The Jan. 6 Capitol riot was bad and confirmed what many of us already knew about former President Donald Trump: that he is rash and will do or say anything to protect his own ego. But it was not an insurrection, nor was it the threat to our democracy that Democrats and their allies in the media are making it out to be.
Their hyperbole, however, should come as no surprise. Democrats need Jan. 6. The Biden administration has failed on every front, and President Joe Biden’s approval ratings continue to drop as a result. Congressional Democrats are facing what might very well be a crushing defeat during the 2022 midterm elections if Republicans’ recent gains in Virginia and other parts of the country are an accurate indication of voters’ discontent.
Hence the wall-to-wall, exaggerated coverage of the Jan. 6 anniversary. CNN is hosting a two-hour live event on Jan. 6 to “honor the heroes who protected our democracy in the face of an insurrection.” The New York Times editorial board claimed this week that “Jan. 6 is not in the past; it is every day.” House Democrats announced they will hold a prayer vigil to remember the events of Jan. 6 and “establish and preserve the narrative” of the riot.
If all of this seems over-the-top, that’s because it is — intentionally so. Democrats want to distract from Biden’s disappointing presidency, vilify Trump and every Republican who supports him, and make it politically impossible for him to run for office again.
But it won’t work. Biden’s approval ratings will continue to drop because voters are more concerned about the direct attacks on their liberty on a daily basis thanks to COVID restrictions than they are about an unruly mob that has already been held accountable for their role in the Capitol riot. Republicans will likely take back both the House and Senate because Democrats have convinced themselves that far-left activists represent the general public. And Trump will probably run again because that’s just who he is.
Democrats seem to think that if they close their eyes, tap their heels together three times, and say “Jan. 6” over and over and over again, their problems will go away. But they’ve set themselves up for failure, and no amount of Jan. 6 dramatization will save them from that.
