Is This America?

When you get right down to it, the racist white nationalists, QAnon dupes, and pro-Trump extremists who ransacked one of the most potent symbols of our republic committed their atrocious acts because of a lie: That the election was stolen.

Claims of widespread election fraud were laughed out of court. There is no evidence to support it. And Joe Biden, whether you agree with him or not, is the legitimately elected president of the United States of America.

And Capitol Police officers, honoring their oaths, ran into the face of danger. Video shows the deadly toll of that day, officers were maimed, crushed against doors and stabbed with a flagpole. One officer, Brian Sicknick, gave the full measure of devotion that day and died. Two more officers, one from the Capitol police, another from the Washington D.C. Metro force, later died by suicide. Another officer, Eugene Goodman, heroically lured rioters away from the Senate chamber.

During her turn at the lectern as a House manager, Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean said she planned to outline the “actions of a desperate president,” who would stop at nothing, not even an attack on the Capitol that he allowed to burn for hours, to save his own skin.

“Senators, ours is a dialogue with history,” Dean said, in part, as she concluded her remarks.

“Is this America?” the Black Capitol police officer asked.

How that question is answered in the coming days is how history will judge us all.

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An award-winning political journalist, John L. Micek is Editor-in-Chief of The Pennsylvania Capital-Star in Harrisburg, Pa. Email him at jmicek@penncapital-star.com and follow him on Twitter @ByJohnLMicek.