveniently crafted lies and the heavily massaged propaganda that has nothing whatsoever to do with the truth of what happened that day.
The truth is that January 6 was a failed coup and that we came pretty damned close to losing our democracy. So, the reality of that terrible day is becoming more crucial than it’s ever been.
The third anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob comes amid troubling indicators about public opinion on that event. A Post-University of Maryland poll published this week shows a sizable share of Americans accept lies about the 2020 election and the insurrection that followed on Jan. 6, 2021. Only 62 percent say Joe Biden’s victory was legitimate, down from 69 percent two years ago, and far lower than after the contested 2000 election. One-third of U.S. adults say they believe there’s “solid evidence” of “widespread voter fraud” in the 2020 election. Regarding Jan. 6 itself, 28 percent say former president Donald Trump bears no responsibility, 21 percent say the people who stormed the Capitol were “mostly peaceful” and 25 percent say the FBI probably or definitely instigated the attack.
So, 38% of our fellow citizens believe President Biden’s election was illegitimate? And one-third believe there’s “solid evidence” of “widespread voter fraud?” Based on what evidence? The truth is that there IS no evidence- solid or otherwise- of “widespread voter fraud.” And there’s certainly nothing that would bring the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory into question. By all available metrics, 2020 was as free and fair as American elections get.
And, in case anyone’s forgotten what evidence means:
If we want to dive into the subject of voter fraud, virtually all of the few cases that were uncovered during the 2020 election involved Republicans, most of whom were busted for voting more than once.
As for the 21% who say those who stormed the Capitol were “mostly peaceful” and the 25% who say the FBI probably/definitely instigated the attack, most of those folks would probably fail an IQ test. Never mind a reality check.
When you have people who either can’t or won’t think critically, this is probably about the best you can expect. Then again, most Trump supporters aren’t and will never be candidates for MENSA membership and probably should be separated from the general population.
If you have a television and you watched the events of January 6 on it, you’re well aware that you weren’t watching a “normal tourist visit” unfold before your eyes. Tourists don’t build gallows on the Capitol grounds or violently take over the House chamber, nor do they defecate in the halls of Congress.
These are minority views, but that’s cold comfort. Disproportionate numbers of Republicans hold them, showing just how corrosive Mr. Trump’s repeated lies, amplified by a right-wing media echo chamber, have been. The devotion of the GOP base to this alternative history helps explain why Mr. Trump has avoided meaningful accountability, why he is still the front-runner, by far, for the Republican nomination — and how dangerous he could be back in power. Already, he promises “full pardons” and a government apology to many Jan. 6 rioters, plus “revenge” and “retribution” for unnamed others.
The truth must be told. Mr. Biden won the 2020 election, fair and square, and no credible evidence has emerged of widespread voter fraud. Mr. Trump, despite knowing that he lost, summoned supporters to Washington ahead of the certification of the election and told a crowd on the Ellipse that he’d go with them to the Capitol and that they needed to “fight like hell.” Mr. Trump relished watching on television as his supporters attacked the Capitol for 187 minutes and resisted pleas to stop them. As Vice President Mike Pence said later: “His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.”
Five people died on January 6, and dozens more were injured. People were willing to kill and destroy to attain their desired goal of keeping Donald Trump in power. These were not good, solid Americans. They weren’t tourists looking for the Capitol gift shop. They were criminals willing to do whatever was needed to stop the 2020 election from being certified so that Orange Jesus would remain in the White House.
For many, that meant going over, around, and even through law enforcement personnel if needed. These zealots were on a mission from God (or at least Donald Trump), and nothing was about to stop them from doing what needed to be done. That many of them are now doing time in federal lockups is not nearly what they deserve, but it’s justice, and that’s a good thing.
More than 140 police officers were injured there that day. So far, 1,240 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6, including 452 who were charged with assaulting law enforcement officers. More than 700 have been sentenced after receiving due process, including the right to a jury trial. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, a Republican appointed by Mr. Trump, has testified categorically and under oath that there’s nothing to the “ludicrous” conspiracy theories that his agency played any role in urging people into the Capitol.
Many of the rioters believed the fact that they were summoned to Washington by Donald Trump meant they were immune from any consequences. Then, when the law caught up with them, they were shocked to learn there would be consequences for breaking federal laws.
Yes, they “fucked around.” Then, courtesy of the Department of Justice, they “found out.” Karma’s a real bitch, don’tchaknow?
It’s simple political realism to acknowledge that the latest polling suggests that efforts to hold Mr. Trump accountable have fallen short. In 2021, 10 House Republicans voted to impeach him, and seven Senate Republicans voted to convict, for inciting the insurrection. But there weren’t enough votes to disqualify Mr. Trump from running again. In 2022, his favorability ratings fell amid the hearings of the House select committee investigating Jan. 6, which resulted in a damning 814-page report. However, criminal indictments against Mr. Trump in 2023, as justified as any might be on the legal merits, have turned into a rallying point for his backers: The Post-UMD poll showed that 41 percent of Americans, and 77 percent of Republicans, say they believe the Justice Department is unfairly targeting Mr. Trump for political reasons. It is unclear how potential election-year trials might affect the broader electorate.
How is it that 41% of Americans believe the DOJ is unfairly targeting Orange Jesus for political reasons? How can pursuing justice based on following the evidence be considered political? Is Donald Trump somehow to be considered beyond accountability? That’s certainly what he’s claiming- that he should have blanket immunity for actions taken while he was President- but why should a President be believed to be above the law?
If no one is above the law in the American judicial system, why would the American President be treated any differently?
No one, not even a President, should be able to skirt the law and avoid accountability. Think of the precedent that would set and the Pandora’s Box it would open. Where would the arguments stop? If a President is held to enjoy immunity while in office, why not a Senator? A Congressperson? A Defense Secretary? A county clerk? A librarian? A paper boy? When does the law cease to have meaning?
For now, a mere 46 percent of Americans said Jan. 6 should disqualify Mr. Trump from the presidency and 33 percent said his conduct that day is “not relevant.” In between, 17 percent say Mr. Trump’s actions “cast doubts on his fitness for the job but are not disqualifying.” That segment could decide the election. What they, and all voters, must understand is that, just like in 2020, the 2024 elections will be free and fair. Audit after audit has shown the U.S. election system is secure, and none of Mr. Trump’s 2020 legal challenges panned out. They also need to understand the real chance that he could win, legitimately, but that there is still time, and an effective way — via the ballot box — to prevent that.
I never cease to be astonished by the number of people willing to give Trump a free pass for his actions on January 6, and I wonder how many would do that for Joe Biden if the roles had been reversed? My guess is that most Americans would want to have Biden keelhauled. The double standard would be breathtaking, and most Americans wouldn’t even recognize it as such.
(Of course, Biden shouldn’t have immunity. He’s a Democrat. Duh….)
Then again, justice has always been a hypocritical double-edged sword where Republicans are involved. They demand that Democrats be held to the highest possible standards…that they’d never dream of holding themselves to. They’ll scream about relatively minor Democratic transgressions, but they’ll circle the wagons to protect fellow Republicans accused of everything short of murder.
The truth is that if Joe Biden were suspected of doing even half of what we KNOW Trump has done, he’d be considered unfit to serve…and rightfully so. Trump, however, is regarded by his supporters and fellow Republicans as sitting at the Right hand of God. The man can do no wrong. (He WAS ordained by Almighty God, after all….)
I don’t know where and when we as a country went so wrong and how we lost our moral compass. What I do know is that we’re better than this. We have to be, or the country we’ll wake up to on January 21, 2025, won’t be one we’ll recognize or find very pleasant.
People like me may well find themselves behind bars. You can have my laptop when you pry the keyboard from my cold, dead fingers.
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