The U.S. will mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection on Saturday, a milestone that will confer upon the reality-dwelling citizenry a grim reminder of the potency of propaganda and how quickly it can warp perception when introduced into the public square.
Just three years ago, most of the country watched with dismay and horror as a violent MAGA mob beat back authorities and stormed the country’s citadel of democracy. The Donald Trump-incited crush of disillusioned rioters, fueled by a stream of fantastical lies, believed that the 2020 election had been stolen by sinister forces working to undermine the democratic election.
Of course, not only was their belief flatly incorrect, but evidence later emerged indicating that it was Trump who, in fact, had tried to subvert democracy.
Facts, however, have little bearing on the sentiment inside the Republican Party, which has been fed a steady diet of lies and half-truths by Fox News and the rest of the sprawling right-wing media machine. To wit, the false notion that Joe Biden nefariously stole the 2020 election is now widely shared inside the GOP. A CNN poll conducted over the summer found that nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s win was not legitimate, a number that has continued to tick up.
IMO, this event was worse for America and the world than 9/11. What goodwill and credibility can America exercise on the world stage when Trump can incite a violent attack on the US Congress, and he is still the front runner?
If he had convinced the Capital Police to get rid of the metal detectors, as he tried to do, America would be under a Trump dictatorship right now.
As if his capitulation to Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, or North Korea shouldn’t immediately disqualify him, or the millions of dollars he personally received from foreign governments during his presidency.
It’s a matter of degrees … American establishment wants fascism, they are just taking their time getting there.
The problem isn’t Trump, Trump is an idiot and dime a dozen, once he dies, there will be another idiot just like him that the establishment will court and push into our faces every day.
The problem are the millionaires and billionaires of America that are funding all this crap and keep maintaining it all. If all this relied on Trump’s charisma, it would have died out a long time ago … it’s just a huge marketing machine that keeps it afloat.
As long as we keep seeing these headlines, no matter if it’s Trump or someone else … it’s just a sign that the wealthy want fascism to keep growing because they know it will mean a win fall for them at the cost of all of us.
Thanks America … you’re doing a bang up job.
As an American. You are 100% spot on. Had Republicans not enabled and helped trump at every step. He would have gotten nothing accomplished. They were there every hour of every day ready to lick his greasy taint in an effort to please their voters. It could be any idiot. It just happened to be Trump
And what’s sad is blatant and unapologetic mass murdering warhawks like Cheney’s daughter opposed him, and the idiot MAGA flock call her a traitor. Unbelievable.
With many other countries I could agree. But America is the global reserve currency and basically the world’s police. For the theocrats pushing a takeover it wouldn’t end well. F35s and other highly technical defense system would crumble. Our soft power would evaporate overnight. Many Billionaires would wake up only to find their billions are worth a fraction. Sounds Improbable.
This is a pretty solid take imho, but I’m not sure the ultra wealthy see it that way. Look at how deluded they show themselves to be when there isn’t a PR handler in the mix to filter their thoughts on platforms like Xitter. Their ego and hubris from living in the alternate reality their great wealth affords them presents tremendous risk in this situation.
There are two types of wealthy people … those who have all the power and those that want all the power
Those already in power probably don’t want change … but those that don’t have it all certainly would like to see change and a reshuffling of wealth and the chance of gaining control of more, or even everything.
Every major change in history never really changed anything … all it ever does is change the actors and players - old wealth gets removed by new wealth - old elites are replaced by new elites
American political and military power will probably always stay the same for the foreseeable future … the question is who will get the chance to sit at the top and rule the world.
What confuses me is that they seem to miss that historically fascists or authoritarians more generally don’t actually pander to the wealthy once they have power, and many wealthy suddenly end up dead or missing. Look at Xi and Putin for instance. Or history.
It’s a rat cage and everyone is chasing after the hunk of cheese above our cage … the ones closest to the top believe that by climbing on those below them, they can reach higher … and those close to the top are desperately trying to pull down the one just above them to gain that extra bit of chance of going up one more level.
The ultra wealthy at the top may or may not want fascism … but those just below them might because they believe in changing the guard, reshuffling the wealth and giving a new group of a privileged people a chance … like you say, every big political authoritarian change came at the cost of removing many wealthy people, but it also meant a new crop of people to fill the gaps.
They finally found their useful idiot who was capable of energizing a portion of the population who previously didn’t believe voting was important.
The majority of the GOP in office will continue to bend the knee to anyone they view to have the same power. And I fear eventually we will see the same action taken on the left.
Power is the most addictive drug.
People don’t realize they tried this 100 years ago, with Smedley Butler. It was called “The Business Plot.” But Butler was honorable, and snitched. Absolutely nothing was done, and most people don’t know who Butler is. He was at the time THE most decorated Marine in history. But he fucked with the money, and they buried him and his legacy. I tweeted Oliver Stone 10 years ago that he should make a biopic about Butler.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler
I agree … more people should know more about this story … fortunately a 2022 film does highlight it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_(2022_film)
Thanks! Didn’t know about this fim.
Neither did I. After watching what I thought was just another fiction thriller, I realized it was based on actual events …
And after just reading the cast list again … holy crap this film has a big list of familiar actors - Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek, Robert DeNiro
And like I mentioned, you are right, more people should know about this important bit of history which is probably why all these big actors wanted to play in this to promote this film and its story.
It’s so stupid though. The German conservative aristocracy wanted fascism (mainly because they were incredibly unsettled by the post WWI shake ups and terrified of bolshevism) and thought they could control the Nazis to their own ends. That pretty much immediately backfired on them. These people have to see that…
Rich people who think they are gods… weird…
99% of our voting population is going to vote team color no matter what. They don’t care that Biden hasn’t done anything meaningful to put a stop to this, and they’ll argue with me tooth and nail that electing him is a moral imperative anyway.
Fascism is inevitable now.
Seriously though, what other choice do I have with my vote? The reality is we live in a two party system, I have zero power to change it by voting random 3rd party candidates that will never get the support, and the other guy is even worse.
This is the logic that’s given us a 40-year slide into fascism and a near total loss of power.
I’m sorry, but if you’re unwilling to change, you can’t expect things to change. You can look at the last two decades and see the results of electing do-nothing Democrats.
In fact, read up on Idaho for the next step in crises that Democrats are simply going to ignore.
This is the logic that got us Bush.
Nader’s vote total was several times higher than Bush’s margin in both Florida and New Hampshire. Him off the ballot in either of those states would’ve made Gore v Bush unnecessary as Gore would’ve been a clear winner.
It also earned Clinton’s election with Perot being the Republican spoiler for Dole in 96, though I don’t remember which states.
Third parties will always be a spoiler until voting reform happens and plurality winner-takes-all ends.
Got it, my problem is I’m not applying enough hopes and dreams that the entire system changes because I voted for a write-in.
My plan is to keep voting in local candidates for local offices that are working to make the changes I’d love to see, but until then there’s absolutely nothing I can do at a national level but try to keep the openly evil guy from winning by voting for the most likely other option. If you have a better plan that has a chance of changing anything THIS election cycle, I’d love to hear it and be educated. Honestly, I would!
This is the only power you have now, and you should absolutely vote progressive locally if a candidate actually has a progressive record. (And many Dems don’t there either.)
At the national level, it’s too late. It doesn’t matter how you vote now. The simple fact is that Biden needs many people to vote for him that are finding it too expensive to live under his governance, and as we saw with Obama trying to hand of the reins to Hillary, that kind of record isn’t something the public is going to buy. When Obama ignored the middle class, they didn’t care that Trump was a racist piece of shit. They only cared that he was the candidate of change.
They’re not going to care that Trump or DeSantis are fascist. They’re going to care that they’re not Biden, and therefore (in the minds of these voters) more likely to make a change that makes their individual lives easier.
Right, so I suck it up and vote Biden so my vote can at least try to counter someone voting the actual proclaimed dictator in the meantime, correct? We’re back to square 1 until any of my preferred local candidates can get to the national level and hopefully push some real change. In the meantime I do the best I can and talk to people about what we could be doing better. Democracy yo. 🤷♂️
If you think that’s best, sure. Your vote is your business.
If democracy is your issue, though, I wouldn’t vote Democrat, though. They cast themselves as stewards of democracy but they fight harder to keep Greens off the ballot than they do to beat Republicans in elections.
They are overtly anti-democratic, and that tendency has moved fascism along, not helped to stifle it. Democracy doesn’t mean ‘freedom to vote Democrat’. It means freedom to vote the party you want, and as a Green party supporter, they actively work to suppress my voice.
Yeah but one half went to college and formed their opinions in open debate and discussion, graded work, with accomplished authors and scholars, the professors, and their peers. Republicans did their own research or went to the school of “hard knocks.”
It’s supposed to be that in the land of the blind, the one eyed man his king. In the land of Republicans they would poke out the man’s eye and claim sight is deep state propaganda. “Don’t look up!”
And then they sat through 2-4 decades of Democrats actively voting against the interests of their constituents, ignored it, and vote for them anyway despite the evidence right in front of their eyes.
Democrats aren’t our friends. They stab us in the back while Republicans stab us in the front.
We vote for Democrats because the alternative is getting Republicans. The voting system doesn’t let third parties win. I wish it did. The lesser of two evils is still less evil inflicted on me at the end of the day.
If Democrats lost because people on the left refused to vote for them, they would be forced to change. Problem is everyone claims each election is an existential crisis (doubtful) so you’re never allowed to withhold a vote or vote third party.
Nothing personal against Mike Pence, but there’s a part of me that thinks it would have been better if he’d gotten in that car and been disappeared.
An assassinated vice president would have forced Biden to crack down on fascism harder.
But without effective leadership, the problem’s gotten worse.
If that has happened, I doubt we would have a president Biden or an upcoming election.
I don’t think that’s accurate.
Every other aspect of the attack was unsuccessful, and not only that, but pathetically so. But if they’d manage to assassinate a VP, Biden and his administration would not have been able to simply ignore it. They would have had to act, even if it pisses off the billionaires.
Pence stopped Trump’s group delivering the fake electors to steal the election. If Pence disappeared Trump would have never left office.
Pence made the the last minute stand to save our country. Terrible viewpoints and politics, but at the end he did his job
Because Dan “Potatoe” Quayle told him to not go along with the coup.
Mike fucking Pence and Dan fucking Potatoe Quayle saved our Democracy and the US Democratic Republic.
What a timeline.
Still,… there are many many timelines where it worked, Trump is the Orange King, and I’m dead now from being put up against a wall; so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
If they would have assassinated Pence on J6, before the certification, someone else would have stepped in, most likely Grassley. He would have accepted the alternate slate of electors and Biden would not be president.
I guess the law says the senate is supposed to choose someone if the vice president is unavailable to access president of the senate.
Man, I had forgotten about that car thing. I don’t know. They wouldn’t have harmed him. They would have delayed him enough that he couldn’t certify the vote. Then Trump had plans to use the military to seize voting machines (after which he would have obviously lied about whatever his goons found).
The Joint Chiefs memo was very comforting regarding the transition but it came on January 12th and cited the Congressional certification in saying “we will evict him with force on January 21.” If the certification didn’t happen, the transition and the election would have remained uncertain.
I think there is very little appetite in Washington for such uncertainty, but one side of the aisle is treasonous and would gladly acquiesce.
remember Adolf Hitler tried to start an insurrection, got caught, thrown in jail, wrote a book, and then got elected and started World War 2.
And remember how much Trump loves dictators.
Ya but…9/11 was brown people, 1/6 was white people.
There is absolutely a difference in how Americans view the people involved. That’s only been reinforced with this incident.
The ONE, and ONLY thing that stopped the coup was Pence growing a backbone at the exact time it mattered. It wasn’t out of honor or duty, it was out of narcissism. He didn’t want to be known forever as the man who facilitated The Corporate Theocracy of America.
imo the genocide in Gaza is far worse
America is geopolitically isolated on its support for Israel, to the point where it’s rapidly accelerating the collapse of its hegemony. We might lose Turkey in NATO, we might lose Egypt’s cooperation on migration, dedollarization is accelerating, normalization between Israel and the surrounding neighbors is dead, international law is a joke, and this is happening at the same time that French imperialism in Africa is also collapsing with coups and revolts.
It’s Joever
EDIT Downvoting me won’t bring back American prestige you fuckin libs. What is Biden going to do when South Africa’s suit against Israel finds them guilty of the crime of genocide? When America is compelled by international law to take available actions to stop genocide?
I’ll tell you what he’ll do! Nothing. When he does, the rest of the world is going to continue leaving America behind. Good riddance. 😜
They’re not down voting you because they’re liberals. They’re down vote you because you’re likely an accelerationis hypocrite. With shitty unconstructive hot takes and zero actual solutions.
You’re talking to a child who provokes others for attention. Stop giving it to them.
An accelerationist would advocate voting for Trump to hasten to collapse of America. I’m not doing that. I’m just not voting for Biden.
Hell, I’m voting down ticket Democrat in case Trump wins and they need to obstruct his agenda! Hardly accelerationism.
I have a proposal, stop sending weapons to the fucking genocide, stop trying to use the military to protect a genocide. It’s not a poster online doing this, it’s our fucking government accelerating things you twat.
Love when a quisling shows up to say I’m the threat
Here’s a proposal for you. As a non linenist Marxist and socialist I agree. As do many Democrats and liberals even. The thing is, our goals have to be realistic and achievable. And realistically what’s achievable is likely either a Biden or Trump presidency. And believe me things will be worse under Trump. For democrats to be able to make any sort of positive change they have to be in control. Even if that means a flawed candidate like Biden.
Had I seen the name of the person I replied to. I either probably would have just downloaded and not replied. And definitely would not have used the term likely hypocrite. It’s a 100% thing with them. And likely with a twat like yourself. U ml are like perpetual 10-year-olds. Your own worst enemies and saboteurs. And a threat to everyone else.
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Abolition wasn’t realistic or achievable until we fought a civil war over it.
Not advocating anything! Just something to think about.
Sadly, it’s more complicated than that. See, you have multi-billionaire shareholders in the companies manufacturing the weapons we’re selling, and they will absolutely sue the federal government over lost profits, and The Federalist Society SCOTUS stooges currently in office will rule in their favor. Thanks, Capitalism.
Wait until you learn that the republican agenda will keep doing the same regarding gaza.
That’s why I’m not voting for them. 🙄
Let me guess third PaRtY
No, I’m voting for Hillary Clinton. It’s still Her turn!
Sure, and that hillary clinton is with you in the same room?
If you mean Bill’s wife, she is not running.
You can write in anyone you want dawg
And yet the majority is conservative.
Do you get high fives from the other Cuntrarians and the lunch table for “Owning The Libs?” Do they think you’re a badass?
Trust me, I do this purely for my own enjoyment.
America’s not going down without taking everyone with them.
They’re crazy!
America is taking everyone with them anyway! See the latest climate summit for an example.
I’m more concerned about the American so-called communist who live in their mommy’s basements and troll online.
You’re concerned about something you made up more than runaway climate change. Cool!
Very American.
You’re assuming my nationality.
Not everyone who uses Lemmy is American.
They only make up 4% of the world population in fact.
You’re talking to a Russian troll.
So are you.
It’s Russian nesting trolls all the way down, baby.
No, I’m telling you that you post like an American and your politics are like that of an American.
Also, you assumed a lot of shit about me? My parents are passed, I’m a factory worker and live in a trailer, fuck off.
When did I assume things about you?
America is the only country in the world with a nuclear first strike policy, and to have used nuclear weapons on civilians. The best thing that can happen for the rest of the world is for it to fall to internal power struggles.
Not quite true, have you heard of the Semipalatinsk Test Site?
I have, and I would say that the circumstances/implications are very different. One was the unforseen negative health impacts of a nuclear test site the other was the use of nuclear weapons on two population centers.
Also that’s whataboutism I think lol. We’re talkin about US crimes
No you are, I’m talking about whatever the fuck I want to thank you very much.
Which is pivoting to USSR bad propaganda in a thread about how the real issue in everyones minds should be the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine?
Yeah I’m calling that whataboutism lmao
You can call it whatever you want to.
You said something wrong I called you out.
No need to get all pissy about it, it wasn’t anything personal.
LoL. Best wishes champ.
You’re telling the truth. The only thing Israel is to the US is a another military staging area if shit kicks off in The Middle East. That’s it. That said, Biden is not the entire admisistration. No President is. It takes Congress to change this shit, and way too many defense contrators and their shareholders are making way too much money for this to change.
And also, I can’t remember the exact quote, and I’m paraphrasing, is “People tell you they want to hear the truth, but they’ll hate you for saying it.”
As we saw in 2008 and 2020, it requires such an impossibly huge majority to change anything that it’s a pipedream. Structurally impossible.
As an outsider, I find American obsession over Jan 6th to be absolutely bizarre. At worst it was a riot. How exactly is a riot at the capital going to cause a coup? I’m guessing you too probably have overblown Jan 6th concerns but peoples response to your comment only confirms my thoughts. People are so entrenched in maintaining the “most dangerous thing since the civil war” that they are willing to consume their own over the smallest disagreements.
Also, these people claiming Trump would be worse in Gaza, but it’s not clear the US would be worse in Gaza if Trump won, the US has put up zero road blocks currently and with Trump in the Whitehouse the democrats would actually push back against the genocide because Trump is now president. Plus more negative press from the corporate media, again, because Trump is in charge. Not saying it’s the most likely case, but it can be argued.
Fuck Putin. Ask him how Democracy’s Dick tastes, and how civilian volunteers with drones kicking his ass feels.
Yeah the riot had no realistic chance of success. A much more realistic coup will be one done by the 6-3 Supreme Court!
I still think it’s fair to call them insurrectionists and treat them as such, but it was hardly “worse for America and the world than 9/11”