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Lipsky twice endorsed Mr. Trump for president, in 2016 and again in 2020, and said it was heartbreaking to write that editorial. As I echo his recommendation however, I do not feel any heartache. I voted twice for Trump, but without enthusiasm. I couldn’t vote for Hillary or Biden so I voted against each of them, and that meant voting for Trump. Never did I feel any affection for him. He simply didn’t engender that.
Weeks before Wednesday’s events I was appalled at what Trump said when he encouraged his followers to come to the Capitol and protest the election on January 6th. “Be there, will be wild,” he said. He claimed a report by his assistant would be “more than sufficient” to swing the election over to him. He didn’t seem to realize how volatile divisions in America had become, or if he did realize it, he didn’t care enough. He couldn’t or wouldn’t see beyond himself, so pervasive was his narcissism.
Hundreds of thousands came. Crowd estimates vary, but perhaps as many as 500,000, and Trump spoke to them for over an hour about (real? alleged? imagined?) election abuses before they marched up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.
Early on, he started firing them up.
At 02:44 he said: “We have hundreds of thousands of people here, and I just want them to be recognized by the fake news media. Turn your cameras please and show what’s really happening out here because these people are not going to take it any longer. They’re not going to take it any longer.”
At 06:08 he said: “We will not let them silence your voices. We’re not going to let it happen. Not going to let it happen.”
At 07:11 the crowd began chanting: “Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump! Fight for Trump!”
At 16:25 he said: “After this, we’re going to walk down and I’ll be there with you.”
But Trump didn’t go there with him. He stayed behind in the White House. If he had, perhaps he could have prevented what happened.
He continued, saying: “We’re going to walk down… [incoherent] …We’re going walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
At 23:21 he referred to Tuesday’s’ Georgia election defeats saying: “…it’s much more important today than it was 24 hours ago. Because I spoke to David Perdue, what a great person, and Kelly Loeffler, two great people, but it was a setup. And I said, ‘We have no back line anymore.’ The only back line, the only line of demarcation, the only line that we have is the veto of the president of the United States.”
After more than an hour of listening to Trump, the crowd marched to the Capitol — without him — and we all watched what happened. The conservative movement was severely damaged by what many in that fired-up crowd did. At this writing, some conservative pundits are claiming that Antifa agitators donned MAGA hats, broke windows at the Capitol, and entered the building. Evidence for that so far is thin. One guy dressed up like a Viking or a Sioux Indian chief, had been photographed at Antifa riots last summer and again Wednesday among the crowd at the Capitol.
While it’s true that leftist riots perpetrated by Antifa and BLM over the summer were far worse than what happened at the Capitol, and it’s true those riots were not condemned by Democrats, that doesn’t excuse what happened Wednesday. Even if there were disguised Antifa rioters in the mob, they were outnumbered by Trump supporters from the rally at the White House. Terrible damage has been done to our cause. We can expect Democrats and the leftist media will exploit it for all it’s worth in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Trump owns what happened. His behavior was disgraceful and he should resign immediately. Will he though?
I doubt it.
23 comments:
In my opinion, the antifa thugs could not have gotten into the building without inside help. Yes, Democrat Congressmen, the same ones who have been trying to impeach him for years. Why? So that they could invoke the 25th.
Our election process will never be trusted again, and now, we are no different than Cuba or Venezuela.
Does Trump need to concede? Yes, because our government refuses to acknowledge the evil fraud that was perpetrated during the election. I shudder for my Country. I shudder at the thought of a Biden presidency that will cause the US to swirl down into a socialist toilet.
This is what it took for your eyes to be opened. You should be ashamed but I'll bet you're not.
January 6, 2020 was absolutely sickening, and not having the ability to immediately deal with this shows a weakness in our system.
At the moment, it seems as though the best approach is to wait until after the 20th so that pardons cannot be issued.
You're correct Tom. I'm not. I'd do it all again.
I do not support violence, that applies to yesterday, Antifa, and BLM. Clearly, Democrats supported the violence committed by Antifa and BLM, if not just morally but I believe financially. However, two wrongs do not make a right. I think the president should have chosen different words yesterday. But, there is plenty of blame to go around. I think SCOTUS is partly to blame as they should have heard the evidence of voting fraud. This would have shown all Americans that the judiciary was examining the evidence and it would have made a difference in how millions felt. It did not help that the PA Supreme Court by a 3-2 vote violated PA election law, inevitably giving Biden the win and 20 electoral votes. But, moving on, guilty has been pronounced, yet we do not know all the facts. There was a patriotic veteran killed, a defenseless woman by one of Pence's security details...unacceptable. In closing, I doubt the Democrats would have acted much differently if roles were reversed. In fact, it was reported that Justice Roberts scolded the justices concerned that riots would ensure if they heard the fraud case...I think we all know that cities would still be burning. There are guilty people in what happened yesterday, but let's pause to find out who were those responsible and hold them liable, not all, and not Pres. Trump.
Did you think before you posted that reply? You just told the world everything about you as an ideologue. I thought you were a former educator. No wonder America ranks so low in its education system.
I do not think that this is a time for trying to shame Tom. He has done something very difficult which took some inner strength and integrity. He has not outright apologized for supporting this President, but he is admitting now that Trump is not fit for office. Yes, it should have been recognized sooner, but this is a step that should be praised. It's hard to do. You could hear it in McConnell's voice when he spoke on the Senate floor. It seems that the obvious had been previously ignored, but this is a breakthrough. Now is not the time for further division. That said, it is bewildering that one admitting they were wrong about Trump would also proclaim that they would do it all again. Knowing what it led to, and knowing now what Trump really is, why would one want to repeat a mistake? My take is that it is because people want to hold at least a little ground on those that would shame them. We need to break this cycle and start focusing on what we have in common. If we want to preserve the United States of America we need to figure out how to unite.
“There is no excuse for the violence that took place Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. Capitol. Violence is both counterproductive and morally reprehensible. Every person responsible for trespassing, vandalism, theft, or violence should be prosecuted. Americans deserve to know who were the instigators behind this shameful stunt, and those responsible should be brought to justice."
Why did this happen?
Any honest observer knows these events are the result of multiple causes, including the pent up frustrations of citizens stripped of their freedoms and livelihoods during the ongoing pandemic, the widespread excusing of violence committed across America by antifa mobs, ongoing concerns over election irregularities, and yes, at times, the public rhetoric of the President of the United States.
President Trump has every right to demand answers to the many unresolved electoral irregularities. We have joined him in these demands. He likewise has a responsibility to pursue justice in a way that does not lead to lawlessness.
The media, along with many of our political leaders, also bear responsibility for today’s events. Regrettably, the excusing of antifa mob violence over the past 8 months sent the unmistakable message that if you are unhappy with a specific political or social issue, the answer is violence and mayhem.
Politicians have ignored widespread violence that included assaults on innocent people, vandalism, theft, looting and the burning and destruction American cities. Even Joe Biden famously ducked questions about antifa, calling the anarchist movement “an idea.”
The Capitol is indeed the “people's house.” But of no less importance are the businesses, homes, and safety of innocent Americans.
Consider too the excusing of rioting in protest of allegations of police brutality by prominent left-wing media outlet Vox. One such article was titled “Riots are destructive, dangerous, and scary — but can lead to serious social reforms -- To prevent more violent uprisings and protests, we need to take their causes seriously.” The article argues that “acknowledging the lingering rage and feelings of neglect that led to the riots as genuine political viewpoints is important…”
And who can forget CNN’s Chris Cuomo who famously chided critics of mob violence saying: “Too many see the protests as the problem. No, the problem is what forced your fellow citizens to take to the streets. Persistent and poisonous inequities and injustice. Please… show me where it says that protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful.”
It is also worth noting that violence and lawbreaking in pursuit of political causes has been on the rise.
Recall the shooting of Republican Congressman Steve Scalise in 2017, or left-wing activists who stormed the Capitol and Senate office buildings in 2018 to oppose the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, leading to hundreds of arrests, or the mobs that threatened the White House this summer forcing the Secret Service to rush the President to a security bunker, only to be mocked by the media the next day.
These examples in no way justify the violence that occurred inside the Capitol on Wednesday. But the shameful double standard has contributed in meaningful ways to what we witnessed Wednesday afternoon.
Thank you Claire, for a very thoughtful comment. The times we're in are difficult to navigate and there are strong winds blowing from multiple directions. I see you are trying to make sense of it all and so am I.
The Constitution created the Congress. Article I comprises half of the original document before Amendments were added. The Founders created a government to help us navigate the tumult and keep us on course with honest debate and the Capitol is the place for it. The individuals who argue within it are all flawed and some may even be evil, but it's necessary to preserve the process. Storming into the building and tearing it up is regression.
President Trump has done much for the cause of conservatism. His administration, even after he became unhinged at the end of it, has been a net positive. If I had it to do over again, I would again vote for him in 2016 and 2020, given the choices we had at the time.
Thank you Cowboy Ted and Rhondajo. I too am worried about what the left will do now that they control both the Congress and the White House. We have to hang on for two more years and work to take over Congress again, but at the ballot box, not by storming the Capitol.
At the ballot box?
How quaint.
Gosh. Even in my humble hamlet, we have a tabulator, and vote with 'special" pen now.
If the entire country went back to paper ballots, we'd be better off. It would take longer to count them, but so what? They're there for recounts; they can be preserved for however long. Registered voters are checked in at each polling place and given a ballot. The amount of ballots distributed individually would match the number cast when polls close at 8:00 pm everywhere. No more mail-in ballots; only absentee ballots allowed. Voter ID required.
I don’t think Trump is unhinged or a narcissist to the extent you claim, Tom. I also don’t think he incited the violence at the Capitol. Many in the Ruling Class Swamp and establishment media now have selective moral outrage based on their lack of condemnation of the riots this past summer.
I contend there were BLM and Antifa types who infiltrated the MAGA protestors. When did you ever see TEA Party types or the thousands and thousands of attendees at Trump’s previous rallies behave in this fashion? Never. Something is going on we’re not seeing. Time will tell.
I expect that before the 20th, Trump will release classified documents exposing Democrat corruption particularly, what went on with the Italian government and the aerospace, defense, cyber security company known as Leonardo. Hold on to your hat!
For what it’s worth, I condemn the violence as much as you do but what the Left has is store for conservatives and patriots when Bumbling Biden and Kommie Harris are sworn in won’t be pretty.
Kafir: You're right that we didn't see violence at Tea Party functions or at Trump rallies. It is anomalous. I hope you're right also that evidence of Antifa and other leftist agitation emerges.
Tom, I agree with you about paper ballots. I wonder how you are distinguishing mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. The two terms are used interchangeably in many states with no legal distinction. If you mean that ballots should only be sent out if requested, I'm with you again. I can understand the different viewpoints when it comes to voter ID. On the one hand, sure, why not make sure that everyone voting is a legal citizen? Then there is the idea of not wanting a "show me your papers" government. There is also this viewpoint I just read on a Libertarian website about voter ID:
"Besides, what have "legal" voters with IDs given us? For decades, American citizens have voted to restrict gun rights, expand welfare and wealth transfers, debt, massive spending programs and warmongering politicians over and over again. What does it matter if the person eyeing my liberty and wealth has a government ID or not?"
By all means we should worry about secure elections, but it certainly appears that this latest election was as secure as any. This has been vouched for by our intelligence agencies, Bill Barr and the DOJ, the courts, and Homeland Security ("The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history")
This insurrection was incited by the lies being told by Donald Trump with his unfounded claims. He led people to believe Pence could do something he didn't have the power to. Without proof, he led them to believe that the election was fraudulent, which incited them into action. To say such things without iron-clad proof is reckless, unhinged behavior which is dangerous to our democracy. When even Trump allies like Barr, McConnell and Lindsay Graham speak out saying that there is not sufficient evidence it has to make you stop and reconsider. Wishing and hoping that BM or Antifa was involved in this is just that - wishing and hoping. One could just as easily contend that violence at BLM protests were because of far right infiltrators. But there is no evidence of these things. It is crazy to see politicians and others trying to create conspiracies out of thin air. On Wednesday evening, GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz said antifa members had been spotted among the mob that stormed the Capitol, claiming that face-recognition technology spotted two antifa members there. That story was later retracted when the facial-recognition company not only said it was untrue, but that its technology did recognize the faces of multiple conservative extremists at the attack. The FBI said there’s no indication antifa had anything to do with the Trump coup attempt. We all have strong feelings, but we have to start basing them on evidence and reality.
First time long time. Those twilight years have caught up to you Tom. I never thought I would see the day that you would slip to the other side. Facts are facts and if you fail to see what the Trump era has given the country then yes Tom you are in the twilight of a mediocre career.
That defense of our Capitol building was a joke. That police force is either inept or corrupt. It was as if a stand down order was rendered. Show resistance to a point and then step aside.
I do not condone the actions demonstrated at the Capitol but is it any different then what has taken place in our major cities. Where it all goes from here is up to Mr. Biden. I wish him well but my concern is the incompetency of the new regime. Cancel culture seems to be a theme. Big Tech actual has a handle on our government and along with China will march this crew right over the edge. It has started and will be tough to back check.
Winter well Tom and enjoy that view from Christian Hill to Mt. Washington. I will always have Kezar ( Lady's Delight ) and Horseshoe Pond in my memory. Beautiful spot.
For certain Trump is to blame for the insurrection against our democracy, but he’s not alone. He was aided by Republican lawmakers and conservative media figures – partisan opinionists – who continued to push a lie that the election was stolen. Trump’s been queuing up that canard since January of last year. In truth, he first brought it up in 2016, but he won the election so he had no need to drive it any further, but he did. He created the Commission on Voter Fraud in a vain attempt to find anything that could cast doubt on his popular-vote loss, but he shut it down in 2018 after finding nothing. Then in the start of 2020, he renewed the claim of a rigged election before a single vote was even cast, and he was joined in that chorus by many Republican politicians and partisan opinionists who are valued by too many people as serious journalists. “Voting irregularities” is such an impossibly vague and unspecific charge it could mean literally anything. Like Peter wrote, Trump asked his AG Barr to investigate these voter irregularities, and he concluded there was no wide-spread voter fraud. 52 lower courts across six states threw out, at last count, 59 lawsuits, many of which because the plaintiffs – Trump’s legal team – simply presented no evidence. Governors and Secretaries of State all certified the vote totals. But Trump, Republican lawmakers and conservative opinionists continued driving the lie. A lie repeated off enough becomes the truth to some people. Partisan opinionists – Democrats have theirs – who glut the airwaves have been driving this lie of a stolen election for months. In Trump’s case, it’s been nearly a full year. I watched Fox the night of the insurrection, and Martha Maccallum had on Sarah Palin. The 6:00 curfew wasn’t an hour old, and she was blaming antifa and the MSM.
Mr. McLaughlin, you printed this quote in a blog prior to the election: “If you are a liberal and can’t stand Trump and can’t possibly fathom why anyone would vote for him, let me fill you in. We can’t stand you. You’ve done everything in your power by trying to destroy this country by tearing down our police, our borders, our history, systematically destroying our schools and brainwashing our kids into thinking socialism is the answer to everything. Demonizing religion and faith and glorifying abortion, violence and thug culture. And calling us racists…”
The person described above inspires hatred, fear and action. Heck, I hate him, but I’m not sure this person exists. This person is an amalgam of ideas exaggerated to absurd degrees. I know plenty of liberals, and I don’t recognize this person in any of them. How many people on this board know the individual described here? There are probably liberals who read this blog. I ask of you, how many see yourselves in this description? (1) How many of you “glorify” abortion? I know a few liberals who staunchly oppose it and plenty who support the continued legal accessibility to it, but I truly don’t know a soul who glorifies it. (2) How many of you “glorify” violence? Socialism is the populace control of industry. (3) How many liberals on this board see Socialism as the solution to ANYTHING, never mind EVERYTHING? (4) How many of you want porous borders that allow an unregulated free-flow of immigrants in and out of this country? (5) How many of you demonize religion? To the ardent Trump supporters on this blog, I’m sure you folks know some liberals. I numbered the questions to easily identify them. Take these questions to your liberal friends and see what their responses are. This person is a caricature clumsily crafted by the people who convinced tens of millions that their votes were stolen. We need to shut off the opinion media. The unfortunate reality, is people who subsist on the opinion media don’t want to know the truth, they want to be lied to.
Mr. McLaughlin, I applaud you for calling for his resignation. Party loyalty these days is so high, honesty like that is considered betrayal by some.
For certain Trump is to blame for the insurrection against our democracy, but he’s not alone. He was aided by Republican lawmakers and conservative media figures – partisan opinionists – who continued to push a lie that the election was stolen. Trump’s been queuing up that canard since January of last year. In truth, he first brought it up in 2016, but he won the election so he had no need to drive it any further, but he did. He created the Commission on Voter Fraud in a vain attempt to find anything that could cast doubt on his popular-vote loss, but he shut it down in 2018 after finding nothing. Then in the start of 2020, he renewed the claim of a rigged election before a single vote was even cast, and he was joined in that chorus by many Republican politicians and partisan opinionists who are valued by too many people as serious journalists. “Voting irregularities” is such an impossibly vague and unspecific charge it could mean literally anything. Like Peter wrote, Trump asked his AG Barr to investigate these voter irregularities, and he concluded there was no wide-spread voter fraud. 52 lower courts across six states threw out, at last count, 59 lawsuits, many of which because the plaintiffs – Trump’s legal team – simply presented no evidence. Governors and Secretaries of State all certified the vote totals. But Trump, Republican lawmakers and conservative opinionists continued driving the lie. A lie repeated off enough becomes the truth to some people. Partisan opinionists – Democrats have theirs – who glut the airwaves have been driving this lie of a stolen election for months. In Trump’s case, it’s been nearly a full year. I watched Fox the night of the insurrection, and Martha Maccallum had on Sarah Palin. The 6:00 curfew wasn’t an hour old, and she was blaming antifa and the MSM.
Mr. McLaughlin, you printed this quote in a blog prior to the election: “If you are a liberal and can’t stand Trump and can’t possibly fathom why anyone would vote for him, let me fill you in. We can’t stand you. You’ve done everything in your power by trying to destroy this country by tearing down our police, our borders, our history, systematically destroying our schools and brainwashing our kids into thinking socialism is the answer to everything. Demonizing religion and faith and glorifying abortion, violence and thug culture. And calling us racists…”
The person described above inspires hatred, fear and action. Heck, I hate him, but I’m not sure this person exists. This person is an amalgam of ideas exaggerated to absurd degrees. I know plenty of liberals, and I don’t recognize this person in any of them. How many people on this board know the individual described here? There are probably liberals who read this blog. I ask of you, how many see yourselves in this description? (1) How many of you “glorify” abortion? I know a few liberals who staunchly oppose it and plenty who support the continued legal accessibility to it, but I truly don’t know a soul who glorifies it. (2) How many of you “glorify” violence? Socialism is the populace control of industry. (3) How many liberals on this board see Socialism as the solution to ANYTHING, never mind EVERYTHING? (4) How many of you want porous borders that allow an unregulated free-flow of immigrants in and out of this country? (5) How many of you demonize religion? To the ardent Trump supporters on this blog, I’m sure you folks know some liberals. I numbered the questions to easily identify them. Take these questions to your liberal friends and see what their responses are. This person is a caricature clumsily crafted by the people who convinced tens of millions that their votes were stolen. We need to shut off the opinion media and read journalism. The unfortunate reality, is people who subsist on the opinion media don’t want to know the truth, they want to be lied to.
Steve:
The young woman from whom I took that quote is a real person: Alexandra Lains, and you can watch her saying it here: https://nycboss.com/2020/10/21/young-woman-explains-why-were-voting-for-trump-in-less-than-a-minute/
She calls herself a military wife and her site is here: https://www.livinglifelikealex.com
I've deleted posts asking where Brian is, and I will continue to do so. Brian is the obnoxious troll I cited as my reason for moderating posts. I suspect it's him repeatedly posting the question under various pseudonyms.
All other posts have been allowed.
I believe she’s a real person, I just don’t believe the person she’s describing is real.
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