Assault on the Capitol

[Joe Elliott]

Impeach him and remove him from office. And bar him from running again.

If his supporters riot then we call out the military and secure the country. Yes, respect their rights, give them a trial, habeas corpus. But now is the time to act.

Trump - and any future president thinking of replicating him - must be told this is not acceptable.

And knowing that this is unacceptable because Trump spent the rest of his life in prison. Telling future Presidents this is unacceptable might not work. Knowing the consequences gives the best chance.

[Joe Elliott]

Last night the voters in Georgia voted for two Democrats as Senators. In Georgia! The two Republicans just won the election (well had the most votes, but not 50%) and both still lost 9 weeks later.

Meaning: The Trump era is over. Not only does Trump lose but voters will vote down anyone Trump supports and who support Trump in trying to overturn the election.

What happened next: Stupid Republican politicians go ahead and go through the motions of reversing the election. They don’t realize the Trump era is over. The voters have already turned against him.

What happened next: Trump launches a coup attempt, trying to kidnap and force Congress to declare him the winner.

Effect: Voters will really turn against Trump and those trying to overturn the election.

What happens next: The Stupid Republicans go back and try again to overturn the election, or at least go through the motions.

Ted Cruz. You are dumber than a bag of nails. You are the walking dead. You are dead, politically. And you don’t know it. You’re walking about like a zombie, but your dead. And so are all others who support overturning this election, or going through the motions. You will be voted out at the next opportunity, I guarantee it.


I can just see Ted Cruz getting alone with Trump:

Cruz: Mr. President. I know you tried to steal the election. I know you tried to launch a coup. I know you tried to get me kidnapped or killed. But I want you to know one thing. I am still your man. I will always be loyal to you. Please remember that. Insult my father. Say he was part of the plot to assassinate President Kennedy. Try to kidnap me. It doesn’t matter to me. Loyalty is my honor.

Trump: Thank you Ted. I appreciate it.

[Joe Elliott]

Again. How could the authorities have been caught by surprise? By the most blatant coup attempt in history, bar none.

Here is a post I made back in December 21, under “Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2”

President Trump has called upon the Proud Boys and their allies to show up in Washington D. C. on January 6, promising things will be wild, i.e.: I’m counting on you guys to make it wild. It appears that Trump is under the delusion, I hope it’s a delusion, that the protesters, if wild enough, can be useful. Justify declaring Martial Law or something. Can the Washington D. C. police handle what might descend of them from large parts of the country?

What about the National Guard? As I understand it, the National Guard can be controlled by the President or the Governor. But there is no governor for Washington D. C. So that leaves President Trump. And it doesn’t sound like he wants law and order on that day.

However, in Washington D. C., the National Guard is currently under the command of the Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard, U. S. Major General William J. Walker. In what I see as a potentially a greater threat to Democracy than the 9/11 attacks, the greatest threat to Washington D. C. since July 1864, it is up to General Walker to ensure Congress can do its Constitutional duty on January 6. I hope that General Walker is as alert to threats as General Lew Wallace was in 1864. I’m sure he is. In any case, all leave should be cancelled for the Washington D. C. police and the National Guard units in the area.

Trump was telegraphing what he wanted to do over twitter. He wanted the protesters to show up on January 6 and to “be wild”. The protesters knew what this meant. I knew what this meant. How could the authorities no know what this meant?

I was under the impression that the National Guard was under the command of Major General William J. Walker. But I guess he can’t do anything unless the president orders the unit to, or gives governor of that state, or, in this case, the mayor of Washington D. C., the authority to deploy it. Naturally, Trump did not do this. So, while I was under the illusion that things should be alright, they weren’t. Because it was really Trump who effectively controlled them.

He refused his frantic requests from his advisors to release the National Guard while he watched the riot at the Capitol on TV. It appears that only after he was certain that the Congressman and the Senators had successfully escaped the rioters, and that the coup had failed, that he gave the mayor control of the National Guard.

Unlike 1864, we did not have an alert General Lew Wallace, who made a stand at Monocacy, that slowed up the Confederate II Corps just long enough for the Union VI Corps to barely reach Washington D. C. and save the capital. As an aside, Lew Wallace, curiously enough, is not most famous for saving the Union but for being the author of “Ben-Hur”, later made into a movie with Charlton Heston.

[Joe Elliott]

[urlhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/6-senators-and-121-house-republicans-are-still-objecting-to-the-election-results/ar-BB1cxqqf?ocid=msedgntp[/url]

3 Senators have dropped their objections to the voting:
Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
James Lankford (R-OK)
are among the Republicans no longer objecting to the results of the presidential election following a day of violence and destruction by President Donald Trump’s supporters at the Capitol — but not everyone has changed their minds.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Josh Hawley (R-MO)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
John Kennedy (R-LA)
Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
Roger Marshall (R-KS)
maintained their objections — even though they’re unfounded, won’t be going anywhere, and further amplify lies about a rigged election. (The objection did not obtain a majority of votes in either chamber, and failed.)

You have got to be kidding me. Last night, before the riot, the voters of Georgia, of Georgia, voted down two Republicans who backed Trump’s efforts to overthrow the election, before the coup. These same two candidate won the most votes (but not 50%) just 9 weeks earlier. But their backing Trump’s attempt to overturn the vote in Congress convinced, not many, but enough, Republicans to turn against them.

What do you think the voters are going to do to you for continuing to support the overturn of the election, after the coup attempt in the Capitol?

And there are 121 Republican House of Representatives who continue to support the overturning of the election, who continue to support the coup. There are only 211 Republican’s in the house. Only 90 are not committing political suicide.

What are they thinking? 2022 will be like no election we have never seen before. Go to Las Vegas and bet on Blue.

[Joe Elliott]

When Biden speaks on camera, I feel calmer. I actually feel calmer. Two more weeks. Just two more weeks.

[Joe Elliott]

Watched the last twenty minutes of the certification in Congress. Mike Pence was very good. Very dignified. The ceremony, going state by state, was, again, calming. When they got to Wisconsin, I was expecting trouble. But, while House members objected, of course, the last Senator had withdrawn their objection and so there was no written objection and Pence rejected this. Then Wyoming, followed by a few brief statements of the summary of the count, a short prayer, a short statement by Pence and a sharp, crisp strike of the gravel and it was done. It was actually moving.

[Joe Elliott]

Now. Pence need to agree to using the 25th admendment. I don’t want to take time for impeachment. Get the cabinet together and vote. Congress has to go along. Two thirds for both the House and Senate needs to approve. And then Pence can be acting President.

There is some question of legality. There has been so much turmoil that much of the cabinet was not been approved by Congress but are acting cabinet members. The law does not say. I don’t care. Get it done. If four months from now the Supreme Court rules that this was unproper, it won’t matter. Get it done. Get Trump out of there now. Operation Warp Speed.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

Well, there’s our answer. Trump has control of the National Guard, until he turns it over to a governor, or in this case, the mayor.

So here is how it must of went down. Just as General Benedict Arnold order as many troops away from West Point, opening up the vital fortress of West Point, and possibly General George Washington himself, to capture by the British army, President Trump did something similar. He may have ordered the National Guard units as far away as possible. In any case, when the Capitol was seized, the mayor of Washington D. C. frantically tried to contact the President, to release the control of the National Guard to her immediately. Trumps advisers told him he must do so. But he kept himself out of communication.

The military would not support his coup attempt. The National Guard would not support his coup attempt. The Washington D. C. police would not support his coup attempt. So, he ordered the only force he had some control over. The Proud Boys and their cohorts. And made certain that the National Guard was not ready and could not be used by anyone as long as possible. And they came within a minute or two of seizing the Vice President, Senators, Congressmen and the ballots themselves. And could be threatened to declare Trump the winner. Unbelievable. Trump only relented when it because clear that they have come close, but failed.

Why could this not have been seen in advance? I remember checking to see who was the general who was head of the local National Guard a couple of weeks ago and I thought everything was going to be taken care of.

Joe: But your account isn't accurate. The White House did authorize the callup of the National Guard. And the DC Mayor called them up per that story I linked to. WH, according to the account, had to intervene to get Trump to issue the order to do so. So it did happen.

From the Haberman/NY Times tweet: "Trump initially rebuffed and resisted requests to mobilize the National Guard, according to a person with knowledge of the vents. It required intervention from White House officials to get it done, according to the person with knowledge of the events."

So they were mobilized. The DC Mayor ordered it done. I guess that, unlike states, the Mayor of DC has to get the approval of the president first? Governors can do this unilaterally since they are regulated by states, i.e., state militias. In any case, they were called up.

But where were they? Here's a good question: "What the hell was law enforcement on Capitol Hill thinking by not having secured the Capitol today?” former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asked on CNBC, calling it one of his great disappointments." I'll say.

And the Capitol Police - as opposed to the DC police (I used to live in Northern Virginia and went to DC all of the time) - was AWOL. There are 2200+ Capitol Police officers.

I think you're making more of this than it appears. This was a bunch of rabble, people with perceived grievances who were "gas lighted" by Trump. There was no chance of them overturning the government. Look at them! Disgraceful and pathetic.

The responsibility for this disgrace is due to Trump formost. And these horrible followers. But we do have to ask about the security. After 9/11 all sorts of measures were taken to prevent attacks on the Capitol. What happened here?