That stupid rally was a bust. But let’s not get complacent.
Through the eyes of a MAGAt, January 6 was both a spectacular success and a bit of a disappointment. The insurrectionists accomplished what Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis couldn’t: they overran the seat of the hated United States government. That is quite an accomplishment. Nevertheless, the vote to certify the election was merely delayed; both loathed RINOs and Democratic leaders escaped their clutches; and Trump was forced to abandon the White House. So score Jan 6 as something between a C+ and a B. It could have been so much more — and they were so close!
If I were a leader of the Trumpists, I wouldn’t waste time, money, and precious ammo bothering with a symbolic show of solidarity in DC for jailed compadres on a mere random date in the fall of 2021. I’d spend my time carefully planning dozens, if not hundreds, of disruptive actions on upcoming Election Days across the country. I’d avoid DC now — they got their secutrity act together. Rather, I’d focus on swing districts in swing states and I’d plan to use any means necessary to (1) make it impossible forThose People to vote; and (2) make it impossible to properly count the vote if they somehow manage to do so.
Much progress has already been made on (1), especially in Georgia and Texas. But if you’re not trained as a lawyer or policy geek, if all you’ve got is an arsenal, a beard, and inchoate rage, there are oh so many ways to make (2) interesting. Time to build that third ghost gun!
Trumpism is not going away. Ever. It’s not even Trumpism. It was here long before Trump was born and it will persist long after he’s gone. And yesterday’s dud of a demonstration does not, for a moment, mean that American fascism is losing steam.