The good news and the bad news.

January 6, 2021 • 2:30 pm

What do you want first? How about the good news? (click on screenshots):

Once again I will be right, and happily so.

The bad news:

I didn’t think this would happen, despite many people warning of it. It is a putsch prompted by a fascist who doesn’t have the concern about America to call it off. His motto should be “Make America Hate Again”.

Chaos engulfed the Capitol on Wednesday as a faction of Republicans sought to overturn President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in Congress and a group of protesters loyal to President Trump tried to storm the building, demanding to be heard.

Around 2:15 p.m., the proceedings ground to a halt as security rushed Vice President Mike Pence out of the Senate chamber and the Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers.

The extraordinary day in Washington laid bare deep divisions both between the two parties and within Republican ranks, the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that unfolds every four years in Congress was transformed into an explosive spectacle, with President Trump stoking the unrest.

“This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, yelled as the mayhem unfolded in the Senate chamber, apparently addressing his colleagues who were leading the charge to press Mr. Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

Look at this! I think it’s illegal to carry guns inside the Capitol building, but if they can’t stop these miscreants from entering, how could they take their guns?

(From the NYT). Supporters of President Trump swarmed and entered the Capitol building in Washington on Wednesday, prompting a lockdown and portions of the grounds to be evacuated.  Credit: Erin Schaff/The New York Times

They will not win, but I may have been wrong in thinking that there would be no violence. Think about this: there are people who would risk their lives to illegally keep Trump in office.

47 thoughts on “The good news and the bad news.

  1. So much for a “law and order” president. And it’s pretty funny how this violence occurs in a direct hit to democracy where leading up to the election pro-Trump people were shouting on social media that liberals were violent and they were burning down the cities so if Biden lost the liberals would kill everyone.

      1. With McCarthy disavowing this violence I see a lot of Trump’s pals backing away slowly because it’s so serious something like this.

  2. If this escalates further, I could see other no option than sending in the military to control this.

    This is unacceptable and our Dumbass in Chief is not helping the situation.

    1. “…there are people who would risk their lives to illegally keep Trump in office.”

      They’re counting on, and are pretty much, being treated like privileged white folks. They’re risking other people’s lives: reporters, police and anyone not openly-carrying.

  3. On the contrary, it is all good news. Several weeks ago, the old-line Liberal blogger and attorney Robert Hubbell explained, in advance, why this is so: he predicted that the antics of Trump and his followers would soon have the salutary effect of wrecking the Republican Party. At last, and richly deserved.

  4. I do not welcome the insurrection, but it will force many people to confront what this has always been about.

    1. I agree. The only thing I’m surprised about is that Georgia gave us 2 new DP senators.

      Not the least bit surprised that Trump still hasn’t backed down, or that he has enough criminally credulous followers motivated enough to make a serious mess. Things are going to break. Hopefully the RP is one of them.

  5. Any questions about Trump are answered. If this doesn’t break up the Republican party I’ll be amazed; that is hopefully the benefit in this madness. They have video of many of these goons that forced their way into the Capital, they should all be arrested and prosecuted. I just saw a video of one with his feet up on Pelosi’s desk. Bring in the National Guard and arrest them all. If they let Trump get away with this Democracy is finished here. Biden has to prosecute Trump.

  6. Perhaps today’s endangerment of not just Democratic but also Republican congressmen will drive a wedge between Trump and the Republicans, who probably weren’t thrilled to taste mob rule or to have their workplace invaded. But who knows? The party of Lincoln has devolved into the party of anti-democracy.

  7. It’s a bit old, but after the presidential election Private Eye ran a spoof news report from the Banana Republic Times about what was happening in the US:

    As tensions mounted and fears of violence grew, there continued to be no sign of an end to the stalemate in the disputed election in the strife-ridden nation of America, with its authoritarian hardman Donald Trump and his cabal of close family members refusing to hand over power to his Democrat rival Joe Biden.

    “America has teetered on the brink of civil for some months, with rioters and militia spurred on by the despot leader running pitched battles on the streets of its major cities,” said one Bananian election observer.

    In this backward and primitive country, ravaged by disease, with a health service only accessible by the rich and powerful, ordinary citizens had to risk all to endure queues of up to twelve hours to cast their ballot.

    From the moment election officials declared his opponent the winner, the despotic President, from his bunker on the seventh hole, branded the result a sham, despite not providing a single shred of proof to back up his claims.

    It’s feared the election will eventually be decided in the country’s Supreme Court, which has been packed with unqualified cronies of the hardman President who have given him an unassailable grip on the judiciary.

    And, indeed, the shenanigans are very reminiscent of what happens in less fortunate countries in the developing world.

    1. This is just for the President of the Flies and no reflection on US in general.

      But the madman can take his banana republic and put it in his shithole country.

    1. And now that dems have the Senate, they should impeach him again and do it properly. You can impeach a POTUS after leaving office, and an impeached POTUS can’t run for POTUS again.

      1. Yes, this! Regardless of what happens to him afterwards, we need to make sure he can’t ever run for office again.

        1. Article 1, Section 3:

          The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

    2. Yes. I just checked on the nuclear codes – it is Section 4 you want to use. Pence is no madman, and in 2 weeks he can’t do as much damage.

  8. The best thing I can say having watched the insurrectionists break into The Capitol from this side of the Atlantic is such a thing would not happen in an undemocratic state. Thank goodness they lit no fires.

  9. Best the madman in the WH is locked up up before January 20.

    Also, I hope US invokes Section 4 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution before it is too late.

  10. Would Biden have been confirmed so quickly had there not been a riot?

    Will Trump claim that the riot was a fifth-column action by Biden in order to get Biden confirmed?

  11. “Trump protesters swarm capitol” — “swarm”? The picture showed all of a dozen people, standing still, and apparently arguing with suited officials standing 20 feet away from them. “Swarm”?! This is Gaslighting, pure and simple.

    1. Seriously, Leslie? Are you that unaware of what happened on Wednesday in D.C.? Do you expect the rest of us are so think that we’d fall for the idea that this photo just shows a handful of tourists?

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