Storming the capital wasn't like any of the BLM protests. Not one.
I thought this article
from fivethirtyeight was interesting.
Much will be said about the fact that these actions threaten the core of our democracy and undermine the rule of law. Commentators and political observers will rightly note that these actions are the result of disinformation and heightened political polarization in the United States. And there will be no shortage of debate and discussion about the role Trump played in giving rise to this kind of extreme behavior. As we have these discussions, however, we must take care to appreciate that this is not just about folks being angry about the outcome of one election. Nor should we believe for one second that this is a simple manifestation of the president’s lies about the integrity of his defeat. This is, like so much of American politics, about race, racism and white Americans’ stubborn commitment to white dominance, no matter the cost or the consequence.
Since on this site there's been so much ink spilled comparing and contrasting left versus right protests, and several people have said 'anything is justified if MY SIDE claims it' (usually accusing the other side of holding that belief) let's talk about the differences between these protests.
So, what was the 'Stop the Steal' rally about? Clearly it was overturning the election results that showed Biden winning over Trump. Nobody involved in the election outside the top of the ticket argued that
their own election was the result of fraud. The results for down-ballot races closely mirror the same results at the highest level. There are processes for preventing fraud
prior to the election, Democrats offered money to
increase election security, and the existing state government officials
many of whom were Republican confirmed that the election was free, fair and accurate. What Constitutional principle were they demonstrating in favor of?
Meanwhile, we accept that governments exist to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. BLM protesters argue that police violence unfairly targets innocent members of their community - literally denying them life and the freedom of movement that white Americans take for granted.
Both protests made me uncomfortable - BLM because American has failed to deliver on the promise of equal treatment under the law. The 'Stop the Steal' makes me uncomfortable because clearly millions of self-styled 'Patriots' are willing to abandon the rule of law and Democratic government to ensure their preferred ruler is installed.
Democracy doesn't exist to give the veneer of respectability to autocracy - it exists to ensure the will of the people is maintained. Fortunately, in this country we have strong protections for the minority. Many of those protections have been under assault by the Trump administration, but I don't expect that to continue under Biden. Nobody is coming for your guns. Democrats aren't trying to repeal the Constitution.