This is a somber day, the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. As the January 6th Committee proved, this was a staged coup by an ousted president, who wished to maintain power and bring the USA under authoritarian rule.
It wasn't just a break-in, or a tourist visit. It was a damaging, demeaning effort to toss the U.S. Constitution into a trash can and light it afire.
It's also a somber day because the U.S. House of Representative has yet to be seated as I write this. The 118th Congress is not in session, is not doing the people's business, or overseeing all that it oversees because the Republicans, who hold a thin majority, cannot come together to vote for a Speaker of the House. Kevin McCarthy is on his 13th vote as I listen to the roll call. (My own representative, Ben Cline, apparently went to the bathroom and didn't vote yet this round, but he's been voting for McCarthy. I guess they'll get him when they go back for those they missed in the first run-through.)
It's the first time in 100 years the House did not elect a Speaker on the first try. The last time it went this many votes was back in 1851 or thereabouts.
To see this disarray in the House is disheartening. Even if McCarthy wins, and I expect he will eventually, he will be a weak Speaker. This not the way to lead. A man of integrity would have stepped aside, but I don't see too much integrity when it comes to politics.
Having spent 35 years covering local government, and being one of those persons who love history, seeing the government fail before my eyes is a bit like watching a ghoul suck out my soul. I have held the local courthouse in reverence and considered it sacred. I have walked the halls of government buildings awed that I could do so, that I didn't have to fear being challenged, that I had every right to be there, simply because I was a citizen, and not solely because I was working for a news outlet.
The law is as sacred to me as the Bible is to others. To violate the law is to break the societal contract, the one we all must live by if we are to get along. When the laws go by the wayside, so too does the Republic. We cannot live in peace if we choose to ignore the laws, no matter how moral our religious beliefs may be. I have not found the morals of religion to be strong enough to keep society in check, unless one wants to live under a strict religious rule such as the Taliban. That is not my idea of freedom, though. Those who want it have no idea what they're requesting. Looking forward is not the strong suit of those who seek those types of changes.
No, this is not a day for celebrating. This is one of those dates that will stay with me, like 9/11, or 01/28/86, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. Or my own wedding date, or my husband's birthday. The dates one cannot forget.
I do want to call out someone though - The Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. I've been watching her and her deputy clerks deal with this rowdy bunch of elected fools (which in and of itself makes me frustrated, it's not a party and that goes for both sides of the aisle), and she deserves praise and a raise.
The count for the 13th time continues . . .
Very good article Anita. McCarthy is selling his soul. He wants the power but has lost the respect. So sad. I hate politics.
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