Okay something I’ve been thinking about this morning: WTF was the actual intention of the MAGAts who stormed the Capitol building?

There’s all these people on Reddit/here saying that this was an organized coup. And TBH I keep thinking that “organized” is a strong word. 90% of them had no aim other than showing up and shouting.

The other 10% are the ones that should worry everyone.
So Trump does his stupid rally, having fired up the MAGAts for actual months, then says they should march on the Capitol and of course they do, then sympathizers among the security forces let them through to the building itself.
SO many people are getting fired over that.

Anyway: so they’re inside and now what? Again, 90% of them have no clue, they just show up and shout and perhaps smash shit or steal, and generally be assholes.

The worrisome 10% had an aim in mind: kidnap/hurt/kill.
But here’s the thing: even that 10% didn’t have any fucking clue what to do. Look at the videos and photos, this was military cosplay. They made merchandise for gods sake. They loudly proclaimed their intentions to try starting a civil war.
I’ve no doubt that if they had found Pelosi in her office then she’d be dead right now. But if their actual goal was specific enough, such as: assassinate the Speaker of the House and enough congresspeople/senators for Trump to declare an emergency/martial law...
I mean, they failed pretty badly. A combination of external circumstances was what allowed them to even get to Pelosi’s office, being: sympathizers in the security forces, Trump pulling off the National Guard/ reducing the security presence leading up top the 6th
And pure stupid fucking luck.

I mean, they didn’t get into the House chamber because there were a couple of security people with guns who barricaded the door. That’s all it took to keep them out.

Actual competent insurgents would have had a plan for, y’know, armed resistance.
So I don’t want to downplay what happened, okay, but I also don’t like to see people positing some massive, narrowly-averted conspiracy as orchestrated by people who have, up to this point, shown that they couldn’t organize a piss-up in a brewery.
As for Trump, I’m not even sure WTF he wanted other than to keep the MAGAts fired up and on his side and... donating money to him. All the rest was just incompetence and racism.
The National guard wasn’t deployed in a timely manner, security wasn’t increased ahead of time, because he couldn’t find his ass with both hands and didn’t think an actual riot putting elected officials in mortal danger was a big deal when it was white people doing it.

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This is partly what makes it impossible to have a constructive conversation nowadays. The stubborn refusal to accept that opposition to Trumpism and GOP nationalism is about more than simply holding different beliefs about things in and of itself. 👇


It's fine for people to hold different beliefs. But that doesn't mean all beliefs deserve equal treatment or tolerance and it doesn't mean intolerance of some beliefs makes a person intolerant of every belief which they don't share.

So if I said I don't think Trumpism deserves to be tolerated because it's just a fresh 21st century coat of cheap paint on a failed, dangerous 20th century ideology (fascism) that doesn't mean I'm intolerant of all beliefs with which I disagree. You'd think this would be obvious.

Another important facet. People who support fascist movements tend to give what they think are valid reasons for supporting them. That doesn't mean anyone is obliged to tolerate fascism or accept their proffered excuse.


Say you joined a neighborhood group that sets up community gardens and does roadside beautification projects. All good, right? Say one day you're having a meeting and you notice the President and exec board of this group are saying some bizarre things about certain neighbors.

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