One year ago today hordes of violent insurrectionists, fueled by the lies of a presidential hopeful to overturn an election, brutally ransacked our Capitol building and attacked the very seat of democracy itself.
We all watched in horror as rioters chanted "stop the steal," and brought out makeshift gallows armed with threats to hang our vice president who was in the building. We witnessed in real-time Capitol police beaten while enraged mobs shattered glass, looted Congressional offices, and permanently desecrated our nation's Capitol.
The horrors of January 6th will be seared in our collective memory for generations. But, what is perhaps more chilling than recounting the events of Trump's unsuccessful coup, is understanding the increasing likelihood there could be a second, successful one.
John, the day after the horrific attack on our democracy, 147 Republicans (including our very own Mike Garcia) refused to certify a democratically held election of President Joe Biden. Plain and simple, a large faction of the Republican congressional leadership – whether out of cowardice or political opportunism – bought into Trump's lie of massive voter fraud and attempted to overrule the will of the people.
Since January 6th, 2021, Republican party leaders have only doubled down on The Big Lie. They use baseless claims of election fraud to derail voting rights. They censure Republican leaders like Liz Cheney who have the audacity to say Joe Biden was elected freely and fairly.
Even more insidiously, GOP-run state legislatures in Georgia, Michigan, and other key swing states are clearing a potential path to overturn elections by going after the one mechanism that made the insurrection unsuccessful in the first place – state elections boards that certify results.
We cannot let them succeed. If last year taught us anything it is that democracy is not a guarantee. It is a delicate institution that only works when the people stand up to use it and protect it.
