US democracy is under threat

Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, January 7th, 2021 - 43 comments
Categories: democracy under attack, Donald Trump, uncategorized, us politics - Tags:

Short post to update on developments in Washington.

Short take, the US authorities appeared to be appallingly under prepared and allowed a group of Trump supporters to take over Congress after Mike Pence respected the constitution and indicated he would fulfill his role in accepting the results of the election.

I cannot believe how weak the response was.

Sure this was a bunch of wide eyed white trash with guns but surely the authorities could have done better.

Imagine if the crowd was black?

43 comments on “US democracy is under threat ”

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  1. Bearded Git 1
    7 January 2021 at 12:18 pm

    This is caused by just a few hundred Trump supporting idiots-hardly a threat to democracy.

    It will blow over by the end of the month when Biden will be ensconced in the White House and the Democrats will also have control over the Senate and House smiley….at least for the next two years.

    Donald who?

  2. Morrissey 2
    7 January 2021 at 12:52 pm

    There were far more violent anti-democratic riots by the extreme right in Venezuela. Most of the legislators in Washington either vociferously supported them or said nothing.

    https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article239965673.html

    • Bearded Git 2.1
      7 January 2021 at 2:45 pm

      Couldn't agree more Morrissey….and there were demos in Bolivia to get MAS back in power that were mostly ignored.

  3. RedLogix 3
    7 January 2021 at 12:57 pm

    The lesson here is simple, there are extremists at the margins of every cause who believe that disruption, rioting and violence are justified by the righteousness of their beliefs.

    The vast majority of all other people condemn them.

    • Morrissey 3.1
      7 January 2021 at 1:10 pm

      The vast majority of all other people condemn them.

      You and I condemn them, RedLogix*, and I'm sure most other people on this site do as well. But not the majority of U.S. congressmen and women. They gave a standing ovation for the ridiculous failed coup leader Juan Guaidó one year ago.

      * Please accept my apology for my mean-spirited comment on the Waikeria Prison thread yesterday. I'm sure you do have a deal of expertise on the matter, contrary to my claim then.

      • RedLogix 3.1.1
        7 January 2021 at 1:50 pm

        No apology was expected or required Morrissey, nor was I assuming any special expertise. If I gave that impression I was wrong.

    • mickysavage 3.2
      7 January 2021 at 6:08 pm

      I saw a poll result suggesting that 45% of Republican supporters approved of the storming of Congress …

  5. AB 5
    7 January 2021 at 3:23 pm

    If Sanders was president elect, the police would probably be facing the other way, and the media outrage much more muted.

  6. Ad 6
    7 January 2021 at 4:58 pm

    Threat my ass.

    Congress, Senate, and White House have democratically elected people in them.

    Supreme Court rejected the appeals.

    Conservative commentators unanimous in condemnation.

    Order restored.

    What will Biden do with this political gift of a crisis?

  7. Adrian Thornton 7
    7 January 2021 at 7:12 pm

    One thing you have to give these protesters is that they are at least on the streets fighting for what they perceive to be right ( they are wrong of course).. ..nothing wrong with that, putting a little fear into the political class is essential and good thing in my opinion, especially when it comes from organized workers movements, not so great when it comes from a bunch of this lot…..I have always thought it is a real shame that our own political class don't have a bit of historical fear of the masses embedded deeply at the back their brains.

    • Macro 7.1
      7 January 2021 at 8:14 pm

      One thing you have to give these protesters is that they are at least on the streets fighting for what they perceive to be right

      Except they were not on the streets protesting Adrian. They were inside the Capitol doing this:

      https://twitter.com/alizaslav/status/1347033165764972551

      This is not protest. This is illegal entry, vandalism, and sedition. Idiots egged on by a narcissistic sociopath who needs to be removed from access to the nuclear codes immediately.

      • Adrian Thornton 7.1.1
        7 January 2021 at 9:00 pm

        "This is illegal entry, vandalism, and sedition"….. that sounds a lot like direct action protest to me, you (and I) might not agree with their cause, but it is still protest.

        Here is a great bit of direct action protest from yesterday, I guess you don’t approve….

        McConnell, Pelosi homes vandalized after $2,000 relief fails
        https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/03/mcconnell-pelosi-homes-vandalized-relief-453691

        • Macro 7.1.1.1
          7 January 2021 at 9:42 pm

          No I don't approve.

          I can understand why McConnell is the victim of these actions, but Pelosi always wanted the $2000 stimulus package. It was McConnell who held up the approval and amended the amount from $2000 to the measly $600. Pelosi only agreed in order that desperate families would at least get something, and aid packages that were due to expire would continue. When Trump – hoping to curry favour with his supporters – called for the sum to be raised to $2000 (the sum initially proposed by the House before the package went to the Senate) – Pelosi immediately agreed (as that was the sum they had already sent to the Senate) and asked for the House to rubber stamp the increased funding. This proposal was not agreed by some Repugnant Reps in the House, and so the funding remained at $600.

          https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/24/house-votes-on-2000-stimulus-checks-after-trump-supports-them.html

          https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/mitch-mcconnell-rebuffs-trump-democrats-by-blocking-2-000-cheques-120123100077_1.html

          • Adrian Thornton 7.1.1.1.1
            7 January 2021 at 10:01 pm

            Pelosi used the stimulus as a political football without a thought for the suffering US citizens, that is just a fact…they should have burnt her house down…and McConnell’s while they were at it…

            “fellow Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were responsible for delaying urgently needed coronavirus relief by walking away from the White House’s offer of a $1.8 trillion coronavirus package.”

            https://nypost.com/2020/12/08/bernie-sanders-admits-democrats-stalled-covid-19-relief/

            Pelosi ADMITS She Held Up Stimulus Before Election To Help Biden

            There is good reason why Pelosi is one of the most unpopular politicians in the USA today…yuk.

            Poll: Majority wants Pelosi out as House speaker
            https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/22/poll-people-want-pelosi-out-449788

            • Andre 7.1.1.1.1.1
              8 January 2021 at 9:54 am

              Amazing. We have a situation where a rabble of coup-coup clown cosplayers made up of a rabble of neo-nazis, white supremacists, Qooks, and other right wing nutcases actually successfully disrupted one of the most important functions of democracy, the peaceful transfer of power, and all you can think of is somehow to make up some completely unrelated fantasy so you can whine about Democrats.

              Idiot.

              • Adrian Thornton …
                8 January 2021 at 11:18 am

                Andre, if maybe you could just control your lizard brain for a moment you would have seen that I was clarifying some obvious misinformation about Pelosi…Now we all know that it is just completely normal and in character for you to excuse and/or ignore the failings of the Democrat’s because of your belief that everything bad in the USA started in 2016..ironically, it was largely because of the failings of liberals just like you that Trump won in the first place and because of people just like you that we will probably get something much worse next time….however you liberals have shown the world you are so fucking narcissistic that you are incapable of conducting any self-analysis…no you blame anything and everyone else for your failures…the Russians, Bernie, Nader, Jill Stein.

                So don’t come on here and attack me you sad sycophant.

      • mauÄ« 7.1.2
        7 January 2021 at 9:53 pm

        You're reminding me of the recent Mt Maunganui new years riot where the Council and business 'elite' blames it all on the deplorables and refuse to take any responsibility whatsoever for the society they're in charge of.

  8. Anne 8
    7 January 2021 at 8:08 pm

    Angela Merkel’s comments on today's developments:

    Angela Merkel

    @Queen_Europe

    I can assure you that my departure from office is going to be very boring. (my bold)

    laugh

  9. Siobhan 9
    7 January 2021 at 8:27 pm

    Isn't it strange that we are all supposed to be so concerned with American Democracy….the very corrupted Democracy that led to Trump being elected in the first place…meantime…under the cover of the Covid Bill…. "$33 million “for democracy programs for Venezuela” (page 1498) "…ah yes, America and its helping hand bringing 'Democracy' to those folk who insist on voting for the wrong guy….maybe they need to spend money on their own Democracy Program

    https://wnynewsnow.com/2020/12/21/congress-reaches-deal-securing-900-billion-for-stimulus-relief-package/

  10. Stuart Munro 10
    7 January 2021 at 9:13 pm

    Four dead as police storm the US Capitol.

    • solkta 10.1
      7 January 2021 at 9:19 pm

      Four people are dead following Wednesday's protests and the pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol, according to Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee.

      I think you are a little confused as to who did the storming. But keep trying.

      • Stuart Munro 10.1.1
        8 January 2021 at 12:44 am

        By no means – some of the police let the trumpsters in, even took selfies with them, but were obliged to storm the place to get the rioters out some hours later.

  11. RedBaronCV 11
    7 January 2021 at 10:31 pm

    Well Chris Liddle seems to be hanging in there. I'm baffled as to what would need "considering" – other than the quickest way to the exit door. Wonder what Simon thinks?

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/national-security-adviser-resigns-trump-protest/index.html

  12. mikesh 12
    8 January 2021 at 9:48 am

    What Jacinda calls a 'mob', Hilary called 'deplorables'.

  13. Peter Bradley 13
    10 January 2021 at 9:55 am

    It may be hard to see through the smoke and broken glass but Trump and the Republicans are on the exact same team as Joe Biden and the Democrats. The shrill hysteria over Trump and his supporters is all part of an elaborate theatrical display of democracy – where the 2 political parties and their supporters pretend that they are fundamentally different when in reality they serve identical interests.

    The Democrats now have control of Congress and the White House and they will spend the next couple of years twisting themselves into all kinds of intricate knots in order to avoid making any significant changes to Trumps corporate friendly policies.

    Real political change does not happen through democracy and beneficent leadership from the top it comes from a genuine fear of violent revolution from the bottom. Which is why watching US citizens (albeit with misdirected motives) smashing their way into the heart of government is a sign that things are at a tipping point and this can only be a good thing for the future of the country.

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