Thursday, January 06, 2022

“The Coup Attempt on January 6th Was a Warning for What’s to Come If We Don’t Act”


Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on the First Anniversary
of the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol


Today marks one year since the attacks of January 6th. I will never forget the experience of fearing for my life, my fellow members, and staff on a day designed to show the strength of our democracy. I will never forget the call I made to the father of my children, asking him to tell my children I loved them if I couldn’t.

But the insurrection of January 6th was not solely significant for the havoc that it caused, the property destroyed, or the lives it cost. No, January 6th was significant because it was an attack on the seat of our democracy, specifically designed to undermine, interrupt and overturn the most fundamental of democratic processes – an election – on the day its results were to be certified. With each passing day, it becomes more and more clear that the outgoing President of the United States planned and executed the coup attempt, refusing a peaceful transition of power, pressuring election officials and his own administration to overturn results, and organizing a rally and march on the seat of government when his other efforts failed.

I know personally what happens when a government fails, civil strife takes hold, and people are displaced. And I know that coup attempts are rarely one-time affairs.

In fact, as we speak, Donald Trump’s allies in statehouses across the country are seeking to erect barriers to voting – largely affecting low-income people, people of color, and seniors. If that’s not enough, they are stripping power from nonpartisan election officials and rewriting state laws to seize partisan control over election certification.

The next coup is not only possible; it has already begun.

But the causes of the attempts to overturn our democracy run much deeper than Donald Trump. For decades, our institutions have been failing to meet the needs of the people they are tasked to represent. Inequality has skyrocketed, as has the cost of basics like healthcare and education, while the average American’s wages have not kept pace. Self-interested elites have prioritized profit and greed over the common good. Trust in our government’s ability to tackle the biggest problems we face – from healthcare to climate to food insecurity – has cratered as a result. Borrowing from demagogues around the world, authoritarians like Donald Trump filled the void, offering false promises while scapegoating immigrants, and religious and racial minorities.

“A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience,” John Dewey once said.

To stop the next coup, we must reinvigorate the democratic experience. That requires, at a minimum, passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and strengthening election laws around the country to prevent the next coup. But it also requires reforming our institutions so that they are once again responsive to the core demands of our constituents. That requires abolishing fundamentally antidemocratic elements of our system like the Senate filibuster and the electoral college, and it requires major investments in childcare, education, health and climate like the Build Back Better Act.

The coup attempt on January 6th was a warning for what’s to come if we don’t act. The work to prevent the next coup begins now.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
January 6, 2022


NEXT: A Deeper Perspective
On What’s Really Attacking
American Democracy


Related Off-site Links:
Ilhan Omar Warns “Next Coup Not Only Possible; It Has Already Begun” – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, January 6, 2022).
A Year After January 6, Divisions and Disinformation Persist – Mark Zdechlik (MPR News, January 6, 2022).
“Democracy Was Attacked” During January 6 Insurrection, Pesident Biden Says on Anniversary – Associated Press via PBS Newshour, January 6, 2022).
Noam Chomsky: GOP’s Soft Coup Is Still Underway One Year After Capitol Assault – C.J. Polychroniou (TruthOut, January 6, 2022).
A Year Later, Progressives Warn “Another January 6” Is Coming If Voting Rights Not Secured – Kenny Stancil (Common Dreams, January 6, 2022).
The Crackdown After January 6 May End Up Being More Dangerous Than the Riot Itself – Branko Marcetic (In These Times, January 6, 2022).
Trump Thrashed for Lie-Laden Response to Biden’s January 6 Anniversary Address – Brett Wilkins (Common Dreams, January 6, 2022).
A Year Later – Dan Rather (Steady, January 5, 2022).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
Michael Harriot: Quote of the Day – January 7, 2021
Acknowledging Where We Are
Inauguration Eve Musings
The Republican Party in a Nutshell
Dan Rather on America’s “Moment of Reckoning”
David Remnick: Quote of the Day – February 13, 2021
Refuting Surface Level Comparisons Between the Insurrection at the Capitol and Black Lives Matter Protests
Two Conservative Voices of Integrity
The Big Switch
Republicans Pose an “Existential Threat” to American Democracy
“My Biggest Worry Is for My Country”

For more of Rep. Ilhan Omar at The Wild Reed, see:
Juan Cole: Quote of the Day – February 11, 2019
Ilhan Omar on The Daily Show
Progressive Perspectives on the Ilhan Omar “Controversy”
Ilhan Omar: Quote of the Day – April 13, 2019
Ilhan Omar:Stepping Into Her Power
To Whom the Future of America Belongs
Ricardo Levins Morales on the “Deepest Political Fault Line” Separating Democrats Ilhan Omar and Antone Melton-Meaux
Rep. Ilhan Omar Responds to President Trump’s Authoritarian Threats
Progressive Perspectives on the 2020 Election Results
Ilhan Omar: Quote of the Day – January 13, 2021
Ilhan Omar: Quote of the Day – May 29, 2021

Image: Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) attends a news conference on Capitol Hill on November 30, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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