January 6 has come and gone. Has anything really changed?

January 6 has come and gone. Has anything really changed?

Well, yes and no. Some of the insurrectionists (re: domestic terrorists) have turned on their leader feeling incredibly let down that he did not give his promised speech on the one-year anniversary of arguably the worst assault on democracy in this country’s history.

Others have tried to move on, perhaps figuring that another “charismatic” leader would emerge to take up the cause of the White Christian Right. And then there are those living in denial who still believe in party over people.

Let me provide an example. Let’s call him Kevin. Six years ago, Kevin was a moderate Republican serving in his commonwealth’s state Senate. That Democratic-leaning state had a Republican governor also known as a moderate. That governor was popular in his state despite his party. He and Kevin had a close working relationship. Oft-times, I called on Kevin because I valued his opinions from the other side.

During that same year, Kevin became closely involved in Carly Fiorina’s long-shot candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. During the primary season, the individual who would secure the Republican nomination said of Fiorina, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?”

Fiorina’s bid ended and eventually the man who would become Liar-in-Chief was the Republican nominee for president. He had already established his bona fides to the Make America Hate Again crowd by questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship. Suddenly, one who had made a six-figure contribution to Hillary Clinton’s presidential quest in 2008 was now heading for a showdown with the former First Lady and now he whipped his crazies into “Lock Her Up!” frenzy while also disparaging parents of Gold Star troops.

And Kevin, the moderate, jumped on the train of one who was never qualified for any political position. He doubled down in 2020 when his friend the governor and Fiorina wanted nothing to do with one who they realized (knew all along) was not just unqualified but had damaged our world standing while dividing this country in a way that hadn’t been done since the Civil War.

What differentiates Kevin from the majority of those that play “follow the leader” regardless of where it leads is that he is educated with a college degree. He claims to follow the mantras of the Republican Party. That was all fine and good until six years ago.

Now the Republican Party has been hijacked by those that subscribe to the “Big Lie” that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Rather than keeping an open mind of where an investigation by a committee that includes both Democrats AND Republicans may lead, they either malign, hinder or ignore the evidence.

What’s worse, they allow their leader to run amok at the mouth, not just lying but contradicting himself at every turn. What’s funny in a tragic sense is that these same folks, including Kevin, question the mental state of President Biden while giving their leader a free pass whenever he opens his mouth and spews his poisonous lies.

Here is a brief timeline of the year Jan. 6, 2021 to Jan. 6, 2022:

Liar-in-Chief first refers to Jan. 6, 2021, of a “day of protesting.” No argument there although he claims he was against the violence despite that he sat in the White House and watched the riot unfolding on Fox News without trying to stop it for three hours. On Jan. 11, he blamed “antifa people” for causing the riot in a phone call with Kevin McCarthy.

On Aug. 11, he claimed Ashli Babbitt was murdered despite the Justice Department saying the officer who shot her did so in self-defense as she was breaking-and-entering government property. On Sep. 16, he claimed rioters were “being persecuted so unfairly” calling the rioting a “protest concerning the rigged Presidential Election.” On Oct. 6, the “real insurrection happened on Nov. 3, the Presidential Election, not on Jan. 6.” On Dec. 21, Jan. 6 was a “completely unarmed protest.”

Seventy percent of the country can see through the rhetoric, point out the lies and explain the leader of the Republican Party makes all his false claims without offering a shred of proof. Thirty percent of the country, including one-time moderate Kevin, take him at his word. This is despite all the recounts that have yielded the conclusion that this was one of the most secure elections ever. (The one in my home state of Arizona, done by a company selected by state Republicans, reveals that their leader lost by more than the initial count, but don’t let facts get in the way of a good sound byte – our Reps. Biggs and Gosar certainly don’t). This despite all the legal challenges that have been rebuffed.

When I asked Kevin how he explains that his candidate lost by 7 million votes, he questioned the validity of the sheer number of votes. Assuming Kevin has a point there, how does he know who the “extra voters” cast their ballot for – at least four Floridians sharing the same party affiliation as he, have already been charged with voting more than once.

These are unprecedented times, folks, and as I have pointed out time and again this may be the most important mid-terms this country has ever faced. Do we remain a democracy or do we bow to the wishes of the minority Trumpanzees and Trumpettes who are fine with having a fascist government as long as they hold on to power? It’s called “party over people,” which is what voter suppression is all about – that and racism.

Where will we be Jan. 6, 2023, as a country? That is not alarmist-speak. These are unprecedented times where one loud anti-democracy voice speaks for an estimated 30 percent of the country. We know he will go to any lengths to regain the power and recognition he craves. The question is whether the voters will agree, or care enough to stop this from occurring.

January 7, 2022