Tag Archives: January 6

And Yet They Stay Silent 

Posted by historymaniacmegan on

Now that Donald Trump is no longer president, I often don’t feel the need to pay as much close attention to him as I once did during those nightmare four years in office. Although he has announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, I still remain wary. Since I still remember how we all underestimated him during the 2016 election campaign to our great detriment. If there’s one thing I don’t want to see in my life, it’s seeing another Trump presidency. Even though their disastrous showing in the 2022 midterm elections have led the Republican Party to reevaluate their relationship with Trump, we must not rejoice that they’ve turned away from their cult leader completely. Even if the GOP establishment has, the fact I still see Trump signs within my area shows that he still has his loyal fans and still has influence. Besides, whenever Trump says or does something that hurts the GOP’s image, most Republican politicians will do this dance where they’ll openly condemn Trump for his inexcusable conduct or try to distance themselves from him. Only to keep crawling back to him once they believe the scandal has gone away. And if Trump does well enough to win the GOP primary in 2024, I can guarantee that the Republicans will have his back. 

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Donald Trump for the termination of the US Constitution to overturn the 2020 election and reinstate him to power. Writing on his personal bully pulpit Truth Social, Trump said, “Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!” According to CNN, Trump’s post came after a release of internal Twitter emails showing deliberation in 2020 over a New York Post story about material found on Hunter Biden’s laptop. But really, who gives a shit about Hunter Biden’s laptop besides right wing news outlets and their viewers? For God’s sake the only thing about Hunter Biden’s laptop that I care about is when I’ll stop hearing about it. Nevertheless, when a public figure calls to do away with foundational blueprint to our democracy, we absolutely need to take that person seriously. Particularly if that figure is a former president who once swore to preserve, protect, and defend that very document. Especially if that former president has been willing to pander to white supremacists, undermine decades of political precedents and democratic norms while in office, refused to accept the results of a presidential election two years ago that he’s still bitching about, constantly pushes conspiracy theories to his cadre of cult followers who’d believe anything he says, and incited violent insurrection at the US Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the federal government. Not to mention, stole thousands of classified documents away to Mar-a-Lago, which spurred an FBI raid on the resort this summer. And certainly if that former president still has supporters to make Republican politicians hesitant to take a cue from Liz Cheney on January 6 and ditch Trump for good.  

I am not surprised that Donald Trump believes in ditching the US Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election and have his own power reinstated. The man is a textbook, narcissistic psychopath who believes he’s above the law as well as not bound to the same rules and norms as everyone else. Not to mention, sees the world as his personal playground where he can do whatever the fuck he wants and profit from it. Nor does he believe that he should be held accountable for his very egregious actions. Besides, back in 2016, I wrote a blog post on why you shouldn’t vote for Trump. Among the reasons I listed were that he has no respect for America, its values, or its people. Not to mention, linked to US enemies and dictators and had his campaign tamper with the political process. Nor does he have any respect for American democracy or the rule of law. You might think I might’ve sounded alarmist at the time. However, what has transpired since Trump won the presidency during that dark November of 2016 has unfortunately confirmed that I was absolutely right. When Trump solemnly swore to preserve, protect, and defend the US Constitution during his inauguration, I knew that was all a sham. Because Trump is a man with no conscience who will always put his own interests first, including that of the country’s. Always was. Always will be. Now that he’s subject to multiple criminal investigations, the January 6 Committee has convened, the FBI has raided Mar-a-Lago, and Congress can now look into his tax returns, Trump is trying to use his influence over the Republican rank-and-file to evade facing accountability for his egregious actions. Especially since the Trump Organization has been found guilty of all counts of tax fraud and financial crimes. And the fact he’s willing to do away with the very foundation to our national government in order to be president again and do whatever the hell he wants with no consequence. 

Nonetheless, covering Donald Trump when he spouts such fascist rants like this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives him more time airtime in the news media which will only boost his notoriety and possibly support among voters. The last thing we need right now is another major Trump media circus just so he can spend more time in the spotlight. Especially since he’s still a clear and present danger to our American democracy as well as still has his cult of deplorables and the Republican Party behind him. On the other hand, Trump is such a powerful and destructive influence in our politics and our country that we can’t just turn a blind eye towards all the egregious shit he says and does. Especially when public knowledge of all the horrible stuff he’s said and done will usually be the only lasting consequence he’ll ever receive. Given that he’s a rich psychopath who never learns his lessons or doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself. While he’ll often use all the power and privileges his wealth gives him to escape from any consequences that come his way. And especially if his words and actions have inflicted very real damage on our democracy, our public discourse, and our way of life. To ignore him only enables him to get away with his shit and at the American people’s expense.  

Fortunately, the Biden White House treated such incendiary comments with a quick and decisive response. On that very day, White House spokesman Andrew Bates stated:  

“The American Constitution is a sacrosanct document that for over 200 years has guaranteed that freedom and the rule of law prevail in our great country. The Constitution brings the American people together – regardless of party – and elected leaders swear to uphold it. It’s the ultimate monument to all of the Americans who have given their lives to defeat self-serving despots that abused their power and trampled on fundamental rights. Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation and should be universally condemned. You cannot only love America when you win.”  

In other words, to call for the termination of something so sacred and foundational to what our nation is nothing short of a national heresy. Do away with the US Constitution, then you might as well do away with everything America stands for.  If not, then America itself. And such a statement deserves nothing less than universal condemnation regardless of what side you’re on. Or whether you win an election or not. 

Democratic leaders were also quick to condemn Donald Trump’s remarks. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters, “If America doesn’t extricate itself from Donald Trump and his MAGA ideology, it will undercut our American way of life.” Meaning that as long as support for Trump and Trumpism is deemed acceptable within American society, the cancer of Trump and Trumpism will continue to undermine American democracy and the public discourse. As someone who’s had to put up with people in her life and community who support this fucking piece of shit, I couldn’t agree more. In many respects, to support Donald Trump is to accept the unacceptable, the excuse the inexcusable, to defend the indefensible, to believe the unbelievable, and to deny the undeniable. That was true back in 2016. And it remains true to this day. Since Trump became the GOP’s standard bearer, he has made it a party without basic principles aside from white supremacy, unfettered capitalism, unchecked dominance by corporations and the 1%, gutting social programs, unionbusting and eroding workers’ rights, and the ever-empty pursuit of retaining and expanding political power. Their allegiance to Trump has rotted GOP standards of acceptable behavior from politicians, empowered some of the worst elements of our society, and has allowed deeply repugnant notions spread to the mainstream. And even when Trump says or does something beyond the pale, Republicans might rebuke him and hope the matter quietly goes away so they can silently crawl back to him.  

However, when it came to Republican politicians, only Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney issued a statement, tweeting, “Donald Trump believes we should terminate ‘all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution’ to overturn the 2020 election. That was his view on 1/6 and remains his view today. No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution.” Now I may not support Cheney’s politics, but I think it’s a shame that she’s seen as a hero. Instead of a normal politician who’s fulfilling basic expectations relating to her job. Sure, Cheney’s willingness to denounce Trump after the January 6 insurrection on the US Capitol was certainly brave. But it shouldn’t have been. Nor should her vote to impeach Trump a second time and her vice chairmanship of the January 6 Committee. And none of what she’s done since January 6 should’ve alienated her from her party’s establishment and cost her a congressional seat to a primary challenger. Because when a president incites an attempted coup on the US government, a politician is supposed to break with that leader and put their country first. Doesn’t matter if that president leads their own party. Nor how popular and influential he is within your party’s ranks. A politician’s foremost duty is to the Constitution and the American people. Not their party establishment and not their voters. And yet, Cheney’s considered a hero mainly because most of her Republican colleagues haven’t done the same. In fact, most have done what they could to ensure that Trump won’t be held accountable for his actions on January 6, the exact opposite of what they should. All because they want to retain and expand their political power.  

The only other sharp condemnation comes from Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, tweeting, “With the former President calling to throw aside the constitution, not a single conservative can legitimately support him, and not a single supporter can be called a conservative. This is insane. Trump hates the Constitution.” Although he hasn’t been primaried like fellow January 6 committee member Liz Cheney, he’s retiring from Congress. Because his stance against Donald Trump over January 6 has pissed of his own constituents who’d almost certainly replace him with a primary challenger if he ran for reelection. And he’s closer to my age than hers. Had it not been for Trump and January 6, he would’ve had a long promising political career ahead of him. Instead, his political career’s been cut short in his prime, which is a damn shame. All because he put his country over his own party. All because he opposes Trump. Still, Kinzinger is absolutely right.  Although to fair, Trump has always hated the Constitution whenever it doesn’t let him get his way. Also, his affinity for dictators makes it pretty clear that he’s a fascist authoritarian who dreams about being an autocratic president who do whatever the hell he likes without question or consequence. Especially if it means crushing political opposition with an iron fist. And yet, other Republicans remain silent. 

Incoming Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told George Stephanopoulos on This Week, “The Republicans are gonna have to work out their issues with the former president and decide whether they’re gonna break from him and return to some semblance of reasonableness or continue to lean into the extremism, not just of Trump, but of Trumpism. Suspending the Constitution is an extraordinary step, but we’re used to extraordinary statements being made by the former president.” Unfortunately, his statement proves to be just prophetic. While many of the Republicans have and will issue mild condemnations for fear of Donald Trump’s political clout and retaliation from his most violent supporters. For many of them speaking against Trump will only incur the wrath of the conservative constituents who’ll rally behind a Trump-supporting primary challenger. Sure, Republicans blame Trump for their 2022 lackluster performance in the mid-terms, but he’s still the party’s central figure. And many people in my area still have their Trump signs out on their lawns in full display. So don’t tell me that the Republican establishment has finally turned their backs on him for good. Because once you think they have, they keep crawling back They may condemn Trump for inciting January 6. But don’t be surprised if you see Representative Kevin McCarthy pictured with the guy at Mar-a-Lago only a month later.  

Aside from Cheney and Kinzinger, the toughest Republican response came from Ohio Congressman Mike Turner who “There is a political process that has to go forward before anybody is a frontrunner or anybody is even the candidate for the party. I believe people certainly are going to take into consideration a statement like this as they evaluate a candidate.” Although Turner suggests Republicans will take Trump’s incendiary fascist remarks into consideration and throw their support behind an alternative candidate. Unfortunately, guess who else had the naïve idea that voters wouldn’t seriously vote for Trump for the presidency? This girl back in 2016. Also, even though Trump’s popularity may not be what it used to be in the Republican Party, he’s got millions of supporters still willing to vote for him. But a more typical response comes from Ohio Congressman David Joyce whose answers frustrated George Stephanopoulos to no end. When Stephanopoulos pressed Joyce to disavow someone who openly wants to overthrow the US Constitution, he told him not to worry about it. “He says a lot of things,” the congressman said of Trump. “But that doesn’t mean that it’s ever going to happen. So you got to [separate] fact from fantasy—and fantasy is that we’re going to suspend the Constitution and go backward.” Uh, didn’t he incite an insurrection on the US Capitol in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election results? What makes you think that he won’t at least try to suspend the US Constitution? Although I agree there are times we shouldn’t take Trump’s words too seriously, whenever he suggests a possible overthrow of the US government isn’t one of them. Because he’s tried that before on January 6. And when Stephanopoulos asked Joyce the ever-famous question of whether he’d support Trump in 2024, he replied “I will support whoever the Republican nominee is.” Unfortunately, Trump is the current front-runner and from how he campaigns, he’s likely to remain so.  

And yet, incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remains silent. Mainly because disavowing Donald Trump might cost him his party’s leadership position in the House. Bad enough that five of those Republicans in the incoming majority said they won’t vote for McCarthy because he doesn’t kiss Trump’s ass enough. Even though I’d consider showing up at Mar-a-Lago within a few weeks after condemning the January 6 insurrection as Trumpish enough. That may be enough to deny the overall majority he needs. Also, during the GOP leadership balloting 31 other Republicans voted against McCarthy’s candidacy. All were Trumpers. The fact that so many Republicans don’t want McCarthy as their leader because he doesn’t love Trump enough says all you need to know about the Republican Party’s relationship with that fucking piece of shit. Not only that, but a recent poll by Marquette Law School shows that 32% of Americans view him favorably.  

Nonetheless, the fact Republicans and a sizeable contingent of the American public still stick with Donald Trump despite all the things he’s said and done is deeply damaging to our country. It’s one thing to just turn a blind eye to Trump’s incendiary rhetoric suggesting to overthrow the government. But it’s another to continuously obstruct efforts to investigate and bring justice to what happened on January 6, 2021. All just to stay in Trump’s base’s good graces and remain in power. Even more infuriating is that thanks to Trump’s influence on the GOP, just merely stating that this fucking piece of shit is responsible for January 6 will absolutely ruin any Thanksgiving dinner. Which is a shame because a terrorist attack on the US Capitol should’ve been able to unite the country against Trump. And even though Republicans are starting realize that their cult leader is a political liability after the 2022 midterms, don’t expect the GOP to bolt just yet. Sure, they may not be thrilled that he’s running for president for a third time. But he’s the current front-runner and we must not expect him to lose the GOP’s full support if he should remain if he should become their party’s nominee. Still, the fact that the GOP by and large has chosen what they believe what’s best for themselves over what’s best for the country is a national shame. And it doesn’t help there are currently January 6 insurrectionists holding elected office or were even allowed to stand in the midterms like Doug Mastriano. Now Trump calls for another coup and yet, Republicans remain silent.  

Now I may not live in the most liberal area in Pennsylvania. Far from it, in fact. However, my own feelings toward Donald Trump and his loyalists have only intensified. I understand this is a free country. However, the fact people still support this fucking piece of shit despite his presidency being a living nightmare, his role inciting the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, and his calls to terminate the US Constitution only makes me deeply appalled. Especially if they believe the Big Lie or embrace any batshit Qanon conspiracy theories. As much as I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, their continued support for their cult leader has only inspired me to look upon them with disdain and disrespect. Apparently, after all what Trump has said and done, I can no longer be sure whether anyone supporting this either understands what siding with the guy entails or simply doesn’t care. Nonetheless, the fact people in my community still support this fucking piece of shit, some even passionately, makes me want to storm onto a podium in front of a large crowd of MAGAts and scream into the microphone:  

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea of what this fucking piece of shit has said and done since 2016? Do you know what supporting this unrespectable man says about you? May not mean that you’re willing to storm the US Capitol. But that even inciting an attempted coup of the US government isn’t enough to convince you that he nowhere near the flag-hugging patriot he portrays himself to be. And you still side with this traitor who called for this attack on our nation’s lawmakers and representatives all in order to overturn an election that he didn’t win. And yet, you still support him, sometimes believing his brazen lies and manipulations. Well, if you still stick with him despite his clear disdain for American democracy when it turns against him, either your patriotism is just as much a sham or you’re a fool to his myriad of political con games. Either way, I’ve had enough of you seeing this narcistic psychopath as your hero while the United States suffers for his sins. And if you can’t see your dear leader as the clear and present danger to America he is, then you have no right to question my patriotism. Especially if your allegiance to him above all else makes me question yours.” 

Let Us Not Vote for Those Involved in Treason 

Posted by historymaniacmegan on

With the 2022 mid-term elections in full-swing, we must take heart the lessons of the 2016 and 2020 elections that what you and others decide at the ballot box lead to policies that have an impact on your life. While most of the races are for US Congress, Senate, and state legislatures, there are plenty of races for other state and local offices as well. In my home state of Pennsylvania, there is a race to decide the state’s next governor between current state attorney general Josh Shapiro and State Senator Doug Mastriano. Now I’m all in for the Democratic nominee, Shapiro given his illustrious term where he released the infamous Grand Jury Report on sex abuse within the Catholic Church as well as issued a report on the state government’s complicity in siding with natural gas companies that I used in my post promoting my novel, The Trouble at Deacon Hill. However, even if you don’t care for this guy, I strongly urge all of my fellow Pennsylvanians to vote for Shapiro because at least he’s not his opponent, GOP gubernatorial nominee, Doug Mastriano. 

I may identify as a progressive Catholic SJW who thinks politicians opposing universal healthcare shouldn’t hold political office and thus will be voting for Democratic candidates until the day I die. I may also disagree with Doug Mastriano on practically everything. However, if my beef with this guy was just over his positions on issues I cared about, I wouldn’t be writing this urging everyone in my state to vote for Josh Shapiro. In fact, Shapiro could be the sleaziest and most incompetent state attorney general we ever had and I’d still think he was the better candidate than Mastriano. Mainly because my issues with Mastriano as a liberal Catholic considerably pale in comparison to mine as an American citizen of this great state that throughout my life, I have called my home. 

Pardon my liberal bias but my main issue with Doug Mastriano has everything to do with his support of the Big Lie and his involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. Now when a candidate loses, the also-ran gracefully concedes, congratulates the victor for a well-run race, and encourages their supporters to accept the results before everyone moves on. But because Donald Trump is a narcissistic psychopath who can’t accept the reality of his defeat, he spouted conspiracy theories and false allegations that the 2020 election was rigged for Joe Biden. In fact, he still insists the election is rigged to this day. During the last months of his presidency, he did practically everything he could to try and overturn the results of an election he clearly lost fair and square. Yes, he threw Twitter tantrums and held rallies rallying his most devoted cultists to “stop the steal.”  But he also had plenty of political allies in both houses of Congress and throughout the country who tried to undermine the results in his favor. One of these people is Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano. 

From November 5, 2020, Doug Mastriano has led state efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, a state that proved crucial in securing Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. On November 27, he and three other state senators announced they’d introduce a resolution to permit the General Assembly to appoint delegates to the Electoral College instead of following the presidential vote results in the state. As circulated in a memo seeking additional co-sponsorships, this proposal claimed that, “officials in the Executive and Judicial Branches of the Commonwealth infringed upon the General Assembly’s authority by unlawfully changing the rules governing the November 3, 2020 election in the Commonwealth” and declares that “based on the facts and evidence presented and our own Board of Elections data, that the Presidential election held on November 3, 2020, in Pennsylvania is irredeemably corrupted.” Keep in mind that Pennsylvania’s General Assembly has a Republican majority mainly because the legislature’s usually in charge with redistricting state’s map which is heavily gerrymandered to favor them. And if you think US Congressional map was so gerrymandered to be struck down and redrawn. Well, it has nothing with what the state legislature map looks like. Anyway, this is just something to keep in mind with how well the PA legislature represents the interests of the state’s people. Even so, you can clearly see this as Mastriano wanting to use the legislature to surpass the will of the people in regards to deciding a presidential election. All because Pennsylvania voters chose electors for a candidate that Mastriano really didn’t want to win. 

On December 2, 2020, the York-Dispatch‘s editorial board wrote an article describing the state senator as a guy who “regularly spouts his love of freedom” but has a relationship to Donald Trump that had been “exposed as nothing more than a vassal doing his master’s bidding.” They also state his action were that of a “craven oligarch” making “a shocking call for tyranny” in a “campaign to undercut democracy itself for a generation.” Nine days later, Doug Mastriano published an op-ed in the York Daily Record accusing Governor Tom Wolf, PA Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, and PA’s Supreme Court of taking advantage of the Covid 19 pandemic to abuse and contravene 2019’s Pennsylvania Act 77, claiming they “have been making up rules on the fly and unconstitutionally rewrote the law, which compromised our election.” He also stated that he joined two lawsuits seeking to overturn the 2020 election results, which were both struck down due to lack of standing. It’s one thing when a politician takes positions on issues and supports candidates that you don’t like. But it’s a far more serious matter when a politician is willing to undermine the whole system in order to overturn election when he doesn’t like the results. The fact Mastriano tried to this in 2020 should deeply disturb any Pennsylvanian who believes in American democracy.  

Of course, if you’ve been paying attention, Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election would eventually culminate in the events of Wednesday, January 6, 2021. On a day when a joint session of Congress was set to certify the results 2020 presidential election and formalize Joe Biden’s victory, a violent mob of 2,000-2,500 Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol Building in order to overturn his defeat. In the days leading up to the insurrection, Donald Trump called his supporters into action by stating that the 2020 election had been “stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats” and to demand that then Vice-President Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden’s victory. Starting at noon at a “Save America” rally on the Ellipse, Trump repeated his lies on election irregularities and stated “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” During his speech as Congress began the vote count, more than 2,000 people broke into the building, occupying, vandalizing, and looting it, assaulting reporters and Capitol Police officers, and attempting to locate lawmakers with intent to capture and harm. West of the Capitol, insurrectionists erected a gallows where they chanted, “Hang Mike Pence” after he rejected Trump’s and others lies that he could overturn the election results. Rioters looted and vandalized various congressional offices, most notably House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s. With building security breached, Capitol Police evacuated and locked down both chambers and several Capitol Complex buildings. While rioters occupied the empty Senate chamber, federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor. There were pipe bombs found at both Democratic and Republican National Committee and a Molotov cocktail in a vehicle near the complex. At the White House, Trump resisted sending the National Guard to quell the mob. Later that afternoon in a Twitter video, he reasserted that the election was “fraudulent” but told his supporters to “go in peace.”

Doug Mastriano helped organize bus rides to Washington D.C. for 130 Trump supporters to the rally that would culminate into the insurrection. During the protest, he claimed that he and his wife left the rally area when it turned violent, which he called “unacceptable.” However, a crowdsourced video analysis from May 2021 later identified Mastriano and his wife watching a rioter tear a Capitol Police barricade before passing through it. Thus, contradicting his previous claims that he wasn’t with the rioters. Mastriano said he was following police directions and dismissed the accusations as the work of “angry partisans” who were “foot soldiers of the ruling elite.” The video evidence doesn’t support this. He then went on stating that he was in the “second row, watching the Trump rally,” hoping that Congress would legally stop the election’s certification. “Once I realized all the speaking events were off we left and that’s a darn shame… I was there to cheer on Congress, the House and the Senate, not to disrupt it.” Sure, whatever you say (sarcasm). Still, despite receiving calls to resign from his Democratic colleagues, Mastriano has experienced no negative consequences for his actions. Aside from submitting rented bus receipts and tickets for the 130 who went with him to Washington D.C. for the whole thing to the January 6 Committee nearly a year and a half later. 

Now that he’s won the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary in Pennsylvania, it’s very possible that this guy who tried to undermine democracy in my state and participated in an attempt to overturn the federal government might be the next governor of Pennsylvania. Based on what he’s done to hurt American democracy in both my state and beyond, it’s bad enough that he’s able to keep his job and run for governor in the first place. When Pennsylvania’s General Assembly should’ve expelled him for his role in the insurrection and be faced with criminal charges, like 725 of his fellow seditionists as of June 2022. Possibly serving jail time. It’s equally disgraceful that Doug Mastriano used his actions in trying to overturn the 2020 election and undermine democracy in order to raise his profile so he could run for governor. However, it’s very scary that Pennsylvanian Republicans saw nothing wrong with his candidacy and voted to make him their nominee. Sure, Josh Shapiro ran ads against him beefing his wacko far-right views and Christian nationalism in hopes that Mastriano’s nomination would give him an easy race. But Mastriano was frontrunner before he did this. While Pennsylvania’s Republican Party isn’t too happy that he’s their guy now.  

Nonetheless, even though Josh Shapiro thinks he’s in a good place, he needs to know the lessons of the 2016 presidential election. Although Shapiro is in a better position to win against Mastriano than Hillary Clinton was over Donald Trump, he must remember that the nomination of an extremist opponent doesn’t always guarantee one a sure victory. When Trump received the GOP presidential nomination, the RNC wasn’t happy about it. But they eventually got behind him by convention time. I expect the PA GOP to do the same in regard to Mastriano. And like many of my fellow liberals, I thought that many of my fellow Americans would come to their senses and vote for Hillary over Trump, regardless of how unlikeable she was. Unfortunately, I was wrong and heartbreakingly so. Now that I see Mastriano signs go up in people’s yards in my area, I’m reminded of the catastrophe of 2016 and the fucked-up mess those four years of Trump left behind. Because of Mastriano’s election denialism and role in the January 6 insurrection, to elect him as the next governor of Pennsylvania would be a statewide disaster for the next four years. Even worse, given Republican control of the legislature, it’s likely that with Mastriano in the governor’s chair, it’s even more of a possibility that he’ll get a lot of his ideas on the 2020 election passed. Not to mention, be more likely to cooperate with Trump’s team should he run again in 2024. And keep in mind that Pennsylvania is a critical swing state, which helped secure Biden’s victory in 2020. Regardless of your political views, would you want this guy in charge of Pennsylvania in the next presidential election?  

Tragically, the worst part about speaking against Doug Mastriano’s nomination for governor of Pennsylvania is that I shouldn’t have to come off as a liberal partisan. Although I don’t deny myself as a bleeding-heart liberal, I also strongly think that trying to overturn an election and participating in an attempted coup should be enough to disqualify a candidate from public office. And I shouldn’t have to sound like a partisan hack to get this point across. And it’s not just Mastriano either. Various state legislators all over the country participated in the attack on January 6, 2021. While US Congressmen such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mo Brooks, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert, and Madison Cawthorn were said to participate in “dozens of briefings” and were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. None of them have been expelled for their actions. While Cawthorn has lost to his primary challenger due to some unrelated incidents, almost all of them are slated to remain in office after this election. Some may even run unopposed. Then there are Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley who were all too happy to repeat the Big Lie more than their colleagues. Hawley even made a fist showing his support for the rioters. Neither one has yet to face any consequences. To have these people still in power after they dishonored their sacred oaths to the Constitution is absolutely sickening. If we want to prevent another January 6, we need to hold the political figures involved accountable for their actions regarding the riot itself and the events leading up to it. To let them keep their seats or seek a higher office is nothing worse than dishonorable to our democracy.  

Since Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy began in 2015, the Republican Party has shown itself to be significantly less invested in the preserving the democratic process. Especially if that process doesn’t give them the results they like in order to preserve their power. Now I’m not going to say this about every Republican. However, reports about red states using REDMAP gerrymandering, passing voter suppression laws, and enacting anti-protest measures show that this is a systemic problem within the party. Even worse, the Republican Party seems to have no interest in holding its own members accountable for their actions regarding January 6. In fact, since January 6, the Republican Party establishment still remains firmly behind Trump as its leader to this day, which deeply disgusts me on so many levels. As of June 2022, to my knowledge, no politician has faced any consequences for helping to incite or participating in the attack on the US Capitol. When Donald Trump was impeached for inciting the insurrection on January 6, he evaded consequences because almost every GOP US Senator voted to acquit him despite obvious evidence that he was responsible. When the measure to create a 9/11-style Commission for the January 6 insurrection, Republicans blocked it. When the January 6 Committee formed, only Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are the only Republicans on it. Mainly because both put their country over their party when it mattered. While right-wing media outlets either try to spin the incident for something other than what it was or try to pretend that it never happened. Despite the fact that Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity were responsible for encouraging the violence. Still, the fact one major political party has been resisted efforts to bring justice for January 6 should really distress anyone who believes in the sanctity of American democracy. Is anyone surprised why Fox News refused air the January 6 hearings on prime time while going commercial free? 

Things get worse in the state houses. In Pennsylvania, The Penn-Capital Star reported that 40 of its Republican state legislators are part of far-right Facebook groups. I suppose Doug Mastriano is one of these guys, given that he’s a far-right Christian Nationalist. Nationwide, it’s 1 out of 5. These far-right groups range from white supremacists, QAnon, Covid 19 conspiracy theorists, and others promoting Donald Trump’s Big Lie. Across the country many of these far-right legislators have been at the forefront of pushing anti-democracy and anti-human rights bills. These includes measures like attacks on women’s reproductive rights, attacks on immigrant rights, attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, “Don’t Say Gay” bills, CRT bans, anti-protest bills, and the ever classic, voter suppression. The rate of sponsorship on these bills among this group of right-wing nutjobs was particularly high. In Idaho, Amon Bundy’s running to become the state’s governor. For those who remember my post about how the media covers terrorism, I basically have him as the epitome of white privilege in regards of covering terror. I mean this guy and his pals stage an armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge for 3 weeks and face no long term consequences. He also served time in prison for an unrelated incident. Nonetheless, the last thing we should do with anyone who’s involved in treasonous activities is to let them run for office. But somehow, as long as they’re able to remain in power and pass their measures that will make life in the US a draconian hellscape for the rest of us, Republicans don’t seem to care.  

Regardless of office, when an elected official begins their term, they always swear to uphold the US Constitution. But when an elected official helps incite or participates in an insurrection attempting to overthrow the federal government they swear to protect, they break that oath and betray the American people’s trust placed on them. I don’t care if it was over an election where their candidate didn’t win. Nonetheless, the attack on the US Capitol of January 6 should’ve united the American people like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. Let us not forget that this was a terrorist attack on a major national symbol of the US government as well as an attempted coup. Even though Donald Trump was obviously behind it all from the start, his supporters should’ve been able to turn their backs to him and anyone else involved in the insurrection. Both parties should’ve gotten behind investigating the insurrection. Both parties should’ve backed prosecuting anyone responsible for what happened that fateful day. The fact that all of this didn’t is a national tragedy. Because if a politician is behind staging a coup, it shouldn’t matter whether you like them, whether you voted for them, or whether you agree with them on certain issues. The fact Trump was behind inciting the January 6 insurrection should be enough to denounce him. Same goes for any other politician involved, even if within your own political party. Because any politician involved in encouraging or participating in the attack should be removed from office and face criminal charges. The fact none of them is a great stain on our democracy. Make no mistake, those involved in the January 6 insurrection weren’t taking their country back. They were staging a coup to overthrow the federal government. The fact that our country has to be divided over investigating the whole incident is a national disgrace.

That Doug Mastriano is able to run for governor of my state instead of facing legislative expulsion and criminal charges shows how short we’ve fallen as a country to hold people like him accountable for their actions on that horrible day. Especially because Donald Trump continues to be the GOP’s undisputed leader and the party wants to quickly move past it so you won’t see the blood on his hands. Mitt Romney, Adam Kinzinger, and Liz Cheney shouldn’t be heroes for putting their country over their party but somehow, they are. While their colleagues in the House and Senate who are responsible for encouraging the attack remain unpunished thanks to the Republican Party’s protection. Same goes for all the state legislators and elected officials who participated in the January 6 insurrection, including Mastriano. That Mastriano can seek higher office after committing treason is a national disgrace that no good Pennsylvanian should tolerate. As he has absolutely no business in leading Pennsylvania if he’s willing to overthrow the federal government over unfavorable election results. Because no politician should be willing to do that. And who knows the damage he might inflict on the state once he’s in the governor’s chair? In the name of our country and what it stands for, please don’t cast a vote for Doug Mastriano or any other politician associated with January 6.