On January 6, Democrat politicians in Washington on Capitol Hill and around the country gathered and went public to shamefully exploit the anniversary of last year’s deplorable attack on the U.S. Capitol by a radical faction of Trump supporters.
This exercise in political theater featured an orchestrated chorus of hyperbolic claims and absurd comparisons about the magnitude of what happened on January 6, 2021. Kamala Harris compared it to the 9/11 terrorist attack on America and to the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that decimated the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet and propelled the nation into World War II.
Other Democrats compared it to the Kennedy assassination. In Colorado, Sen. Michael Bennet said “our Democracy suffered a near death experience.” Rep. Jason Crow, said, “I saw with my own eyes how close we came to losing our democracy.” Rep. Joe Neguse referred to it as “this dark day in our nation’s history.” Attorney General Phil Wesier called it “one of the darkest days in American history.” It appeared they were all reading from the same script.
“Hyperbole” is a figure of speech describing the use of gross exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis, but not to be taken literally. (Example: I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.) In this case, however, Democrats, and their echo chamber of liberal media pundits, hope the public does take their contrived, gross exaggerations literally and seriously.
Another example of gross exaggeration is their branding of the break-in at the Capitol as an “insurrection.” In fact, its scale came nowhere close to an actual insurrection. The rioters had no plan, intent or means to overthrow the government of the United States. They had no army to support them. Their “leader” was some bare-chested jackass with a fur, horned-headdress, leading the charge with a spear. Once inside, the rabble smiled for selfies and grabbed up souvenirs. Can you imagine what the Vegas odds might have been that this mob would win and cause the “death of our democracy?”
Hardly an insurrection, this was a political protest gone crazy. It’s goal was to disrupt the Senate count of the states’ electoral votes for president. Certification of those votes had already been made by the individual states. Under the Constitution, the Senate’s role, here, was mostly ceremonial and simply to check the math. Neither it nor Vice President Mike Pence had the power to overturn the election. So the whole disgraceful break-in was pointless and futile.
If the Capitol Police had prepared for the protest with a sufficient number of officers and back-up, the Capitol would never have been breached. The debacle lasted just a few hours and was dispersed when reinforcements arrived. Violent perpetrators have been prosecuted and many will, deservedly, do time in prison. By the way, of the hundreds who have been charged by the Department of Justice, not one has been charged with the crime of “insurrection.”
The damage to the Capitol was minimal compared to the $2 billion cost of the violent riots that attached themselves to “mostly peaceful” BLM protests in the summer of 2020, where government buildings were attacked, police cars and police stations set on fire, and stores looted and burned with many more casualties.
The symbolism of the January 6th desecration of our nation’s Capitol building is what makes it so singularly reprehensible. But hysterical claims that we almost lost our democracy on that day are absurd. (Incidentally, our system of government isn’t a democracy, it’s a constitutional republic that embraces some limited democratic institutions.) As a realistic threat to our nation, January 6th was insignificant compared to the British burning of Washington during the War of 1812, to say nothing of the Civil War and World War II.
The Democrats’ select House committee’s theatrical investigation of January 6th has timed the release of its report for this summer, just before the midterm elections. You can expect a lot more hyperbole then. It figures to be the centerpiece of their 2022 (and 2024) election campaign narrative and will also include yet another “imminent threat to our democracy.” Namely, perfectly reasonable and necessary laws to protect election integrity supported by Republicans. Such as more accurate verification of mail-in ballots and requiring photo ID’s of in-person voters (that one, supported by more than 80% of the public).
Public support for Biden and Democrats in Congress is plunging. Running on their miserable record is a sure loser. Running against Trump worked for them in 2020. Since he’s not on the ballot in 2022, they’ll run against his ghost. Ironically, Donald’s ghost is looking a lot better than Joe.
Longtime KOA radio talk host and columnist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Mike Rosen now writes for CompleteColorado.com.
