RIOT REVERBERATIONS DEMOCRACY WON ON JAN. 6, 2021
The rioting in Washington, D.C., and its aftermath continue to dominate the nation’s discourse as people try to place it in context and look to the future. All week The San Diego Union-Tribune published essays from community members about the chaos on Jan
As ugly as it looked at the time, last week’s riot in Washington, D.C., might ultimately be seen as a great victory for democracy in the United States. Our system was forced into battle, but the process won in the end. Truth prevailed.
The storming of the Capitol Complex shined a brilliant light on exactly who President Donald Trump has been enabling with his election lies and distortions, and what these people are capable of doing on his behalf.
Thousands of Americans taken in by Trump’s continuing falsehoods descended on Washington, D.C., in hopes of preventing the inevitable, and some of them took the initiative to violently challenge the results of our right to vote.
The death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick demonstrates the high price we sometimes have to pay to defend democracy. Whether deadly and destructive like on Sept. 11, 2001, or subtle and complex like foreign adversaries meddling in cyberspace, our system has been attacked before and will be attacked again, so we have to be willing to stand up for the ultimate good.
In this case, that was when U.S. senators and representatives, who hunkered down to wait for intruders to be cleared from the building on Jan. 6, resumed the people’s business and certified the presidential election. That is when the day was won.
Some Republicans objected to the results in Arizona and Pennsylvania, as is their right, and they failed, as is their consequence. It’s how the system works, and it was preserved. We won there, too.
The victory has nothing to do with the political result of clearing the path of Joe Biden to assume the presidency next week. You can oppose the former vice president and his policies. However, the preservation of our democracy outweighs mere political considerations.
We will need to defend our democracy moving forward. Sometimes, we’ll be blindsided, like at Pearl Harbor or on 9/11.
Today’s threats, however, are clear.
Those who forced their way into the Capitol Building crossed the Rubicon. There is no turning back. If they can justify their intrusion into a home of our government, what else are they willing to do? Some have been quoted as saying this is just the start of their efforts, with many planning more demonstrations on the day of Biden’s inauguration. Then what?
With so many images captured on surveillance cameras and social media, a large number have and will be brought to justice. Others could escape arrest but their lives will be spent looking over their shoulders. Their futures are grim.
For America, the future remains bright, for there’s one other way we won last week. As large as the crowd of protesters seemed, for as many people who broke into the Capitol Building, the numbers pale in comparison to the number of Americans — nearly 330 million of us — who weren’t there.
While the riot took place, the vast majority of us were working, going to class and otherwise living a normal day in our lives. Many Trump voters understood that he lost and that his lawyers presented no evidence of a widespread conspiracy to steal the election. They declined to embarrass themselves by participating in Wednesday’s events.
Further, voters in Georgia stood up to Trump and his allegation of voter fraud in that state by voting a pair of sitting Republican senators out of office. The setbacks cost the Republicans control of the Senate, and now their opponents own the power in the legislative and executive branches of governments. Now it’s up to us, the vast, silent majority, to remain vigilant against future challenges to democracy. Some coach-speak here, but let’s not allow last week’s victory to become next week’s loss. The midterm election campaign will be here before we know it, and we’ll face many of the same issues.
But we now know we can do this. We can stand up for democracy when we need to.
What happened in our nation’s capital was a horrible event, but it was an overwhelming victory for our democracy. No matter the ravings of a tiny, misinformed minority, when you take a look at the bigger picture outside of Washington, you’ll see this still is, and always will be, the America we want it to be.
What happened in our nation’s capital was a horrible event, but it was an overwhelming victory for our democracy.
Riffel