Look back in anger
One year ago today the president of the United States, through malice aforethought, strategic planning and violent action, tried to unlawfully seize power from his rightfully victorious opponent in the 2020 presidential election. In most cases the various Republican responses to this attempted coup d’etat amounted to the same thing: let’s forget about it and move on.
Should we forget about it and move on the way Republicans forgot about it and moved on from the Benghazi investigation — after they investigated Hillary Clinton six (that’s right, six!) different times? Republican Chairman Trey Gowdy, through his multiyear, $4.5 million taxpayer-funded partisan joyride of a committee, turned up absolutely nothing on Hillary. Try though they might to find her guilty of something — anything! — they just couldn’t do it.
Let’s review the record, shall we? Number of subpoenas Secretary Clinton ignored: zero. Number of times she took the Fifth Amendment in order to avoid answering questions: zero. Number of lawsuits she filed against the committee in order to claim “executive privilege“: zero. At one point Hillary testified for 11 straight hours.
Just to remind you, the 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia. Republicans wanted to hang the blame for the attack on Hillary Clinton and use it as an excuse to destroy her career. After six attempts to do so, they gave up.
The January 6th, 2021 attack, on the other hand, was a coordinated attack at the behest of Donald Trump and others high in our government on the United States Capitol by American citizens trying to overturn the results of the free and fair 2020 presidential election. Republicans don’t want it investigated — not even once, let alone six times. They want us to forget all about it exactly the way they refused six times to forget all about Benghazi!
It’s time for the mainstream media and everyone else to stop pretending these Republican thugs are “lawmakers” and call them what they are: criminals, liars, cheats, thieves, red-handed barbarians at the very gates of American government and, above all, traitors. The insurrection at the Capitol one year ago today is one of the most shameful chapters in American history. The participants and their spear-carriers and enablers need to be punished with serious stretches in prison.
The new year is an inflection point. If the partisan Republican thugs and traitors retake the House or the Senate we are doomed. We cannot let that happen. Never before in American history has your vote been so vitally important. The thugs in Congress who continue to thumb their collective noses at the rule of law and exploit their low-information, stupid and bigoted constituents to stay in power cannot reclaim control. This year may very well be the most important year in our lives. Don’t let it end without a fight. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.