It’s rare that we hear our elected officials sound fearful. Today was a rare day. A mob came down on the capitol, some with guns, trying to steal the presidency and killing one woman.
With a mob breaking into the capitol buildings and disrupting a debate about Electoral votes, Senator Jeff Merkley spoke to reporters over Zoom, offering respect to Mitch McConnell in a tremulous voice as the Senate remained locked away in a room that sits near the heart of our democracy.
Points to take into consideration: Merkley said that he had never been briefed on what to do if this were to happen. And perhaps the idea of this type of anti-democracy never crossed the minds of elected representatives and the people tasked to protect them.
Protests in the capitol are common, and generally take a polite warning to be silent or leave. The small number of protestors expected to attend the Electoral College confirmation of President-elect Biden ballooned to a mob. As capitol police were securing doors, the sound of glass breaking and the sight of protestors running through the house were met with disbelief and fear. Images of people with guns sitting at the Speak of the House’s desk and rummaging through the personal spaces of elected officials flooded the news.
Senator Ron Wyden issued this brief statement:
“What’s happening today in our nation’s Capitol is a direct assault on democracy, a riot by insurrectionists that caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism. Every Republican lawmaker who supported his efforts to overturn a legitimate election shares responsibility for the violence at the heart of our democracy.
All Americans must be able to elect House and Senate members safe in the knowledge that their views will be represented in civil debate here in Congress without mob rule ever squelching that discussion.
As a steadfast defender of the First Amendment, I will always support peaceful protest even if I disagree with the views that are expressed. This is far from peaceful protest. But I thank the Capitol Police for their courage protecting all elected officials from criminals bent on destroying democracy. And I very much look forward to resuming the urgent work for our country, as soon as possible.”
By Sally K Lehman
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