Two years ago today a crowd on the National Mall violently breached the U.S. Capitol with the intent of disrupting the formal ratification of the 2020 presidential election.
January 6, 2021 marked a grave crisis in American government, when a sitting President refused to transfer power peacefully and sought to actively overturn an election. This violent rebellion was the gravest assault on American democracy since the Civil War, and it came much closer to disrupting the peaceful transfer of power than we realized at the time.
One would think that the event would provide a lesson on the dangers of political polarization, but it seems to have just intensified our divisions — and a willingness to condone the use of violence.
The greatest weakness of the United States today isn’t its military power or economy, but the deep polarization present in American politics. I just read an article that indicated a significant number of Republicans believe that the Democratic Party represents a bigger threat to the American way of life than Russia.
If I read the news correctly, although our allies are generally relieved that Trump is no longer President, they remain extremely worried about the stability and effectiveness of American democracy.
Today, January 6, is a day we should all remember — it should be a day for national soul searching, not a day that strengthens partisan divisions. Someone said that a world without 9/11 and January 6 begins with a heart without hate. Enough said….
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