Our Lowest Point Since 9/11
At the risk of getting lost in the inevitable sea of think pieces, reactions, and definitive reactions from very certain people who 100% see it the way it is, I humbly submit my thoughts on 1/6/2021.
First, the end credits scene for 2020 was absurd.
Second, like the rest of this city, this country, and the world at large, I was horrified by what happened yesterday. Nothing special or unique about my reaction and no one wins an “I am the most outraged’ contest. We all lost something yesterday. This doesn’t happen here. This is some other country’s MO. Some 3 minute block on the nightly news (the real kind, not the ‘other side is the bad guy’ kind) that seems far away and not our problem. That’s what is so jarring and honestly, scary about this. This wasn’t some courthouse in Kansas or a federal building in Nevada, this was the United States Capitol. Folks that have been to DC a lot or are from here, know the Capitol, not the White House, is the center of the city. That incredible building and the surrounding offices are the heart of the Nation’s capital. No matter which direction you go, the numbers start getting bigger. That’s the design. The counting starts right there. The further away you get, the bigger the number and the later the letter. It’s a place of counting. Our votes, our representatives, the People’s House, Senators, the place where arguments turn into the law of the land. It’s beautiful, frustrating, and a constant reminder that for all its faults, the United States is the city on the hill. The reminder that despite our faults, we are the most prosperous and free civilization in the World and those citizens have a say.
It is a stark and eery contrast to consider the discussions happening inside the walls of the Capitol yesterday and then what a delusional and fanatical group was able to accomplish. Does that sound familiar? The last time such a contrast was on display were the events of 9/11. That may be hyperbolic to some. Fine. The point is that this assault on the home of Democracy, no matter how inept or ineffective it ended up being, should be treated with the utmost gravity. Like you, I was stunned at how far these terrorists got, how little resistance there seemed to be, and how unprepared we seemed to be for such events. Again, these frustrations should sound awfully familiar.
Many have argued that this kind of ending, with ginned up rhetoric, magnified divisiveness, and emboldened and angry citizens, was inevitable. I will fully admit that I tuned out much of what I felt was hyperbole. I have blamed all of cable news for years for their addiction to Trump, both good and bad. To me, the talking heads turning red prattling on about the president using the military to stay in power, spawning violent uprisings, or doing anything other than his normal self-serving tantrums and tweets was simply the death rattle of the supply of the Trump drug that cable news has endlessly enjoyed for the last 6.5 years. Since November of 2016, much of media, and America at large, simply could not accept that this unacceptable grifter was the president. An endless cycle of ‘THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN’ -> ‘HOW DOES HE GET OUT OF THIS?’ -> ‘PEOPLE CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT KNOW IT’S OVER’ -> ‘OK THIS TIME WE’VE GOT HIM’ … I thought this was more of the same. Much like my views on the pandemic, I didn’t believe it because of all the DEFCON 1 warnings and dire predictions that turned out to be nothing.
I was wrong. I’d be willing to bet a lot of people were. I’d also wager that a great number of you are shaking your heads and muttering the standard issue ‘I told you so’. There are 2 things that are fundamentally important to any Democracy: Rule of Law and Process. In addition to the protections of the 14th Amendment, I am a strong believer in all of us having a thoughtful process to ensure civility. Think of it this way, if someone drives drunk and gets home fine and no one gets hurt, does that mean it is ok to drive drunk? Of course not. To apply this logic here, just because there were a small number of casualties, vandalism, and property damage, does that mean these transgressions should be treated lightly? Of course not. We are incredibly lucky this was not worse but the fact remains that this process was completely unforgivable. These perpetrators should be dealt with harshly. Security was clearly not prepared and according to my rudimentary analysis, seemed to lack clear directive as to how to behave in the wake of the events of 2020. Nothing can be done about 1/6/2021. We can draw the line today and going forward. We must clearly say that these actions are beyond the pale, for the sake of the republic.
Danny hosts the Grant & Danny Show on 106.7 The Fan 2–6:30pm Monday-Friday in Washington, DC and his weekly podcast ‘You Seem Interesting’ is available at patreon.com/funnydanny
