Austin: The Capitol Incursion Was Nearly a Win for Democrats - But They Couldn't Keep Their Mouths Shut By Michael Austin
Published January 9, 2021 at 1:42pm
Watching the events of Jan. 6 unfold was incredibly difficult. When protesters first stormed the Capitol, my feelings of disgust soon were overtaken by a sense of dread and horror.
Sadly, after months of witnessing similarly horrendous displays of violence, I’ve become used to so-called protesters behaving in such a despicable manner.
That being said, I wasn’t used to seeing them waving Trump flags and wearing MAGA hats.
For the average American who views politics in a superficial manner, the incursion wasn’t a good look for Trump supporters or Republicans in general.
Because of this, Democrats had seized a powerful cultural narrative in American politics — that Trump and his base were unable to accept the election results and were willing to try to overturn them using violent means.
Thankfully, due to their rapacious need to fully milk the moment, Democrats squandered that opportunity shortly thereafter.
Trump’s Tweets Made Things Worse
President Trump didn’t help the situation with his patented, incessant tweeting — and I say this as an overall supporter of the president.
He called for peace, which was good, but he also shared his oft- repeated claim that “we had an election stolen from us” without providing any substantial evidence of widespread, election-altering voter fraud, per usual.
Don’t get me wrong: Questions regarding 2020 election integrity are legitimate. The widespread use of universal mail-in voting seriously damaged the security of the election. Also, the fact that states allowed officials to unilaterally change voting laws that only the legislature has the power to alter should be considered illegal and unconstitutional.
All that being the case, there is no proof showing these issues helped “steal” the election for Joe Biden, and Trump’s inarticulate, unnuanced rhetoric only serves to make things worse and likely comes off as unappealing to the mainstream public.
The president also put out an in credibly troubling tweet that seemed to make excuses for the rioters, saying, “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred election victory is … stripped away.”
It is important for conservatives to pursue election integrity through Democratic processes, but crying about a “stolen election” doesn’t help anyone, and it doesn’t improve the party’s standing with the American people.
Add that to the many uncomfortable images of pro-Trump rioters storming the U.S. Capitol and you have what amounts to a perfectly crafted narrative for Democrats to bark out for the next several years.
Then the Dems Couldn’t Help Themselves
Thankfully, enough is never enough for Democrats.
By overplaying their hand with inordinate exaggerations and insane, over-the-top calls to action, Democrats blew their chances to capitalize on this situation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went so far as to cl aim Trump committed an “act of sedition.” Similarly, her colleague in the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, called the incursion “an insurrection against the United States, inci ted by President Trump.”
It can be argued that Trump’s “stolen election” rhetoric exacerbated the problem, although similar arguments would have to be made for Democrats such as Pelosi and Schumer, who forwarded the false narrative of ">anti-black prejudice in American policing, which undoubtedly exacerbated the many riots that occurred at Black Lives Matter rallies throughout 2020.
That being said, Trump repeatedly called for peace and told rioters to “go home.”
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