Capitol Riots, Trump to blame

Originally posted by Penny Pincher: ↑

What is truly astounding about this thread and others like it is that the discussion still is framed by arguments between left vs right, Republican vs Democrats, conservative vs progressive, etc

In reality what occurred on 6th January 2021 on Capital Hill was not so much an attack on Democrats. The primary target of the domestic terrorists on this day was Vice President Mike Pence.

History tells us that for an autocrat to assume power, they do not usually - in the first instance - fight their political counterparts.

FIRST they need to consolidate their position within their own party and assume absolute power there, before they can assume absolute power and turn on their external opponents.

Trump did not send his supporters after Joe Biden, but after the one person who he thought still stood between himself and the Presidency - Mike Pence.

If the domestic terrorists had been successful and caught Pence and indeed hanged him, who would have been next on their list?

I believe powerful or outspoken Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney were probably in more danger than Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer.

We can thank our lucky stars (or maybe just that policeman who distracted and lured the terrorists away from the senators) that fate - which stood on a knife's edge that day - did not allow an autocrat to assume power on that day.

Many more lives would have been lost.

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PP

I see a Trump conviction in the Senate as an each way bet.

What GOP Senators say they will do now and what they actually may differ. They all know that Mike Pence is in hiding from pro-Trump terrorists and so they won't (for now) say or do anything to put themselves in Pence's situation.

US corporations who have pulled funding from pro-Trump politicians and his name branded properties have lost half of their commercial value. That means the monied end of town has dumped Trump.

And so Trump now says he was partly responsible for the insurrection. I know that what Trump says on Fox maybe scripted and edited BUT the admission may also backfire on Trump IF it provides GOP Senators with a possible pathway to both praise and convict Trump at the same time.

Every member of Congress knows that the Portland riots don't excuse a continued Trumpist reign of terror. The also know that ongoing Trump inspired terror will destroy GOP mid term chances because corporate funding won't return while the Trump pot continues to be stirred. GOP Senators who need campaign funding need Trump to disappear but he won't. They maybe praying that Trump lets them off the hook by further incriminating himself.