On January 6th, an attempted coup of radicalized right-wing partisans stormed the capitol to get a selfie that they could show their friends and family. Most who have been captured have given the same narrative in response – that they did not consider the consequences of their actions. Not seriously, at least. And why should they have? As Republican congress members held the door open for the invaders, capitol police were pictured in a wild array of different behaviors. Some were shaking their heads as they watched the insurgents enter. Some were getting selfies and ushering the would-be occupants inside. And some were getting crushed against doors, or murdered with flagpoles.
For those of us paying attention, we are waiting for the confirmation of what we all have clearly seen on video. That this was a mob incited be Republican leadership. While the insurgents stormed the capitol outside, inside the capitol, a different kind of coup was happening. One that nearly everyone predicted would have no effect, but was tried anyhow, as over a hundred members of the Republican Party fell for a scheme to object to the certification of Joe Biden as president. One of the worst offenders of this failed coup was newly seated Representative from Colorado District 3, Lauren Boebert.
To understand the full context of Boebert’s actions leading up to, and on the 6th, we need to consider one truth; that Donald Trump knows the art of distraction. Simple facts about his behavior that alone would be cause for career-ending scandal pile up on him daily. Somehow, by ignoring these truths and simply projecting them on to his political enemies, he is able to keep the support of the right wing, because ignoring accountability is a superpower that the GOP has been building since Nixon. This type of behavior acts as a green-light to budding politicians that these actions are acceptable, and even desirable to appear “strong” against the left-wing that the entire party thinks of as their enemy.
The word “enemy” is an important distinction, and one that the left and center need to understand. When any group or organization tried to hold Trump accountable for his actions, he called them his “enemy”. The FBI, the CIA, the DOJ, Democrats, the Mueller team, and many others have all been attacked as the “enemy”, and always as a response to an accusation of wrong-doing. It’s a clear pattern that establishes a fairly predictable behavior by Donald Trump. That when he feels threatened, he projects that threat on to those trying to hold him accountable. He has always done this, and will always do this. It is all he knows, and why he keeps repeating the behavior.
Now, here is the important bit that people seem to partially get, but not truly understand the significance of: When his base hears him call Democrats the “enemy”, they agree. They agree because they think the left is their enemy. Not enemies abroad, but enemies domestic. This means that unless you are currently a supporter of Donald Trump, the reason the right-wing shows you so much enmity in all things is because they think that you, personally, are their enemy. There are no citizens of the United States of America anymore – you are either with them, or you are against them. You are “fair game”. Normal consequences for bad behavior against you do not count, as they are at war with you. This point can’t be over-stated, as it is the key to the division at present. Democrats continue to try to work with Republicans, Republicans continue to avoid working with Democrats.
It is with this context that we need to understand Colorado District 3 Representative Lauren Boebert’s actions on January 6th, 2021. Taking a cue from Trump and his rhetoric, Boebert, a freshman member of the house, chose a side. It wasn’t the side of the United States of America.
We know what it means when you declare that the day is 1776. It was a call for civil war, and because of Trump’s wild rhetoric, it was smokescreened by an even more bombastic set of declarations. At 6:30 in the morning, many hours before the chaos broke out, she called for insurrection.
Later that day, she would try to walk back that statement, pushing another Tweet that was so obviously an attempt to backpedal that she ended up proving that she had a clear intent to foment the type of violence that would come just a few hours later.
But the real context came when US. Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted the location of the Speaker of the House. No matter how hard one might try to slither out of accountability for trying to lead insurrectionists to the speaker of the house, we all know what it meant. Boehbert was looking to help an insurrectionist get to Nancy Pelosi, and none of us are stupid enough to think that she intended for a healthy political debate to ensue. That means a US representative, in plain site and public view, sought to encourage violence against members of the United States Congress.
Now, Lauren Boebert can’t be recalled. To be expelled from congress, there would need to be 2/3rd’s vote and a load of procedural efforts to get there. She can, however, be arrested. Rep. Boebert’s actions on January 6th may very well already be under investigation, as the DOJ has announced that “corruption investigators” have been assembled. This indicates that public officials are also under investigation. Were it not for the constant distraction of Donald Trump, it is likely that public pressure to resign would be resounding at this point. It is our hope that it is not too late for this to happen, and that the slow build of pressure as people truly understand the actions that Rep. Boebert took that day become fully realized.
Sedition can’t be allowed to normalize. The partisan fantasy of the right-wing’s self-imposed war needs to be addressed, because when they figure out they are out-gunned and out-manned by the US law enforcement apparatus, they will turn their attention to citizens, where their hopes for superior numbers and firepower might be a safer way to vent their rage. Unless accountability is swiftly realized, this will continue to grow out of control. United we stand, but divided…
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