That had pernicious consequences, including the insurrection itself, but it remained an impotent act precisely because the majority of Republicans with real power to do mischief chose not to. Certainly, too many Republicans took the coward’s way out, engaging in performative pandering to the base in the knowledge that Trump’s attempt to overthrow the election would fail. First, many responsible Republicans, beginning at the state level and extending ultimately-if slowly-to principled leaders at the federal level, rejected the lie that Trump had lost through fraud and refused to bow to his demands to subvert the transition of power. Nevertheless, Americans can be grateful not just that the insurrection failed, but why it failed. Defense Department slow in mobilizing National Guard units to back up the beleaguered Capitol Police-and if so, why? Two of the most pressing: Why was the protection of the Capitol building and the Joint Session of Congress so inadequate after Trump had been telegraphing a confrontation for many weeks? Was the U.S. military remains committed to upholding the Constitution.īecause this was the closest the United States has come in modern times to a violent takeover of political power, critical questions remain. Trump failed for the simple reason that the vast and powerful U.S. And finally, every single Republican must denounce both the criminal actions of the insurrectionists and what drove them: the massive and baseless allegations promoted by Trump and his misguided enablers about the legitimacy of the November elections. Fourth, any attempt to replicate Wednesday’s chaos elsewhere in the country needs to be nipped in the bud with a decisive and preemptive response by law enforcement. Third, whatever conspiracies fomented the insurrection need to be uncovered and prosecuted. Second, those who went further still and prepared explosive devices and other violent mayhem that was thwarted must likewise face justice. First, all those who stepped beyond their right to peaceful protest by crossing police barriers and entering the Capitol Building need to be held accountable in courts of law. Fourth, the insurrectionists wrecked the political careers of numerous Republicans hoping to challenge Biden in 2024-most prominently, I suspect, that of Trump himself.īut the mob failed in its larger goal of thwarting the constitutional order and handing the presidency back to Trump-or perhaps one should say that they will fail, since there is still a mopping up that need to be completed. The spectacle of a president unwilling to denounce those physically attacking another branch of government is the gravest failure of a failed presidency precisely because what was required of Trump at that moment was so easy. Third, they underscored once again that outgoing President Donald Trump is the least capable leader in a crisis that Americans have had in their lifetimes. Second, they created scenes of chaos that will stain the United States’ reputation for the rest of history. First, they breached the defenses of the Capitol building and put the lives of legislators and staff at risk. To be sure, the insurrectionists succeeded in a number of things. Congress, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence, reconvened to fulfill its constitutional duty to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The angry mob that attempted an insurrection in the U.S.
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