The U.S. will mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection on Saturday, a milestone that will confer upon the reality-dwelling citizenry a grim reminder of the potency of propaganda and how quickly it can warp perception when introduced into the public square.
Just three years ago, most of the country watched with dismay and horror as a violent MAGA mob beat back authorities and stormed the country’s citadel of democracy. The Donald Trump-incited crush of disillusioned rioters, fueled by a stream of fantastical lies, believed that the 2020 election had been stolen by sinister forces working to undermine the democratic election.
Of course, not only was their belief flatly incorrect, but evidence later emerged indicating that it was Trump who, in fact, had tried to subvert democracy.
Facts, however, have little bearing on the sentiment inside the Republican Party, which has been fed a steady diet of lies and half-truths by Fox News and the rest of the sprawling right-wing media machine. To wit, the false notion that Joe Biden nefariously stole the 2020 election is now widely shared inside the GOP. A CNN poll conducted over the summer found that nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s win was not legitimate, a number that has continued to tick up.
Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to obstruct Congress voting and forcibly have them change what they are doing (certify Trump instead of Biden).
It isn’t an insurrection because it was violent enough or because they were unruly enough (a bloodless coup is still a coup). It’s an insurrection because its aim was to seize power, unlawfully, in this case for the guy who lost the election. Whatever riots happened with no political goal or agenda to overthrow the government are irrelevant. However violent or unpleasant they were, they are not described as an insurrection because they aren’t and insurrection