John Minchillo / AP, file
Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump riot outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 | 2 a.m.
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“Clear out! Clear out!” came the shouts of James Smith, who first sounded the alarm about the danger moving toward the U.S. Capitol on that infamous afternoon.
Washington Intelligencer writer Margaret Smith described watching the windows of the Capitol being smashed, one by one, as the invaders sought entry into the building.
Paul Jennings, who worked at the White House, described how the mob went “room to room stealing whatever they could lay their hands on.” Michael Shiner, a local dockworker in Washington, D.C., watched in terror as the invaders searched the building, looking for political targets to capture and kill.
By the end of the day, a reporter for The North Carolina Star in Raleigh, N.C., summed up the situation by saying that, “You can scarcely conceive the distress, alarm and consternation that prevails in Washington, D.C. ... The disgrace to the nation … can never be wiped away.”
These descriptions of the attack on the Capitol should never be forgotten — especially today, the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. They are a testament to a dark day in American history.
And yet, they weren’t written about Jan. 6. The people who wrote them lived 200 years ago and were describing the 1814 sack of Washington, D.C., by the invading British army. Two of the witnesses, James Smith and Paul Jennings, were enslaved.
Even so, it’s not hard to believe that these centuries-old descriptions of violence and destruction might refer to the insurrection that occurred just three years ago.
None of us wants to believe that our friends, family and neighbors sought to toss out millions of votes cast by their fellow Americans and violently overthrow the United States government. But that is precisely what they tried to do. The fact that their actions so closely mirror those of a foreign army that invaded Washington, D.C., should lay to rest any notion that Jan. 6 was a “protest” that got out of hand.
In both instances, an angry and armed mob descended on the seat of government, smashing, stealing and damaging American property, hunting elected leaders and killing those charged with defending the Capitol.
In both instances, American citizens working at the Capitol feared they might not return to their families. Some of them were correct. The physical and psychological damage inflicted Jan. 6 led to the deaths of as many as five law enforcement officers.
Yet, despite their similarities, future generations will look back upon the two events and recognize the glaring difference in the response of the American people to seeing American lives threatened and American institutions treated with blatant disrespect.
Following the British sack of Washington D.C., Americans rallied to rebuild the Capitol, support the federal government and send the British invaders packing. That’s a stark contrast to the leading Republican candidate for president and his MAGA supporters, who continue to support and defend the traitorous mob of insurrectionists, rewriting history to cover their shame. Even worse, if MAGA radicals have their way, there will be pardons for Donald Trump’s murderous thugs who are in prison today.
Among those who might need pardons are numerous leaders of the Nevada Republican Party. Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald, state Republican Committee vice chair Durward James Hindle III, Clark County GOP Chair Jesse Law and Nevada State Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid are all under indictment for their alleged roles in attempting to overthrow the results of the 2020 election.
These men are accused of trying to make hundreds of thousands of legally cast ballots from Nevada voters “disappear” by proudly signing their names to fake election certificates declaring Donald Trump the winner of the election in the Silver State. This, despite every ounce of credible evidence showing — and a Republican secretary of state affirming — that Joe Biden won the state by more than 30,000 votes.
The lessons of Jan. 6 are clear: Democracy must be safeguarded against future attacks by anti-American extremists. Some safeguards have already been enacted.
In 2022, a bipartisan coalition in Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act, which clarified various provisions of the U.S. Constitution and created clear procedures — including checks and balances between state and federal officials — for selecting the president and vice president of the United States.
Additionally, at least 17 states have passed laws since January 2021 that help ensure safe, secure and fair elections. These include laws to expand voter access, counter election disinformation, and specify legal processes for reporting and certifying election results.
Unfortunately, in that same time, at least 13 states passed laws that harm election integrity, limiting the ability of legal registered voters to have their voices heard and installing partisan commissions to oversee election processes, increasing opportunities for corrupting election results. All 13 of these states have Republican-controlled legislatures and all but two (Kentucky and North Carolina) have Republican governors.
In Nevada, Gov. Joe Lombardo actually vetoed a law that would have criminalized advancing fake electors. That’s right, our own governor is just fine with fake elector schemes, democracy be damned.
Eleven states passed a mix of laws that clarified election processes and procedures while limiting access to the ballot box, a clear effort to suppress democracy.
Partisan corruption of the electoral process cannot be allowed to continue. The American people deserve to have our voices heard and our votes counted. If one takes a close look at red-state voting practices, it starts to feel like we need international election monitors to ensure a fair vote, just like in corrupt Third World countries.
2024 will be a test of our resolve as a nation to fulfill Abraham Lincoln’s promise at Gettysburg of a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” We must rise to the occasion and remain steadfast in our commitment to free and fair elections because, as we learned Jan. 6, 2021, the enemies of democracy are among us and are not afraid to use violence to steal our voices, our votes and our rights.
