Capitol attack pivots America towards fascism

A year after insurrection, threat of more violence is coming into sharper focus

A year after the unprecedented attack on American democracy at The Capitol, the real meaning – and danger – of the insurrection of that day is coming into sharper focus.

Events of the intervening year have made the true threat to foundational values clear: fascism is on the rise in the US and anti-democratic forces are gaining steam.

A significant minority of Americans now believes that violence is an acceptable – and justified – means of settling political disputes.

That a similar minority also denies the election of 2020 was legitimate can only be construed as mass delusion.

Thanks largely to the work of the House Select Committee on the attack, more is being revealed every day about the events themselves. But, an alternative narrative has taken firm root that denies their significance and even attempts to paint the rioters as ‘victims.’

It is also becoming ever more clear that the threat is increasing over time.

On the first anniversary of the attacks, it is certain that this story is far from over. We are not even at the halfway point. There is a lot more to learn – and, soon, much more shocking details will emerge.

The Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection will keep the topic in the headlines for the foreseeable future.

A frightening piece of news about the rise of fascism in America was actually buried inside a New Year’s day story in the Washington Post headlined: Republicans and Democrats divided over Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s culpability which began with a predictable (and already well-known) summary: “One year after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over what happened that day and the degree to which former president Donald Trump bears responsibility for the assault,” the story began.

But the most alarming news came three paragraphs into the report:

“The percentage of Americans who say violent action against the government is justified at times stands at 34 percent, which is considerably higher than in past polls by The Post or other major news organizations dating back more than two decades. (emphasis added)

“Again, the view is partisan: The new survey finds 40 percent of Republicans, 41 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats saying violence is sometimes justified.”

The poll from The Washington Post shows an alarming level of acceptance for violence.

Consider the 34% who think violence is justified: that amounts to tens of millions of Americans who hold this view.

Of equal if not greater concern is the 41% of independents who agree. This is surprising because it is unexpected, but the similar percentage of Republicans accepting violence should come as no surprise because the right wing propaganda machine has done its best to promote this view to its audience.

What is truly frightening is that it would take only a tiny fraction of the 34% who think violence is justified to repeat the assault on The Capitol with a totally different outcome next time.

It is a terrifying possibility, but that is the real meaning of this poll and others which show similar results.

As to responsibility for the events, the results are also predictably partisan:

“Overall, 60 percent of Americans say Trump bears either a “great deal” or a “good amount” of responsibility for the insurrection, but 72 percent of Republicans and 83 percent of Trump voters say he bears “just some” responsibility or “none at all.”

There is no clearer evidence that a significant minority of Americans believes in an alternate reality, a mass delusion where up is down and evil is good.

The reason is obvious, as The Post reports: “Trump’s attacks on the legitimacy of the election have spawned ongoing efforts in some states to revisit the results. No such inquiry has turned up anything to suggest that the certified results were inaccurate. That has not blunted a persistent belief by most of his supporters that the election was somehow rigged.”

Conservative commentator David Frum talked about the rise of fascism in a CNN interview.

While the overall impression of the polls is that Americans are divided along partisan lines, there are in fact plenty of prominent Republicans who are also raising the alarm.

One of them is the former speechwriter to President George W. Bush, David Frum, who spoke alarmingly on political violence in a Jan. 2 interview on CNN

He was asked about his July article in The Atlantic magazine titled: “There is a word for what Trumpism is becoming now: Fascism.”

“Fascism is a popular movement that justifies violence in the name of some kind of overthrow of outdated institutions heading to some national rejuvenation,” Frum explained in the CNN interview.

“That's what you hear more and more from the people minimizing [the attacks on The Capitol]. They are not horrified by the violence anymore, they are increasingly accepting it.”

This is evident in The Washington Post poll cited above.

Frum added a further insight: “They are accepting too that the institutions of the United States are so defective they need to be overthrown and rebuilt and renewed in some radical new way, with violence always in the background – it is the tool by which this will be done.”

Frum’s credentials as a conservative are beyond reproach. Not only did he serve a Republican president, he has frequently sounded the alarm in his work for The Atlantic.

“We kept saying through the Trump presidency that ‘this is not normal’,” he said on CNN. “The truth is that we have to accept that this is now normal.

“It's not normal in the sense that this is justifiable or laudable or acceptable. It is normal in the sense that this is our reality, that this is what is going on.”

In addition, it was Frum who pointed out that the consequences of the attack on The Capitol are just beginning to become clear and that the danger is from from over.

“A central question for American politics in the future is going to be in 2022 and 2024, do you accept this?” he asked. “If you don’t accept it, what will you do to keep the country true to its democratic, liberal traditions?”

His answer, provides some guidance on what those of us who worry about the emerging danger can do about it.

“The solution, as always, is citizen involvement,” he said. “It begins with engagement, with political participation. Not just the act of voting, but a real commitment to participate in the institutions of our society … not accepting lies as legitimate or tolerable or normal behavior.” (emphasis added)

Frum has been sounding the alarm about Trumpism since publication of his 2017 book Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy which is described by publisher Harper Collins as follows: “In Trumpocalypse, David Frum looks at what happens when a third of the electorate refuses to abandon Donald Trump, no matter what he does. Those voters aren’t looking for policy wins. They’re seeking cultural revenge.

“Trumpocalypse is both a warning of danger and a guide to reform that will be read and discussed for years to come.”

It was about the time Frum’s book was published that I also began to sound the alarm about the dangers of what was happening

It was in December 2017 that I first addressed the issue:

THREAT TO DEMOCRACY: Truth becomes irrelevant

I concluded: “The apparent lack of any real immediate political consequences for the lying liars is an existential threat to our way of life.

“Truth is so far the most serious casualty of the Trump era. Domestically and on the world stage, if no one can believe the leaders of America – and they have repeatedly shown they cannot be trusted – then real damage has been done. The consequences are incalculable and very scary.”

I have revisited the issue on several occasions, most recently in this Nov 16, 2021 post:

Alarm over ‘slow moving coup’ sounding louder than ever

Here I concluded: “Several notable developments over the past couple of months have raised the topic to the top of the agenda in some venues.

“A new federal voting rights law is the only viable way to prevent the disaster that is unfolding before our eyes.

“Perhaps as this topic gets wider attention it will rise to the level when Senators can no longer pretend it is not an issue. They are the last bulwark between us and a coup d’tat.”

Enormity of danger comes into focus

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the attack on The Capitol, the enormity of the situation has come into sharper focus. It is a certainty that it will remain high on the agenda for the foreseeable future — and is likely to gain importance as the midterm elections approach in November.

The anniversary on Jan. 6 will be marked by speeches by both the president and vice president. The House of Representatives will hold a number of events to commemorate the attack on its home – our ‘citadel of democracy.’

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice will pursue hundreds of criminal cases against those who participated in the violence.

And the Select Committee investigating the events is scheduling public hearings for the spring and has already interviewed well over 300 witnesses with most of the evidence yet to be made public.

The Committee’s final report is due before November and it is absolutely certain to be explosive when it is released.

What the Committee has already released has made headlines – and raised alarm – every time, and this is likely to continue and gather momentum.

In addition, many states have passed restrictive voting rights laws, and the only way to prevent their negative impact on future elections is for a federal voting rights bill to be passed out of the United States Senate where it has been languishing.

Indeed, just on Monday Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised action on voting rights and the filibuster before the end of January.

All of these agenda items rightfully will keep debate about the insurrection alive in the news for many months to come. That is as it should be. The issue is so fundamental to our democracy that it cannot possibly be ignored.