People all over the world feel deep sadness at the violent takeover of the capitol. All over the world, and hopefully even among Trump supporters, what can be only be described as grief and trauma were felt as Capitol Police were unable to effectively guard the sacred institution of democracy and the people who make that democracy work. What troubles me most is how many people were surprised, the number of people who did not understand the reality of who Donald Trump is.
At this critical moment Americans must turn their attention to the the scariest part of the siege of the capitol–the people willing to follow. Seldom if ever in American history has an individual created such a grip on people. So strong that they would brazenly attack the symbol of American democracy, claiming to be defending their country, screaming “USA” as they drug a police officer, just trying to do his job, into their mob and beat him while he was down, literally. Strong enough for a citizen to kill a police officer with a fire extinguisher, and do in the name of voter fraud that never happened.
If anything good could possibly come from something so heinous, it is the realization that one man and the mob he controls cannot dictate to the whole world what norms and mores ought to be. The question now is “Will it be enough?” Will this, at last, cause enough people to stand up and say this man and the beliefs he represents must be excised from American democracy and political consciousness? Will the right people come to realize that Donald Trump represents America at its worst; an America antithetical to all of its stated values? Can we dislodge Trumpism and hopefully prevent Trump from trying to return?
There is much work to do. What happened at the capitol is ultimately a symptom of a broader disease. If we want to say that the lives lost and the trauma inflicted mean something, it is that the disease cannot be ignored, that there is no one left with any excuse to go on supporting this man. Most importantly, the party of the man who called on the better angles of our nature cannot remain the party of the man who has called forth one of the greatest evils America has ever known. Americans must stand up together to denounce it.
Progressive Without Apology 