I had something ready to publish about the great aspirations that would be possible for the Democratic party to restore democracy as we expect it. If that is what they want. I had been saving it for the day the Democrats won a Senate majority. That was hopefully today but a few things happened Wednesday that can’t be unseen.
I read somewhere that more nations lost their freedom internally than from invasion, but I can’t verify it. I do know that Hitler was elected. Many of the dictators of the last century cockroached their way to total control from an elected or legally appointed position: Putin, Maduro, Xi, Erdogan.
Many predicted that the president would not enable a peaceful transition but would have to be driven or carried out of the White House. Most though that would be a confrontation on Jan. 20. On that basis, much of Wednesday’s event was unpredictable, although his 9 a.m. “Stop the Steal” rally was a sign of potential trouble. The security forces have been criticized for lack of preparation, but no one but an insider could have anticipated the size or intensity of the mob. In addition, the security forces involved, except for the Metro Police, are under the control of the executive branch. That this occurred with little loss of life or physical injury to the legal occupants of the Capitol says the security forces actually did an amazing job against what very nearly was overwhelming force. The vandalism can be repaired and the Congress continued to function.
In many countries the Capitol building is armored. The Kremlin in spite of its Disney like appearance is a citadel.
Downtown Baghdad is a walled Green Zone. The Vatican is a walled city. Many public buildings in America are highly accessible and normally it is not difficult to enter the Capitol building. We like our Capitol the way it is, but stronger doors and windows would not hurt. Books will be written, movies created about Jan. 6, 2021, like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001, dates that will go down in infamy. Jan. 6 is unique, it is more comparable to April 12, 1861, and Fort Sumpter, a doomed attempt to internally dismantle the United States of America.
Many will accuse the president of causing the mayhem. There will be books about that, too. For the moment, let’s just say he enabled it. Organizing the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse Park within sight of the White House and the Capitol was certainly an invitation to gather fanatical fans easily converted to a mob. There they were given directions to the Capitol as if you could not see it from the Ellipse Park.
Fealty, that is, the blind loyalty of some members of his party and some social media (where anything goes) to him, rather than the country created a monster ready to be unleashed.
It has been suggested that he be impeached again, giving him the honor of being the only president to be impeached twice. (He does like superlatives.) If convicted by the Senate, which takes a two-thirds vote, he would be banned from public office for life. Others have called for Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, a more practical and face-saving solution, because it can be described as temporary until he recovers from a “nervous breakdown.” It can happen quickly, preventing further misadventure, such as promiscuous last-minute pardons. He can then still be able to graciously welcome Joe Biden.
The president’s statement Thursday morning, though still leaves some doubt about whether that is possible, “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” the statement read. “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!” He, it seems, made a concession Twitter announcement since then, but his sincerity has always been volatile. He told his wonderful-supporters that “…our incredible journey is just beginning.”
Ken Obenski is a forensic engineer, now safety and freedom advocate in South Kona. Send feedback to obenskik@gmail.com