Can we call it a coup now? Can we see some traitors arrested?


Unbelievable. Rioters (don’t privilege them by calling them “protesters”) have stormed the capitol building and have caused the proceedings to formalize the election results to be halted, all because these idiots refuse to accept the election results, provoked by the wanna-be tyrant, Trump.

Comments

  1. Matt G says

    Good job, America. You are indeed a shining light in the world. Something all nascent democracies can aspire to.

  2. JoeBuddha says

    I will call it a coup attempt. They don’t have enough people to carry it out. But it’s gonna be chaotic for quite some time.

  3. nomdeplume says

    Yes “protesters” is yet another example of MSM playing down the coup attempt that has been obvious since the election. I see Trump’s new Defence Dept stooge is playing his part by refusing to allow National Guard deployment.

  4. says

    I saw a video yesterday of cops using kid gloves after the “proud boys” physically attacked them. The privilege of being white.

    If the racists had pulled guns and fired at cops without hitting any of them, the cops would still likely not draw on them.

  5. stuffin says

    These are good people, expressing their right, that Trump gave them, to riot. This is how we can make America Great again!.

  6. davidc1 says

    People have posted elsewhere ,if they had been black ,there would have been more cops on the scene
    than there were in the final reel of The Blues Brothers .

  7. Matt G says

    Trump, after calling for “fun” in DC, is now calling for peace. Sorry, you can’t light the fuse and then criticize others for not stopping the explosion.

  8. PaulBC says

    Does The Atlantic carry any weight? https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/

    Yes, it’s a coup. It will, I hope, be an unsuccessful coup but there is literally a mob storming the seat of government. That’s kind of a big deal. They did this after Trump egged them on, which I think qualifies as sedition, though we really do get all hand-wringy about the ‘T’ word. A lot of weasel words there. Like I guess if Trump showed up driving a tank through Congress many we could FINALLY say, “Yeah, that guy is levying war.”

  9. stroppy says

    Trump is saying the bare minimum to make it look as though he’s calling for his flying monkeys to “obey the law” (whatever that means to Trump and his supporters– wink wink nudge nudge) and be nice to the police (who in the cult hive mind are also his law and order minions).

  10. KG says

    But…but…but… there’s really no difference at all between the Democratic and Republican parties! They agree on everything of any importance! The Vicar says so, it must be true!! If only he’d been there to explain to the rioters that Joe Biden is just a smoother version of Donald Trump!!!

  11. kome says

    Ivanka Trump tweeted calling them “American Patriots” then quickly deleted the tweet. Gee…

  12. rpjohnston says

    If any POC, or any left-wing orgs – even White ones – had done this during the last 4 years of Trump atrocities, Security would have killed them en masse, + Republicans would be creating fascist measures that make the Patriot Act look like piking, and Democrats would have folded

    It would have been well-known as an attempted coup and almost any response would have justified putting it down. Unless we as a nation can finally agree that these violent insurrections must to be put down violently, they WILL win eventually. If we accept the standard that storming legislatures is just a privilege that the Right has, while it’s something that would alter the face of the nation if the Left did it, then we will utterly lose. Forever.

    80 years ago we went across the ocean to put a few million of these fuckers in the ground. 80 years before that we painted the ground red right here at home. 80 years before that we kicked them across the ocean. If we’re unable to do what’s necessary in this age as we did in the past then we will be destroyed.

  13. hemidactylus says

    Just when I thought things couldn’t get more surreal or unhinged given the stuff transpiring inside the Senate and House. I saw footage of people breaking Capitol windows with an apparent police shield.

    And in early November 2016 I was already in disbelief. I can’t wait for this scumbag’s ouster. But the movement he inspired will still be with us.

  14. says

    @#14, KG: Well, gee, KG, Biden himself said repeatedly that he “loves Republicans”, and his whole campaign message was that we need to find common ground with these people. I hope you and he have a good time trying to figure out what, exactly, you have in common with them! (Given his history, probably: being anti-abortion, pro-military-spending, and pro-1%.)

    He has already announced that no, after all, he won’t be doing anything about the ICE camps (so those kids in cages you were foaming at the mouth about? Are still going to be in cages), and that he’s not going to issue executive orders about anything. We’re going to see a repeat of the Clinton and Obama eras, where the Democrats try desperately not to take any action against right-wing militias for fear that they’ll hurt the fee-fees of Republicans or upset their donors or whatever it is that makes the modern-day Democratic Party happy with the modern-day right wing. Trump wants right wingers to do this; Biden wants them to do so, too. So did Obama and Clinton — or else they would have done something about it when it was still easy to do so.

  15. nomdeplume says

    Kayleigh McEnany, “We reiterate President Trump’s call against violence and to remain peaceful.” How does this woman sleep at night?

  16. fossboxer says

    rpjohnston is correct. Unless we speak to these terrorists on their terms, we will inevitably lose. History has born this out again and again. Worse, these insurrectionist rednecks know this, and if the Gentle Left fails to come to grips with this fact, we’re doomed.

  17. nomdeplume says

    Oh FFS Biden – “What we’re seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness.”

  18. hemidactylus says

    I defer to the Republican Senator from Utah as I cannot process right now:

    https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/532955-romney-trump-caused-this-insurrection

    “Multiple reporters shared on Twitter that Romney yelled, “This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” to his fellow Congress members as they were evacuated.”

    AND

    “New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin tweeted, “@MittRomney summoned me as lawmakers and press arrived at a secure location. ‘This is what the president has caused today, this insurrection,’ he said w fury in his voice.””

  19. Rob Grigjanis says

    The Vicar @18: You forgot to repeat your nonsense about Biden having Dick Cheney as a foreign policy advisor.

    You realize you have zero credibility, right?

  20. stroppy says

    Trump’s video telling people to go home, pounding home his “election was stolen” lie and literally calling his opposition “evil.” He gives an inch while taking back a foot.

  21. outis says

    Holy Shamoley.
    I’ll have to repeat what I have been saying too many times lately: I’d never thought I’d see such a thing.
    Nice one, 2021. Trying to one-up your predecessor?

  22. larrylyons says

    I just heard on the local NPR station that at least one person has been shot.

    Perhaps it is time for the National Guard to fix bayonets and cull the herd.

  23. tacitus says

    It’s a good job Trump is such a piss poor wannabe authoritarian. Even his coup attempts are shit.

  24. naturalistguy says

    It’s not an insurrection, let alone a coup. That would require real muscle that these clowns do not have.

  25. hemidactylus says

    Wow! Just wow!

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-elections-companies-idUSKBN29B2WR

    “National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons said Trump “incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy…. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy.””

  26. evolutionaryautistic says

    Holy fuck, this is so embarrassing. Some war-torn country is laughing at us right now. If these chucklefucks were black, they would be shot on sight.

  27. evolutionaryautistic says

    brightmoon @34: They’re all starting to distance themselves from Trump as he slowly descends into narcissistic madness. If any of them give into his demands, it would be political suicide.

  28. evolutionaryautistic says

    Hey, anyone remember when we thought Mitt Romney would be the worst thing ever?

  29. hemidactylus says

    Am I right to assume that if Trump were impeached by the House again it would still fail in the Senate as indictment lacking 2/3rds supermajority?

  30. whheydt says

    Ilhan Omar is reported to be working on articles of impeachment. Apparently, not so much to remove Trump from office, as to prevent him from ever holding office again.

    I wish the various media people would quit referring to the rioters as “anarchists”, instead of the correct label: fascists.,

  31. whheydt says

    Re: larrlyons @ #28…
    DC police chief said that one “civilian” (his word) was shot.

    A Republican House member said that at least 25 members of the Capitol Police were injured.

  32. numerobis says

    hemidactylus: I’m not sure. Mitch gave an impassioned speech in favour of democracy (!) today just before the Capitol was stormed. I think he’s throwing Trump under the bus. It’ll be two years until the next election, and he just lost power, so he might be trying to rescue his legacy. Removing Trump after an attempted putsch would do wonders for that.

  33. nomdeplume says

    The DC Police Chief says rioters were there “exercising their First Amendment rights”. This is a mad brained interpretation.

  34. kome says

    @32
    It would only require real muscle if they were being met by an opposing force. Cops are taking selfies with the protestors and removed the barricades to let them into the Capitol building. The police are only nominally resisting here. Remember how well-armed, well-prepared, active and reactive the cops were for the Black Lives Matter protests? Remember how quickly and efficiently they removed people from the nearby park so Trump could get a photo-op with an upside-down Bible? Cops here aren’t too keen to fight back against their own racist kindred.

  35. hemidactylus says

    https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-condemns-insurrection-us-capitol

    “We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy….”

  36. says

    Apparently they have arrested all of 13 people. That’s it. 13. And confiscated 4 guns.

    Meanwhile cops opened the gates for the rebels and posed for selfies with them.

  37. Reginald Selkirk says

    @46: “We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride…”

    Trump is not just a “selfish man”, he is a narcissist. A raging, clinically diagnosable narcissist. Once you understand that, a lot of things from the last several years make sense. I recommend reading several posts by Mike the Mad Biologist on the topic.
    For example:
    Disordered in the White House

    (Nov 6, 2020) Last night, we watched a president publicly undergo narcissistic break. While lots of people are familiar through experience and popular culture with sociopathy and so have witnessed it (e.g., bullying), fewer have seen public displays by a narcissist, after his bubble has been burst…

  38. raven says

    ,

    How does this woman (Kayleigh McEnany) sleep at night?

    Do the Undead sleep at night anyway?

    That they are some sort of Undeads would explain a lot about Trump and his co-conspirators.

  39. Rob Grigjanis says

    Susan Montgomery @51: Cassandra, right?

    NYT headline;

    Mob Incited by Trump Storms Capitol

    Maybe work a bit harder on that whole prophecy thing…

  40. birgerjohansson says

    Rob Grigjans @ 52
    Future description:”It was a very small mob that had a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing to do with being enabled by honest Republican lawmakers over four years.”
    .
    Q Anon supporters: “It was a false flag operation done by those crisis actors of the bogus school shootings”
    .
    David Duke: “Ze joos!”

  41. ajbjasus says

    @ 48

    … and say it loud, a coward, as are all bullies, weaselling, sniping, and getting others to do his dirty work.

    One of the most loathsome human beings of modern times.

  42. Deepak Shetty says

    Rioters (don’t privilege them by calling them “protesters”)

    When did you become the polite person ? These people are terrorists.

  43. unclefrogy says

    for all the trumist politicians an old rhyme surfaced in my mind.
    on the nature of weasels and monkeys
    “all around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel
    the monkey thought it was all in fun
    POP goes the weasel”

  44. tacitus says

    All the far right keyboard warriors who have been agitating for revolution and civil war for weeks have oh so predictably suddenly started blaming Antifa for infiltrating Trump supporters and instigating the violence…

  45. says

    I kept it simple on nextdoor. I pointed out that the story portrayed was the opposite of reality. Antifa and BLM were portrayed as violent by the political right and it is the political right invading the capitol building.

  46. PaulBC says

    Susan Montgomery@63 NYT has been more direct in its criticism as the abuses of the Trump administration have piled up. In past years, they might have been more weaselly, but then in past years, this coup attempt would have been unthinkable, so who knows really.

    Even Mitch McConnell called it a “failed insurrection.” That’s one for the books.

  47. raven says

    cbsnews:

    At least four people are dead after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, forcing Congress to evacuate as lawmakers counted electoral votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. The chaos erupted shortly after Mr. Trump gave a speech once again falsely claiming to have won a second term and vowing “we will never concede.”

    One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police after breaching the Capitol and attempting to enter the House chamber. Three others died as a result of “medical emergencies,” according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

    The death toll is up to 4.
    Three of them died of “medical emergencies”, whatever that means.

    It’s rather unusual to say the least for three people to die of medical emergencies in a small crowd within a few hours. I have no idea what is going on here.
    It could be that they got a heavy dose of tear gas that affected their breathing enough to send them into cardiac arrest or asphyxiation.
    The police were also using flash bang grenades and there might have been concussive damage.
    People also occasionally die from their rubber bullets.
    Or maybe they got hit too hard on the head with a club.

    This is all definitely just not cool.

  48. raven says

    With poles bearing blue Trump flags, a mob that would eventually grow into the thousands bashed through Capitol doors and windows, forcing their way
    past police officers unprepared for the onslaught.

    past police officers unprepared for the onslaught.

    Yeah, no fooling. The cops were outnumbered and caught completely unprepared for what happened.
    This is the USA in 2021.
    Nothing works right any more!!!!
    The US response to the Covid-19 virus pandemic was one of the worst in the world and we’ve got the death count to show that.

  49. PaulBC says

    raven@67

    This is all definitely just not cool.

    Neither is attempting to overthrow the government. They’re the ones who declared war. What did they expect? At least that goes for Ashli Babbitt. I don’t know anything about the others.

    To be clear, I would prefer an outcome in which nobody was killed, but those who invaded the Capitol building had no reasonable expectation of leaving with their lives.

  50. azalin34 says

    Every single one of those idiots that brought their phones with them to snap selfies and celebrate their stupid coup can be found out based on the GPS and cell tower information. I don’t doubt that around the US capital buildings are multiple Stingray (or other similar) systems that trick cellphones into connecting to them for tracking purposes. There shouldn’t be any reason that the identities of a decent number of those insurrectionists can’t be found out and arrests made.
    On a strange, slightly unrelated topic, I was watching the Global News broadcast tonight around 9PM on Youtube, and a “commercial” popped up after the news segment regarding the attempted coup. It was a minute and a half long, and it consisted solely of low quality video of an overweight white guy in a basement, wearing one of those lower jaw skull masks that’s very popular amongst the boogaloo crowd. He was claiming that he had joined in on the insurrection at the capital, broke into Nancy Pelosi’s office during the siege, and browsed around on her computer. He said he found “compromising photos of Chuck Schumer” and hinted that he found child porn on it.
    I’m currently trying to find some way I can write a scathing letter to Google about that. What kind of crap are they allowing as “commercials” on their platform?

  51. unclefrogy says

    one of the things I find a little strange is that many are saying it was a complete surprise ?????
    uncle frogy

  52. tacitus says

    Three of them died of “medical emergencies”, whatever that means.

    I guess we’ll find out when more details are released. It does seem unusual for that many to die that way, though there appeared to be plenty of older MAGA hats in the crowd, and we already know at least one of those who invaded the Capitol building had been recently diagnosed with Covid-19 (“Baked Alaska”) so they’re not the healthiest, most health-conscious bunch around.

  53. says

    @PaulBC 69

    Absolutely.
    Imagine what you had to do to get the police to shoot at you. These people were already strolling through the capitol, with the police giving token resistance at best, out right helping along for the most part. This makes it unlikely that any death was a case of police brutality.
    This was a mob with the declared goal of finding, “arresting” and “trying” supposed “traitors”, in other words, killing Democrats and any Republican that fell on Trumps bad site. Also, supposedly quite drunk. (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/capitol-trump-insurrection-explosions/)

    So no, while I would have preferred no deaths, I really can not see why I should feel bad for the ones that occurred.