Our country has faced a lot of adversity in our history. The wars of the past that have filled our cemeteries with young Americans who lost their lives, and the horror of the day on September 11, when four airlines went down on American soil. January 6, 2021, will go down in history as one of the most horrible times in our country. What makes it so much worse is that this attack was not by our enemies, but by Americans from all walks of life. The common tragedy of it is that it all started from the mouth of our very own president. It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history. How the insurrection is viewed remains a bitter contention that has divided our nation largely along partisan lines. We all watched in real-time while Trump sat idly by for four hours and made no effort to stop the destruction that was taking place in our Capital.
Before the violent rage that took place that day, Trump stood on a stage and incited the violence, encouraged it and when it was over, even praised the insurgents for their violent acts. This is something that cannot be denied.
We watched as the hallowed halls of the Capital of the United States of America where presidents, heads of state, and dignitaries walked were degraded with feces, broken glass, and busted wood. The rioters even used our American flag as a weapon. One hundred and forty police officers were seriously injured and one Capital police officer lost his life. The Department of Justice released a recent report of criminal charges against more than 1,237 people. Over 700 Defendants pleaded guilty and 450 have been sentenced to prison. Trump has promised that if he is elected in 2024, he will pardon every one of them. As shocking and disgraceful as this was, eight in 10 Trump voters and 72 percent of Republicans overall said they believed too much was made of the riot and it is “time to move on”. What has the conscience of the American people become when we choose party politics over the truth of right and wrong?
All of a sudden, the Republican Congress takes a turn on the events of that day and claims that it was not violent but merely a curious bunch of citizens who were unhappy with our government. They know the truth. They heard the threats to our Congress and saw the gallows erected on the lawn to hang the Vice President. They saw the breach of chambers, looting of offices, busting out windows, and destroying the woodwork. The most important thing is, so did you. We have reached an entirely new level of delusion of late, that has completely transformed the ability of the average conservative to experience any reality or acknowledge any fact that doesn’t fit within their narrowly defined personal beliefs.
Trump faces four criminal counts as part of the indictment: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy against rights, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and obstructing an official proceeding. So far, the most serious riot-related charge has been a seditious conspiracy. This is a rare charge dating back to the Civil War. Seditious conspiracy is used to prosecute two or more Defendants accused of plotting to overthrow the US government, launch a war against it, or hinder its authority, including executing its laws.
Trump has continued to claim that the election he lost by 7 million votes was “rigged.” It has been proven over and over in several courts and Republican-led efforts to these claims that there is no evidence of this. For the first time in American history, a U.S. president refused to leave office and tried everything he could think of to undermine a fair election and peaceful transition of power. Where does that leave us as a nation as we begin an election year where this man who incited a bloody riot in our democracy is the Republican forefront nominee?
The Republicans seem to be determined to re-elect this poison back in office, even after seeing this in real-time, hearing Trump’s own words as he has vowed revenge, and knowing his many crimes against our democracy. He has promised to destroy our Constitution and push our nation into a country of dictatorship. He is telling us what he will do and yet, this cult of supporters blows it off because it has never been done before. This is not hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time, and it’s what the 2024 election is all about.
We may find it in our conscience to forgive the crimes and misgivings of this former president, but we must never forget. This is how democracy dies.
Lynda Kirkpatrick
Marion County Democratic Party Chair
SDEC District 17 Representative Alabama Democratic Party