“I pledge allegiance to the
flag of the United States of America, and
to the republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.” [cheering] They came from all
50 states out of some sense
of patriotic duty … “It’s so much more than just
rallying for President Trump. It’s really rallying
for our way of life. The American dream,
against fake news.” … to protest an election they
believed had been stolen. “Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” “We’re here, patriots. We’re in Washington D.C. Capitol building dead
in front of us.” Their day of action
would be Jan. 6 … “The House comes to order.” … when Congress would
count electoral ballots and ratify the 2020
election results. For some, it was just a
rally for their president. For others, it was
a call to arms. “We have the power in numbers. March on Congress directly
after Trump’s speech.” In the weeks beforehand, there
were over a million mentions on social media of
storming the Capitol. Maps were shared of
the building’s layout. There was talk of bringing
weapons and ammunition, and discussion over
which lawmakers should be targeted first. This anger was based on a lie. “This election was a fraud.” A lie that had grown more
frenzied after the election. “President Trump
won this election.” “They were
flipping votes.” “Steal the election
in Philadelphia.” “When you win in a
landslide and they —” “Steal the election
in Atlanta —” “And it’s rigged —” “Steal the election
in Milwaukee —” “It’s not acceptable.” “This is outrageous.” A lie spread by the president
and his closest allies. “Let’s call out cheating
when we find it.” Some of whom stoked
calls for violence. “All hell is going to
break loose tomorrow.” “Everyone’s going to
remember who actually stands in the breach and
fights tomorrow. And who goes running
off like a chicken.” “We bleed freedom.” “This will be their Waterloo.” “And we will sacrifice
for freedom.” “This will be
their destruction.” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” What happened next
was chaos. “They broke the glass?” Insurrection. “Take it now!” “Treason! Treason!” Death. Then, there began a campaign to whitewash
history, starting at the top. “It was a zero threat. Right from the start,
it was zero threat.” And spreading throughout
the Republican Party. “Even calling it
an insurrection, It wasn’t. By and large, it was
peaceful protest.” One lawmaker, who helped
barricade the House doors, now suggests there
was barely any threat. “If you didn’t know the TV
footage was a video from January the 6th, you would
actually think it was a normal tourist visit.” A tourist visit this was not. And the proof is
in the footage. As part of a
six-month investigation, The New York Times has
collected and forensically analyzed thousands of videos,
most filmed by the rioters themselves. We obtained internal
police radio traffic … … and went to court to unseal
police body-cam footage. Our reconstruction shows the
Capitol riot for what it was, a violent assault
encouraged by the president on a seat of democracy
that he vowed to protect. We’ll chart how police leaders
failed to heed warnings of an impending attack,
putting rank-and-file officers in danger. We’ll track key instigators
in the mob taking advantage of weaknesses in the Capitol’s
defenses to ignite a wave of violence that
engulfed the building. We’ll show, for
the first time, the many simultaneous points
of attack, and the eight breaches of what appeared
to be an impenetrable institution of government. We’ll show how the delay to
secure Congress likely cost a rioter her life. And how for some, storming the
Capitol was part of the plan, all along. “In fact, tomorrow, I
don’t even like to say it because I’ll be arrested.” “Well, let’s not say it. We need to go — I’ll say it.” “All right.” “We need to go in
to the Capitol.” “Let’s go!” It’s the morning of Jan. 6,
and thousands are filling the National Mall
in Washington. Trump will speak
here at the Ellipse, a large park near the
White House and a half-hour walk to the U.S. Capitol
where the election will be certified. Who is actually in this crowd? Most are ordinary citizens
who believe Trump’s lie that the election was stolen. “It’s going to be a great day. It’s going to be
wild, as Trump says.” But we also see more
extreme groups who’ve gained a following during
Trump’s presidency. There are followers of
the QAnon conspiracy … “Drinking their blood,
eating our babies.” … who believe that
Trump is facing down a cabal of
Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Q posts often invoked
notions of patriotism and predict a coming storm. And ahead of Jan. 6, some
supporters call for violence. The Oath Keepers, a
far-right paramilitary group, are also here. “We have men already
stationed outside D.C. —” Their leader has said the
group is ready to follow Trump’s orders and take
members of what they call the “Deep State” into custody. They’re organized, staging
their military-style equipment neatly
on the ground. And later, they put on
body armor, talk on radios, and chat with their supporters
on a walkie-talkie app called Zello. “We have a good group. We got about 30, 40, of us
who are sticking together and sticking to the plan. Y’all, we’re one block away
from the Capitol, now. I’m probably going to go
silent when I get there because I’m going to
be a little busy.” Another group is
the Proud Boys. They’re far-right nationalists
who flashed white power signs throughout the day. “Check out all
this testosterone.” They became a household
name when Trump invoked them during a presidential debate. “Proud Boys, stand
back and stand by.” And that’s what they did. They have a history
of street violence and will be key
instigators of the riot. We’ll return to them soon. Although the rally is billed
as a political protest, some make calls to
storm the Capitol even before Trump speaks. And later, when Trump
does take the stage … “We’re going to walk
down to the Capitol.” … some hear his words
as a call to action. “I know that everyone here
will soon be marching over to the Capitol building.” Two hours before
this, the Proud Boys were already heading
for the Capitol. They’re clearly spoiling for a
fight with far-left agitators like antifa, who they
believe are in D.C. But there are moments that
suggest another motive. “Come on, tighten up.” “Come on, boys. They’re organized, too. Many are marked with
orange tape or hats. They’re wearing body armor,
carrying baseball bats and using radios. “That’s affirmative. Jesse, this is Tucker” Leading them is Ethan Nordean,
who’s been entrusted with so-called war powers. He’s joined by other
well-known Proud Boys like Joe Biggs, an organizer from
Florida, Dominic Pezzola, a former Marine,
and Billy Chrestman. They will be among the first
rioters inside the Capitol building. “Proud Boys.” As Trump is speaking, some
of his other supporters also head to the Capitol. Chanting: “Whose streets? Our streets! Whose streets? Our streets!” And the tone is
becoming menacing. “And we’re going to storm
the [expletive] Capitol. [expletive] you, [expletive].” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Just ahead, officers guarding
the building are understaffed and ill-equipped for
what’s coming their way. “You going to stop us?” The building is more than two
football fields in length. And barricades erected
on the east side are defended by just
a few dozen officers. The west side, facing Trump’s
rally, is even lighter. The fencing has been
extended and on the northwest approach, only five
officers stand guard. Around five also defend
the southwest approach, a few more dot the lawn and about a dozen
officers are behind them. Plans to storm the Capitol
were made in plain sight, but the F.B.I. and Department
of Homeland Security did not deem those
threats as credible. “We will take that building!” “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Capitol Police leaders and
Washington’s mayor were warned at least three
times of violent threats, but also didn’t take them
seriously or circulate that information. And they declined offers
of security personnel from federal and
other agencies. They could have
enlisted several hundred more Capitol police for duty
on Jan. 6, but did not. And none of the officers
on the barricades have protective gear or
crowd-control equipment. As a result, the Capitol
is sparsely defended. “Whose House? Our House! Whose House? Our House!” It’s 12:50 p.m. and a large
group of Proud Boys is with other protesters right by
the Capitol Police line. Joe Biggs is rallying them. When he’s approached
by Ryan Samsel, a Trump supporter
from Pennsylvania. They chat, we don’t know
about what. But a minute later, Samsel
is the first to approach the police line. And it’s now that the
protest turns violent. “U.S.A.!” Without hesitation, the
crowd overpowers the police. Nearby, a second group breaks
through on another approach. Others jump fences. And now hundreds of
rioters rush forward on several fronts. “D.C. is a
[expletive] war zone.” Police retreat to the Capitol
building where it’s becoming more threatening. “This is what we came for! Yeah!” A mob mentality
begins to take hold. Police are so outnumbered,
they’re forced to retreat again to more tightly defend
access points to the Capitol. It’s now five minutes into the
siege that the Capitol Police chief calls for backup
from local law enforcement, known as the
Metropolitan Police, and asks other Capitol leaders
to mobilize the National Guard. “You took an oath! Does that not mean a damn
thing to you, does it?” Metro Police will arrive
within 15 minutes. But for reasons
we’ll explain later, the National Guard won’t
arrive for over four hours. “Back up! Back up!” Meanwhile, more Capitol Police
come to reinforce the line. It’s the first time we
see officers in riot gear. But most are missing
their shields because they had not prepared
to unlock the storage area where that equipment is kept. Proud Boys like
Billy Chrestman keep rallying the mob. And again, they start
brawling with the police. Minutes later, reinforcements
from the Metro Police arrive. A high-ranking Metro
officer immediately calls for more backup. They struggle to
subdue rioters who respond with their
own chemical spray. And within 30
minutes, the police already have casualties. [shouting] This first wave of
rioters battling police has paved the way
across Capitol grounds for others to follow. And after Trump
finishes speaking, thousands more now
fill the space. Meanwhile, inside the Capitol,
Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence have begun certifying the 2020
presidential election results. Certification will happen on
both sides of the building, in the House and the Senate. And this is what the
rioters want to stop. An hour into the
assault, the mob is battling a
police line here, along the west face
of the Capitol. But that violence is
now going to spread to multiple points of attack,
as west side rioters stream around the Capitol and
incite the crowd on the east. Here’s what that crowd
looks like on the east. “Stop the steal! Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” They’re aware of the siege
happening on the west side, and some are emboldened by it. But up until now, they’ve been
kept behind the barricades. “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Then this group from the west
storms around to the building and pushes right
through the barriers. The police here
barely put up a fight. And it’s now that protesters,
all along the east barricades, surge forward. [cheering] Officers are overwhelmed
from several directions, and retreat to guard
Capitol entrances. But these rioters believe
they’ve been deputized by their president
to stop a crime. And now, they start trying to
get into the building itself. [shouting] [glass breaking] [pounding on door] The Capitol is now surrounded. Rioters haven’t
made it inside yet, but around the time
that the mob on the east pushed forward,
rioters on the west were making a pivotal move. This scaffolding was erected
for the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden. It covers a staircase
that gives direct access to an upper level, and
dozens of doors and windows. Three police lines
guard that route. But at ground level,
officers are so overwhelmed that just a few
cover this crucial access point. Several Proud Boys
see the weakness. Proud Boys start
fighting the police, and with others in the mob,
they push through the line. Over several minutes, it’s a
brutal fight on these steps. At one point, the
rioters are held back. [groaning] But they make a final push
up the flight of stairs. [cheering] At the top, they scuffle
again with a small group of officers … … who give in
after barely a minute. The mob now has direct
access to Capitol entrances. “I can’t believe
this is reality. We accomplished this [expletive].” And hundreds more protesters
below, surge forward. “Let’s go! The siege is ours.” It’s utter mayhem, and it’s about to get worse. This scene is being filmed
from countless angles allowing us to piece
together, moment by moment, what comes next. Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola
uses a police shield he stole to bash in a window. And at 2:13 p.m., the
Capitol is breached. Michael Sparks, a Trump
supporter from Kentucky, is the first person inside. A police officer seems unsure
of what to do and backs off. Sparks is followed
by Proud Boys and other far-right
extremists, one carrying a Confederate flag,
another armed with a baseball bat. When rioters break
open the locked doors, hundreds more rush in. [shouting] [glass breaking] This is a critical moment. Officers must now defend
the outside and inside of the building, stretching
them even further. Simultaneous events now
happen that are critical to lawmakers’ safety. Rioters head straight
for the Senate, and will be at its
doors in two minutes. Above them, the Senate
is called into recess. “We’ll pause.” Members will evacuate
down these stairs. In this hallway, directly
overhead the rioters, Officer Eugene Goodman is
sprinting to overtake them. He passes Mitt Romney, who
he warns to turn around. Reinforcements are
following behind. Goodman overtakes the
mob, goes downstairs and intercepts them. He holds them off while
backup arrives upstairs. Behind these rioters,
and just feet away, is an escape route where
the lawmakers and Senate staff are now fleeing. Just one officer stands guard. Keeping his composure,
Goodman draws the mob away from that escape route
to where reinforcements are waiting. Goodman: “Second floor!” He glances toward the Senate,
and realizes the door is unguarded. Goodman shoves the protester
again, lures the mob away, and brings them into that
line of fellow officers. Again, the rioters here are
convinced it’s their duty to defend democracy. “We’re not [expletive] around! Because we are mad!” [shouting] The officers hold them
off here, for now. Meanwhile, on the other
side of the Capitol, a few political leaders are
evacuated from the House of Representatives. But despite a lockdown alert,
proceedings here will resume. “The House will be in order.” We’ll go there soon. First, we’ll go to the Crypt
in the center of the Capitol below the Rotunda. The mob is already
at its entrance. If they get through here,
they will more easily fan out across the building. Rioters jostle with police
here for six minutes, and then flood through. It’s now 2:24 p.m., some
90 minutes after the siege began, and the mob is about to
overrun the building. “Stop the steal!
Stop the steal!” As this is happening, and as
thousands more swell outside, Trump composes a tweet. Not to calm his supporters,
but to blame his vice president. He writes: At this very time, Pence and his family are
being taken to safety, along with an aide who’s
carrying the country’s nuclear launch equipment. “O say does that
star-spangled banner yet wave?” At 2:25 p.m., there’s another
major breach on the opposite side of the building,
the east side. Rioters have been
battling a handful of officers at these doors
for almost half an hour. The tide turns when rioters
who came through the Crypt, reach these doors
and pull them open. Then an active-duty
Marine Corps officer, Christopher Warnagiris,
keeps that door open for the mob to flood in. Just as elsewhere,
this crowd is a mix of die-hard
Trump supporters, but also more
organized groups like the Oath Keepers,
who move in formation here toward that
east side entrance. The Oath Keepers
and their supporters continue to update each
other on the Zello chat app. The group enters the
Capitol together. Proud Boys are near them,
including Joe Biggs, the organizer we saw earlier. He’s entering the building
for a second time. The Oath Keepers fill
the Rotunda along with hundreds of
other rioters. “Took over the Capitol. Overran the Capitol.” “We’re in the [expletive]
Capitol, bro.” Now the police
inside the building are completely outnumbered
and call for backup. “It’s our House!” “Whose House?” “Our House!” Throughout the
Capitol, staffers have barricaded doors
to keep the mob out. In Nancy Pelosi’s chambers,
staffers rush inside a conference room and lock
two doors behind them. Just 12 minutes later,
rioters outside head straight for her offices. “Nancy! Nancy!” And pile in. Huddled together
under a table, Pelosi’s staff record
what’s happening. One rioter tries to break
into that same room. Inside, staffers are silent
as they record him pounding. [loud banging] He gets through
the first door, but the second
door keeps him out. It’s a scene that, again,
shows just how compromised the U.S. government
has become. “I think I like my new
dining room.” By 2:30 p.m., the Senate
evacuation is well underway. But even though a lockdown was
called over 15 minutes ago, the House is still in session. “Do not accept Arizona’s
electors as certified.” Representative Jim McGovern
is chairing. He told us he wanted to
finish hearing objections to the election
results by Paul Gosar. House staff and
security gave McGovern the all-clear to continue. It’s a delay that likely
cost someone their life. Suddenly, staff
are now pointing at the chamber’s doors. Just outside, a
mob of 100 or more is baying to get into them. These rioters pay little heed
to the thin line of police. “They’re going. Yeah, I would
just stop — bro.” And in moments, are
pushing against the doors into the House. “Stop the steal!” On the other side,
Capitol Police erect a barricade and draw their guns. “You’re a traitor.” On the floor,
lawmakers are evacuated to the rear of the chamber,
where in a few minutes a rioter will be
shot and killed. Part of the mob outside now
peels off in that direction to find a different way in. Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force
veteran and QAnon supporter, is among the first to arrive
at the rear of the House. “Open the door.” They see the
lawmakers escaping. That lobby might have been
clear had the House been evacuated sooner. But the rioters now
become incensed. Zachary Alam, a Trump
supporter from Pennsylvania, punches in the glass
panels with his bare fists. [pounding on door] “Open the door.” Police are stretched
extremely thin. Just three officers and a
security staffer stand guard. None are wearing riot gear, and they keep their
weapons holstered. “It’s going to get worse.” “Open the door.” When a team of heavily
armed police now arrives, the three officers step aside. “Go! Let’s go! Get this.” This creates a crucial
gap that allows rioters to smash in the glass. A warning — what
happens next is graphic. It’s 2:44 p.m., and behind the door, a police
officer draws his handgun. Babbitt vaults into the
window and the officer shoots her once. [gunshot] “Oh! Oh!” It’s a fatal wound
through the upper chest. Inside the chamber,
the floor is clear, but lawmakers in the balcony
are sheltering in place. [gunshot] “The [expletive]?” “Take your pins off.” “Pins off.” They now remove the breast
pins that identify them as members of Congress. A group of rioters who almost
made it to the balcony are held at gunpoint as
it’s finally evacuated. Now Trump supporters
have achieved their goal, stopping the
election certification. And while the
House is evacuated, at the other side
of the building, the Senate is occupied. “Treason! Treason!
Treason!” On the Senate floor, they
leaf through lawmakers’ files. “There’s got to be something
in here we can [expletive] use against these scumbags.” Mug for photos. “Jesus Christ —” Pray. “We invoke Your name. Amen!” “Amen!” And leave a message
for Mike Pence. “It’s only a matter of time. Justice is coming.” As rioters inside
have been rampaging throughout the Capitol, the
crowd outside has grown. And that first battle
has continued raging. [horn blowing] For almost two hours,
officers face off with rioters who say
they support the police … … but assault them, anyway. We’re going to show
what happened here because it
demonstrates, yet again, how failures by Capitol Police
leaders to prepare put the safety of
these officers at risk. “Leave him alone! Leave him alone!” Capitol Police
had been ordered to withhold some of
their stronger weapons. But as soon as Robert Glover,
a Metro Police inspector arrives, he calls for his
munitions team to help. When the building
is breached, Glover knows he needs to
retreat and seeks advice from Capitol leaders. [shouting] When Capitol don’t respond,
he asks four times. “Push! Push! Push! Push!” Then, the police lose the line. “We the people,
we are the storm!” Rioters knock an officer over,
throw a fire extinguisher. “U.S.A.!” Glover issues a 10-33,
the call of last resort. Crazed rioters
hound the police even as they retreat
to the upper level. Police now begin to
guard this doorway, an iconic centerpiece of
presidential inaugurations. But for another two hours,
the same pattern will repeat. Rioters fill the terrace. Instigators trigger a frenzy. And tragically,
someone will die. A brutal fight erupts
in the doorway. The mob heaves in a
coordinated scrum. [screaming] “Help!” When police finally
push them out, they face even worse violence. They are tased, gassed and
robbed of their equipment. They’re beaten with a
crutch, a hockey stick and even an American flag. At least four officers
are pulled into the crowd. One dragged by his
own helmet, face down. And again, the
frenzy turns fatal. Rosanne Boyland,
a Trump supporter who has been swept up
by QAnon conspiracies, is moving toward the door. But amid the scrum, she
collapses and is lying unconscious beneath the mob. [crowd chants] “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” As the crowd sarcastically
chants a Black Lives Matter slogan, Boyland’s
friend, Justin Winchell, tries to pull her to safety. He screams for help. But instead, fellow
rioters trample over Boyland and charge
at the police again. Boyland will be
pronounced dead at a local hospital
in the evening. By the end of the day, rioters
have breached and entered the building in at
least eight locations. There’s the first breach,
which we’ve seen, when rioters smashed through
two windows and a door. Beside that, a
rioter with a crowbar smashes in a second door,
and then opens it to hundreds of people. Others smash a window next
to the Inauguration door and climb inside. “Patriots, we need people
to stand up for our country and our Constitution.” At this entrance, police
stand aside and allow rioters to stream in, unchallenged. On the north side
of the building, police in riot gear yield
and let the crowd in. Another three breaches
are on the east side, two by the central doors
into the Rotunda, and this southeast door
leading to the House chamber. It’s the arrival of more
Metropolitan Police and other agencies that finally
turns the tide. When those officers
enter the Rotunda, they clear it in
just 20 minutes. As the mob is pushed back
through the east doors, their rage turns
to Mike Pence, who Trump attacked earlier. Metro officers also
stop other rioters from entering on
the west side, where the mob first broke in. But here, too, we see a crowd
empowered by the belief that they’re carrying out
some patriotic duty. Over the course of the
day, 150 police officers are injured. After 4 p.m., Metro
and Capitol Police regain control of
the upper levels. The final parts
of the interior are cleared by other
law enforcement, including federal agencies. Tear gas and flash bangs
disperse the crowd on the Inauguration terrace. The Virginia State Police
and Arlington County Police help to reclaim that area. Then rioters are swiftly
pushed off Capitol grounds by a reinforced police line. Only now, more than three
hours after Capitol police first called them, do
National Guard soldiers arrive. “You can diffuse
and turn down, right now.” Troops were staging
just 20 minutes away. But a recent
procedural change meant the highest level
of the Pentagon had to approve deployment. And Pentagon officials
delayed the decision, partially in fear
of bad optics, even as the Capitol
was being overrun. As calm returns, the
president tweets again. He repeats that the election
had been stripped away, calls his supporters
great patriots, and says: The aftermath of
Jan. 6 has been as divisive as the
lie that launched it. Even as one arm of government
has indicted hundreds of rioters,
Republican lawmakers continue efforts
to normalize what happened with a mix of denials
and conspiracy theories. “Some of the people who
breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters.” “I knew those are people
that love this country, that truly respect
law enforcement, would never do anything
to break a law. And so I wasn’t concerned.” They include Paul Gosar,
who’d been at the Trump rally. “The D.O.J. is harassing peaceful
patriots across the country.” And Andrew Clyde,
who we saw earlier, standing just a few
feet from rioters. “There was no insurrection. And to call it an
insurrection, in my opinion, is a bald-faced lie.” Republican leaders
have blocked an independent investigation
that could have brought new details to light. “I’ve made the decision to
oppose the House Democrats’ slanted and unbalanced
proposal for another commission to study the
events of January the 6th.” And in May, a top Republican
was ousted from the party’s leadership after blaming
Trump for inspiring the riot. “And I think that the party
is in a place that we’ve got to bring it back from.” None of what
happened on Jan. 6 would have been possible
without a huge mass of ordinary people who were
proud of what they achieved. “We made it!” “Yeah! We stopped the vote!” Millions around
the country still believe the violence
was not only justified, but necessary. And the forces that
brought them there have not gone away. “Yeah, the patriots are
coming back, y’all. Hopefully, y’all will be on
our side when that happens.”
I don’t disagree with your take. To see my parents become infected with the Trumpism virus has been a huge eye opener. He’s become their fat jesus.
I'm pretty much your classic swing voter. I live in a purple state. I am male, white, middle class. I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans throughout my life.
I agree that a lot of cancel culture has gone too far.
I am not a fan of calls to defund the police(I know the slogan isn't literal, but I'm not a fan of many of the merits of the platform either.)
I think some of the further left economic proposals are untenable. I'm not for a UBI or free college for everyone.
The Democrats seemed to respond to the concerns of people like me by nominating a relative moderate like Joe Biden. And there seems to be healthy dissension within their ranks between the moderates the the further left elements.
Are Democrats the perfect party for me? No, but nothing they're doing currently strikes me as totally outlandish even if I disagree with it. And they seem to tolerate dissent within their ranks.
Republicans on the other hand have chosen to make the face of their party Donald Trump. Even after his loss, virtually all of them have fallen in line to kiss his ring. Any sort of dissension(i.e. Liz Cheney, Anthony Gonzalez) is punished swiftly and harshly.
This would be troubling enough, but factor in part of sucking up to him and his base involves a general embrace of stuff like the election was stolen via mass fraud (70% of Republicans agree as of latest polling) ; Anti-Vax sentiment ; QAnon nonsense ; etc.
If the best the modern Republican party can do for voters like me(middle class suburbanites, whose shift lost them the 2020 election) is try and get me scared enough about cancel culture and Critical Race Theory that I ignore the fact they have made conspiracy theory a core part of their beliefs in order to coddle Trump's ego, then I don't see them getting my vote again anytime soon.
a lot of people on the other side (younger, more edgy bernie bro and adjacent types) also dont seem to grasp the bad omen this signals. They mock normies reaction to this but its the normies who are correct in this instance. Its less about the immediate threat than an unwelcome sign we are on a third world banana republic type trajectory. The door is open to crazy town, lots of times in history the crazies won because the rest of society was fighting amongst itself.
My history might be wrong about this, but didn’t the Nazis fearmonger about Marxism shortly before they took over?
Here's the way I see it.
In American politics for the most part the "far left" and "far right" have very different motives and are different threats.
As much as a lot of the lefts nonsense is annoying, it comes from a push back to racism, inequality and bigotry. Can it go too far? No doubt, but it's intention (as misguided as it can be at times) seems good.
Where as the far right seems to primarily come from nationalism, racism and extreme religious belief. The people on the far right are also much, much more dangerous. Because there is a serious gun culture embedded in the far right and they are willing to use them.
That's the biggest distinction imo. Sure cancel culture, political correctness and identity politics is annoying, but it sure beats the wacky conspiracies and just pure hate from the right.
I really hope no serious person believes wokeness is a big threat to democracy. It's more of a threat to making actual progress as a plural society, serving to alienate its target market. It's a person running screaming, nude with blue hair "TRANS RIGHTS" into a productive assembly about protecting worker rights. It's more likely to show up in your corporate all hands call than to a capitol building, armed and angry... ready to kill or take hostages with some conspiratorial demands.
When Wokeness goes too far, there are some collateral casualties - like the woman who stayed on her zoom call too long and lamented how she couldn't help her students of color - but it doesn't make actual casualties. My best friend's mom is moving to Idaho because she believes that Washington is going to forceably inject her with a COVID vaccine. That's a unqiue power of the batshit crazy far right.
I think there's an argument to be made about the dangers of wokeness insofar as it feeds the lunacy of the right, but that still doesn't change the fact that the Republican party is the clear and present danger facing this country.
Has the Left overcorrected? Yes. Is cancel culture and corporate cowardice a big problem? Yes. Are either of these two things more of a danger than what happened on January 6th? No.
These people didn't just disappear. Sure, the FBI and DOJ are going after them. But what happens if the election of Biden is a fluke? What happens in four years when we get a Republican (aka Trump loyalist) elected to the Presidency?
To point at some Apple employee petition and say, "Oh my god what's happening to our country" is to completely ignore the fact that to be a Republican in 2021 is to be a die-hard Trump supporter. He is no longer fringe. That is a huge problem, not this tech executive losing his job or that tech executive being forced to resign.
Calling Sam Harris a fascist isn't as dangerous as the literal fascists that are currently trying to claw their way into power. The fact that many, if not most, of this sub cannot see that is worrisome to say the least.
I have real concerns about how bad actors and nefarious business interests are investing in the very real struggle for equality but they are not literally coordinating to take time off work and fly across state lines to consolidate tactical gear and storm nation capitols to injure/kidnap/kill elected officials, good on you for making this post
people here are bitching about vague "CRT Marxism indoctrination" in school curriculums, meanwhile the conservative stacked Supreme Court just doubled down on Citizens United and ruled that basically unlimited dark money can be poured into elections because its "free speech." Gee you'd think the people who've spent years screaming about the deep state might have an issue with that, but nope, total radio silence. Something close to half of polled Republicans still think Trump won the election. There are literal Qanon cultists in Congress. The entire judiciary is stacked full of unqualified judges rushed through the appointment process who are literal Federalist Society activists.
And the GOP is utterly intellectually bankrupt. they have no ideas. they have no positions. they have nothing other than existing as a reactionary body to oppose the left. feel free to prove me wrong, anyone. what's a GOP idea about... anything? other than vague meaningless platitudes like "america first"
if right wingers actually wanted to push back effectively against the stupid woke bullshit taking over the left, they should start with getting their own house in order. Instead of just endlessly crying and bitching, how about offer up some kind of reasonable alternative. The right being a complete shitshow is only serving to amplify the bad ideas on the left. Bad ideas are better than no ideas at all, and I don't see any ideas on the right other than worshipping trump and whining about the left.