Democracy requires forceful rebuke of the lies that led to Jan. 6 attack

If there’s one very basic fact that all Americans should be able to agree on, it’s the name of the sitting American president.

Yet, a new ABC/Ipsos poll found that just 65% of Americans believe President Joe Biden’s victory was legitimate, and of the polling sample 71% of Republicans still believe the lie that President Trump won the 2020 election.

That same poll found 72% of Americans believe “the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were ‘threatening democracy.’” The other 28% apparently believe that the crowd that forced its way into the Capitol, the same crowd that erected a gallows and chanted “Hang Mike Pence” as the vice president was evacuated, was protecting democracy.

We’re in trouble.

That’s why the Jan. 6 list of Congressional commemorative events seems too mild to meet the moment.

A moment of silence, a conversation between two historians, personal reflections on the day and a prayer vigil are all part of the Congress’ plan to commemorate the day a crazed mob breached the U.S. Capitol to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

All are perfectly acceptable ways to mark perhaps the death of a respected leader or beloved family member, but all seem less than fitting ways to mark the day hundreds of people crashed through barriers, assaulted police officers, destroyed government property to the tune of $1.5 million, and tarnished the nation’s centuries’-old reputation for conducting a peaceful transfer of power.

What the day requires is firm action and a forceful rebuke of the lies that have brought us to this moment in history.

Video of the destruction and desecration of the seat of the American government should be played again and again to remind all of us just what happened the day “tourists” strolled into the Capitol for one very sinister purpose.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, since Jan. 6, more than 725 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

That list includes at least 10 people from South Carolina charged with a range of crimes such as Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding an Officer Using a Dangerous Weapon, Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority Using a Dangerous Weapon, and Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds.

“Of those, more than 225 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including over 75 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.”

The U.S. Attorney says 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol that day.

A year later, the FBI continues to investigate the attack, and a year later no one has been arrested in connection with pipe bombs left at the Democratic National Headquarters and the Republican National Hedquarters.

Yes, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol continues its work, but time is of the essence. The committee has held just one official hearing and that was in July. Just one.

Instead of hosting historical discussions and sharing personal reflections, Congress should be taking concrete, very public steps to ensure that the violence of the day and its intent - to overrule the voice of millions of American voters - are constantly at the forefront of public discussion.

Protecting American democracy requires swift and forceful action, not some gentle nudging.

This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 12:00 PM.