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Dems hyping Capitol riots to overshadow their litany of failures

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Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
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With the midterms looming, you’d think the Democrats would deliver a campaign message of unity, economic growth, or defeating the coronavirus. Instead, they kicked off the year by likening up to half the country to the world’s worst terrorists with melodramatic speeches to commemorate the Capitol riots.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them — where they were and what they were doing when our democracy came under assault. Dates that occupy not only a place on our calendars, but a place in our collective memory. December 7th, 1941. September 11th, 2001. January 6th, 2021.”

President Joe Biden: “Rioters rampaging, waving for the first time inside this Capitol a Confederate flag that symbolized the cause to destroy America, to rip us apart. Even during the Civil War, that never, ever happened.”

Yes, the Capitol riots were shameful, but so are these hyperbolic comparisons. If the actions on that day were as serious as they claim, where’s the proportionate response?

Why not charge a single one of the more than 725 and counting accused in connection with January 6 with insurrection, terrorism, or treason?

And why misrepresent the facts?

Why keep dissembling about the fact that cops were killed by protesters on January 6 when the only people to die were participants, only one of whom was killed—by a Capitol cop?

Then, when commemorating the event, they dishonestly insinuate Capitol cops who died over the last year were killed by protesters. 

Why further inflate the number by including the death of a cop who was killed by a Nation of Islam follower months later?

Democracy did not hang in the balance because the likes of QAnon Shaman rushed the Capitol. This was not American Al-Qaeda.

What’s the point of making January 6 the Democrats’ opening statement to voters this year?

Harping on Jan. 6 distracts from the fact that in virtually every area, the Democrat agenda has failed — the draconian Chinese coronavirus response, inflation, the supply chain crisis, Afghanistan, the border, crime, censorship, cancellation and the rest of the woke anti-cultural revolution that they back.

The Capitol breach card is what the Democrats have. It’s all they have. They will play it as ruthlessly and shamelessly as they have to to hold on for dear political life.

In the earliest days of 2022, Democrats telegraphed their major campaign message for the midterm elections.

It wasn’t one of unity. It wasn’t one of economic growth. It wasn’t one of “beating” the virus.

Instead, it was that their political foes—up to half the country—are the equivalent of Al-Qaeda, kamikaze fighters, and confederates.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them — where they were and what they were doing when our democracy came under assault. Dates that occupy not only a place on our calendars, but a place in our collective memory. December 7th, 1941. September 11th, 2001. January 6th, 2021.”

President Joe Biden: “Rioters rampaging, waving for the first time inside this Capitol a Confederate flag that symbolized the cause to destroy America, to rip us apart. Even during the Civil War, that never, ever happened.”

Does their argument hold water? And what does it say that demonizing tens of millions of Americans based on the actions over five hours on one day of some several hundred people who “breached” the Capitol—the federal government’s word for what transpired—is core to the Democrats’ opening message for why you should vote for them this year?

Sure, January 6 is in part elevated because it provides an episode that fits the left’s wildest fever dreams of a coup around every corner, and a frothing-mad MAGA monster under every bed. It’s the caricature of conservatives they’d love to paint. 

But the problem is that for however shameful and pathetic the worst actions were of the worst offenders on Jan. 6, the Democrats’ comparisons are outrageous, and offensive. They aren’t even worth legitimizing.

By scope, violence, and destruction, the Capitol riot pales in comparison to the summer riots of 2020.

The hyperbolic comparisons are a charade – not just because the facts contradict the claims of a murderous insurrection of armed terrorists—a narrative federal judges most outraged by Jan. 6 have themselves lamented in court. 

Here’s one of them, the Chief Justice of the D.C. Circuit Court, where the Capitol breach cases are being heard:

—Quote—

“The government is resolving the crime of the century with Class ‘B’ misdemeanors,”

—Unquote—

That might be the most telling comment of the whole prosecution.

And here’s how we know Democrats doth protest too much.

If the truth supported the narrative, why not charge a single one of the more than 725 and counting accused in connection with January 6 with insurrection, terrorism, or treason?

Why keep dissembling about the fact that cops were killed by protesters on January 6 when the only people to die were participants, only one of whom was killed—by a Capitol cop?

Then, when commemorating the event, they dishonestly insinuate Capitol cops who died over the last year were killed by protesters. 

Why further inflate the number by including the death of a cop who was killed by a Nation of Islam follower months later?

Why emphasize the “armed” nature of the breach when of the literally five people out of more than 725 charged were slapped with a firearm offense—people who according to the left should be crazed gun nuts—of those five not one has been charged with carrying a firearm in the Capitol during the riot?

Why hide thousands of hours of footage from the defendants, and the public? Cynically, wouldn’t the politics support releasing as much footage as possible if you’re the Democrats and you’re likening this event to 9/11?

Why stonewall about federal informants on the ground that day, and leave some of the most prominent co-conspirators unindicted? 

Why not question the authorities who, according to the videotape, let hundreds of protesters walk right in?  

Haven’t heard much about that from the Jan. 6th select committee.

And speaking of that committee..

Why stack the deck in a Soviet show trial-style January 6 Congressional Committee of America First haters—one where Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s own responsibility for Capitol security isn’t even an afterthought? 

Why doctor evidence and lie about basic facts of the day’s events if you are on that committee?

Why commemorate such a supposedly somber and serious event with a rendition of a song from Hamilton by its cast members?

To tie a bow on it, why permit your vigil to be organized by an Antifa-affiliated woman linked to organized political violence by the left against non-leftists including Senator Josh Hawley the night before Jan 6th and his family?

The reality is that the evidence, and Democrats’ histrionics one year on, undermine their case. 

Several hundred people out of tens of thousands in D.C. who peacefully made their voices heard that day lashed out, and LARPed, pathetically, and to the detriment of the effort they purportedly believed in. They ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as we’ve maintained the entire time.

But democracy did not hang in the balance because the likes of QAnon Shaman rushed the Capitol. By the government’s own admission, most of the accused weren’t part of some organized group, there wasn’t pre-planning, many of them were old and disabled, and some apparently unstable, and the vast majority charged were hit with misdemeanors— this was not American Al-Qaeda.

To make these points isn’t to downplay, condone, or excuse the worst acts of that day, but to point out how dishonest the people are who have been exploiting it for political ends.

And remember who those people are. 

It’s largely Democrats–Democrats who have no problem challenging elections. They did that the last three times Republicans won the presidency, in 2000, 2004, and 2016.

Democrats who don’t bat an eye over claims a president is illegitimate. 

They said the same for the last five years about the election of Donald Trump. Democrats who have few qualms about political violence. These were people again who overwhelmingly supported the more devastating summer riots of 2020.

Democrats who in principle have no problem backing actual terrorists — the very ones who supported the tip of the Sunni Islamist spear in the Muslim Brotherhood, and the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, Iran, to try and make them the Middle East’s hegemons during the Obama years. And of course, that continues today under the Biden administration, particularly with respect to Iran. 

It’s clear that for Democrats, facts can’t get in the way of narrative, and merits can’t get in the way of politics.

What’s the point of making January 6 the Democrats’ opening statement to voters this year?

Harping on Jan. 6 distracts from the fact that in virtually every area, the Democrat agenda has failed — the draconian Chinese coronavirus response, inflation, the supply chain crisis, Afghanistan, the border, crime, censorship, cancellation and the rest of the woke anti-cultural revolution that they back.

Hyping Jan. 6 may also help their friends in the media grab ratings, and supercharge fundraising efforts, while scaring off Republican donors who fear being called insurrectionist supporters.

Democrats are also honing in on Jan. 6 as part of an effort to stigmatize and fight Republican election integrity efforts aimed at undoing the election integrity-eroding efforts of the 2020 election which have so greatly undermined public confidence writ large in our elections.  

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has telegraphed a play to nuke the filibuster to federalize and enshrine mass mail-in elections, based on the idea that the New York Times ran with just days prior that America has faced a rolling insurrection since the Capitol breach, in the form of a Republican-led state-level election integrity legislation. As Speaker Pelosi put it:

“What Republicans are doing across the country is really a legislative continuation of what they did on January 6th.”

And of course, looming over this all is the imperative to hang Jan. 6 around Donald Trump’s neck to hobble if not destroy him in advance of a potential 2024 run—because Democrats recognize how popular he was, and is, with voters. 

Even more cynically, there’s an attempt by those claiming a desire to save “our democracy” – that means their power – to disqualify members of Congress who refused to certify the 2020 election results as early as 2022. That effort has already started.

What’s the takeaway? Well if Jan. 6 is the best card Democrats have, “our democracy” might end up in pretty good shape – Democrats may well be primed for a shellacking at the ballot box.

That said, no one should underestimate the danger of a wounded Democrat Party, which, has little to lose, still dominates the government, media, and academy, and is facing a Republican establishment still lukewarm towards the conservative-nationalist -populist, un-woke America craving representation. 

The Capitol breach card is what the Democrats have. It’s all they have. They will play it as ruthlessly and shamelessly as they have to to hold on for dear political life.

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