One time-honored specialty of Washington — commemorating and coming together over national trauma — isn’t what it used to be because of the divisions in the nation, between the political parties, and even inside the Republican Party itself.
There were primarily Democrats present for the minute of silence held at the Capitol on Friday morning to reflect on the attack that will take place there on January 6, 2021; Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries made brief statements, but there were no Republicans there.
The Capitol Police officers who guarded the building that day and the families of police officers killed in the violence were the main subjects of the ceremony. Jeffries reported that day, 140 police officers suffered serious injuries, “the brutal violence of the insurrectionist mob will forever scar many more. We stand here today with our democracy intact because of those officers.”
Democrats, along with families of officers who died because of the Jan. 6 riot, held a vigil on the steps of the Capitol on the two-year anniversary of the attack. https://t.co/hxwVDOxRtr pic.twitter.com/9eHlWY9WeP
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 6, 2023
Few Republicans were anticipated at the White House for a ceremony where President Joe Biden will present Presidential Citizens Medals to twelve state and local officials, election workers, and police officers in recognition of their “exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens” in defending the 2020 election results and fending off the Capitol mob.
This is very different from what happened on September 11, 2001, when senators who had hurriedly fled the Capitol following the terrorist assault met there later that day for a minute of silence and sang “God Bless America” shoulder to shoulder.
According to a paragraph now included in the House’s official history, “They stood shaken and tearful on the steps of the Capitol, their love of the nation and all that it symbolizes plain for the world to see.”
The world now sees a different vision of American democracy in crisis, one that originates within the organization that insurrectionists took control of two years ago.
Once again, the government’s legislative arm is paralyzed. Still, this time it’s not due to unrest but rather a protracted conflict among Republicans about who should serve as House speaker and their leader.
Uncertainties linger regarding the chamber’s capacity to handle even the most crucial legislation, such as funding the government and paying the nation’s debt obligations. A resolution to the immediate crisis may be close as the GOP leadership continues negotiations to appease its hard-right flank.
In his remarks later that day, Biden will share tales of bravery, whether in the face of a violent Capitol crowd or a ferocious swarm of agitators motivated by Donald Trump who intimidated election workers or otherwise attempted to overturn the results. He’ll make a unifying pitch.
Do check out more related articles here:
- How Did Middle-Class Joe Biden Go From $25,000 in 2008 to $17M in 2022?
- Joe Biden Gives Dating Advice to a Young Girl: “No Serious Guys Till…”
The Democratic president must heed potential red flags
Candidates who challenged the validity of the results of the free and fair election held in 2020 lost their bids in the midterm elections for several crucial statewide positions regulating elections in swing states and for several congressional seats.
However, many politicians who made unfounded accusations of election fraud or justified the violence on January 6 are still in office and have been given increased authority.
Trump’s 2024 campaign has gotten off to a poor start. Still, he has a sizable war chest, and several of his potential competitors for the Republican presidential nomination have used his incorrect statements about the 2020 election to their advantage.
Additionally, several members of Congress who supported him when he claimed that the election had been rigged are pivotal in the drive to block Rep. Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker because Trump’s pleas do not persuade them to do so and put an end to the conflict.
The protracted conflict renders the House leaderless, preventing it from passing legislation and limiting its ability to do much more than hold speaker elections until a majority is established. Because the members-elect can still not take their oath of office, everything from national security briefings to assisting constituents with navigating the federal government’s bureaucracy is put on hold.
A throughline from January 6 is what some Democrats perceive
One of the MPs who fled the rioters two years ago, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, said that the tumult around the speaker’s election “is about the destruction of an institution in a different way.”
The rebels later imprisoned some members within the House chamber but never managed to break through. That day, they disrupted national business for several hours.
Since there have been 11 unsuccessful votes for the speaker so far, some feel imprisoned in the same chamber and House activity has been put on hold for this week and counting.
“The stream of continuity here is extremism, elements of Trumpism, norms don’t matter,” says Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois. “It’s not about governing; it’s about pontificating and advocating an extremist point of view.”
“It is a tiny minority who want to throw this institution into chaos,” Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire said.
On January 6, 2021, there were at least nine fatalities in the Capitol, including a woman who was shot and killed by police as she attempted to enter the House chamber and three additional Trump supporters who, according to authorities, experienced medical issues.
In the days that followed, two police officers committed suicide, while a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and passed away after interacting with the demonstrators. Later, a medical examiner concluded that he passed away naturally.
ANNIVERSARY OF CAPITOL RIOT: It's been two years since a mob of Trump supporters staged an insurrection at the Capitol. Almost a third of Floridians charged in the riot were from Tampa Bay. Here's a look at the status of their cases. | via @WFLASam: https://t.co/6dATwmPjA9 pic.twitter.com/UtqHqmCjrW
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) January 6, 2023
Months later, the Metropolitan Police revealed that Kyle DeFreytag and Gunther Hashida, two further officers who had responded to the uprising, had also committed suicide. A bell rang in their honor, and the politicians observed a quiet of 140 seconds in remembrance of those cops. Some of their families also spoke about them.
After the ceremony, Ken Sicknick, Brian Sicknick’s brother, said, “I wish we didn’t have to be here.”
The House committee looking into the attack on January 6 concluded with a recommendation to the Justice Department to prosecute the former president after the unsatisfactory midterm elections for Trump’s supporters. He will now be the subject of a special counsel’s investigation, with Attorney General Merrick Garland making the final decision.
Even while the congressional investigations are over, the criminal charges are still very much pending, both for Trump and his friends, who are still being investigated as well as the 950 people who were detained and prosecuted in connection with the violent attack. This week marks the start of the second seditious conspiracy trial, which involves Proud Boys members.
Congress modified the Electoral Count Act in December in a measured but significant move to limit the vice president’s role in counting electoral votes, to make it more difficult for individual lawmakers to challenge duly certified election results, and to do away with “fake electors” like those used by Trump allies to try to reverse his loss to Biden.
After all, Biden had dared to hold out hope that this was the moment that would show the world that democracies can provide for their citizens, “the first time we’re getting through the whole issue relating to January 6. Things are settling out.”
The battle for speaker, however, followed, which was unusual in Congress history.
“And now, for the first time in 100 years, we can’t move?” Biden said earlier this week. “It’s not a good look. It’s not a good thing.”
“Look,” he went on, “how do you think it looks to the rest of the world?”
enduring joke by Will Rogers — “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat”— now seems out of date and inappropriate. In a smooth changeover from Pelosi, Democrats voted overwhelmingly to elect Jeffries of New York as their new House leader.
Do check out more related articles here:
- Joe Biden Mocks Gun Owners at California Fundraiser: “You’re a Danger to Yourself”
- President Biden’s Statement Regarding Marijuana Reform
Republicans, the party for which waiting in line the most extended typically meant success, are now the party of factions and disarray two years after January 6 and Trump’s departure.
Stay tuned with us on Leedaily.com for more latest updates and recent news.
