Would you have stormed the Capitol on 1/6 if the election had been stolen by Trump?

[Tomconroy]

Last edited Sun May 9, 2021, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't mean to excuse the insurrectionists. I think all of them need to do a little jail time. And some need to do a lot of jail time. But I can't help but think about what could have happened. I was absolutely convinced that those Republican legislatures were going to send their own set of electors to Washington. Kavanaugh had apparently written an opinion giving state legislatures a roadmap to overturning a democratic election. Only because of some unknown Republican office holders was democracy upheld.
If Trump had actually succeeded in his vile scheme I don't know what I would have done. I think I would have done something. I'm 66 years old, in lousy shape, but I wouldn't have let our democracy be stolen. I wouldn't have used bear spray and I guess would have been prepared to do some time.
We came so close to losing our democracy. It still makes me angry.

[greenjar_01]

1. ...

[Drum]

2. Hold on, I'm getting some popcorn....n/t

[Hekate]

26. I brought extra butter to share. We seem to have a consensus developing here.

[demtenjeep]

3. no

but I probably would be committed to an asylum by now

[Skittles]

4. no

storming the Capitol is what brainwashed thugs do

[Xavier Breath]

6. Exactly. Peaceful, full-throated demonstrations

in cities across the land? Definitely. An armed insurrection to aid in the destruction of democracy? No so much.

[Hekate]

25. That's how I've lived my life. March. Vote. GOTV. Armed insurrection to destroy the govt? No. nt

[malaise]

10. as in ReTHUGs

[Eko]

5. No,

March, protest, organize, go to court, those things yes.

[Nexus2]

19. Agreed.

Not as if I would make much of an insurgent, but I wouldn't try but having a nice anxiety and rage fueled nervous breakdown is entirely possible.

[hlthe2b]

7. Before or after I wake up from a psychic trauma-induced coma?

[JI7]

8. We did have elections stolen from us

[Skittles]

12. you got THAT right

Gore was robbed, for SURE - and HILLARY too

[uponit7771]

51. RIGHT !!

[obamanut2012]

59. Exactly -- SCOTUS already stole one from us

[Claire Oh Nette]

9. No.

Protest? Sure. Think for a second I was entitled to break into the Capitol and wander around with my tasers, flex cuffs, and pepper spray to force Congress to do a damn thing.

Staggering levels of arrogance, self importance, and sheer ignorance of the Constitution they claim to defend.

[everyonematters]

11. One important thing to note:

The people who believe that the election was stolen, are not using the mind that God gave them. As citizens we all have a responsibility to utilize rational thinking. The fact that Trump's minions could not prove anything in court, should tell them that it was not stolen. If Trump has stolen the election, it would certainly be a dire situation. Once something like that happens, it's hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Trump has shown us what damage a leader with no conscience can accomplish.

[Dan]

13. Actually Stolen vs Alleged

Interesting.

If is not worth fighting for, guess its not worth having.

[Kingofalldems]

14. The election wasn't stolen so there is no comparison.

[LakeArenal]

15. That's assuming there was proof of the election being stolen

Which there wasn’t.

However, no.

[Hekate]

16. No

[TexasTowelie]

17. Since it's likely he did that in his first presidential election,

I can say no.

[Hoyt]

18. Many believe trump stole 2016 election, but we didn't riot probably because we knew we screwed up.

[ZonkerHarris]

20. Trump and Putin stole it in 2016 and all we did was gather hundreds of thousands of people in pussy

hats and march through DC.
Then we said "never again" and got to work for 2018 and 2020.

[DTomlinson]

29. Trump won the Electoral College in 2016. Not stolen. Biden won it in 2020. Not stolen either.

[WA-03 Democrat]

33. You forgot the part where Russia/Putin helped him in 2016

It’s not a both side do it or they are equal

[StevieM]

46. Comey's antics did a lot more damage than Putin IMO.

And they were also entirely illegitimate.

[WA-03 Democrat]

63. Which time?

The July 2016 Congressional debrief on an active FBI investigation (which they are not supposed to discuss) in which he said she did wrong but just not enough to charge her or the “we need to search Anthony Wiener’s laptop” in October?

Comey is not for Democracy. Putin pushed votes to trump in PA, WI and MI. Putin had a larger effect because of the tightness of the race.

[ZonkerHarris]

41. Okay, instead of "stolen" I'll say collaborated with America's enemies to achieve a tainted victory

[uponit7771]

52. +1,

[Hekate]

54. Yes. Millions of us marched in cities around the nation, & we were not silent thereafter...

The BLM actions last summer were just one more important manifestation of our opposition to the usurper and his fascist thugs.

[abqtommy]

21. Let's all remember that the founders of the U.S. tried peaceful negotiation and diplomacy

and when that didn't work they went to an illegal and violent insurrection. We owe our existence to their willingness to utilize violence. I for one remember.

And I think that by the time The FBI and The DOJ get through with former guy, his
enablers, supporters and cultists we'll be glad we didn't have to take to the streets. This time.

[Takket]

22. No, we are a nation of laws and politics, not anarchy and barbarians

drumpf tried to steal this election with the Big Lie and our institutions, despite four years of relentless assault, held.

[tanyev]

23. They had the right to have their rally/protest outside.

It became an insurrection when they broke into the building, assaulted Capitol police and destroyed property. I hope if it had gone the other way that there would have been massive unrelenting protests outside, but no storming of the building. Besides, if it had gone the other way there would have been a much larger, well-armed security force with very itchy trigger fingers.

[StarfishSaver]

24. No

[honest.abe]

27. Trump stole the election in 2016 and what happened?

[Hekate]

56. We opposed him for 4 years, took back the House, Senate, & Presidency. That good enough?

[Faux pas]

28. I

didn't when he,stole it in 2016

[Tomconroy]

30. The consensus so far is clearly "No".

I'm old enough to have participated in a few anti Viet Nam war demonstrations. I don't know that we made an enormous difference (My reading of history is that LBJ decided to negotiate only when the WASP wisemen told him to. God knows what Nixon was thinking). Of course there is another theory that we would still be in Viet Nam if not for the kids in the street. I don't know, maybe I would be a modern day SDS recruit. I hate to think of that horrible man getting away with it.

[Fiendish Thingy]

31. I would be tempted, but a general strike could be more effective

If people refused to go to work, or even just stopped buying anything, including gas and groceries (stock up ahead of time), the American economy could be crashed in less than a month.

It would take tremendous discipline, but even if just 30-40% of households participated, it would be devastating.

[sueh]

32. No, I would not have stormed the Capital.

[flibbitygiblets]

34. Looks like the majority of democrats here favor actual democracy.

I hope that clears up any questions.

[Tommy Carcetti]

35. No.

But I would think there would be mass mainly peaceful protests in Washington that would have made the January 2017 look like a small crowd.

And I think Trump would try to crack down on those protests and it would have been ugly.

Essentially it would have ended up like the Euromaidan protests against Yanukovych in Ukraine in 2013-14.

[onecaliberal]

36. No. That is a republican move. Dems didn't storm the capitol after Russia stole 2016 for dump.

[fescuerescue]

37. They stole 2000, 2004 and 2016.

And we didn't do anything then.

So why should a 4th stolen election from us be different?

[Crunchy Frog]

38. A little jail time?!?

No I would not. It would have been a pointless and counterproductive act. Beside which, the Congress would have been seriously defended by forces willing to massacre unlimited numbers of people.

I fully expect the 2024 election to be stolen, and I plan to not be in the country for it.

I'm all in favor of resistance as long as it's done effectively. There may well be a place for violent resistance at some point, but not in the form of blindly lashing out and undermining our own cause.

[stillcool]

39. We've had several elections stolen..

and lots of protests, although you'd never know.

[Polybius]

40. Not personally

I'd hope we'd have mass, peaceful protests though.

[edhopper]

42. The Bastille, yes

the gates, yes. The Castle, yes.
But not the Capitol.

[joshcryer]

43. We didn't storm the capitol when the 2000 election was stolen by Bush.

[Hekate]

53. DU was formed. For me & others it was a nexus of activism & information for the next 8 years....

...which is not a small thing.

[joshcryer]

55. I was here. Indeed.

[global1]

44. Hold Your Decision As You Might Have A Chance To Make It In 2022 Or 2024.....nt

[Bettie]

45. There would have been protests

much like the Women's Marches. Peaceful, loud, angry...but not "putting up a gallows and breaking into the capital" type.

We know how to express anger without becoming violent.

[FlyingPiggy]

47. No. I wouldn't. I thought it was stolen in 2016 w Russian interference & I didn't storm anything

[blogslug]

48. If it had been the other way around...

There would have been armed battalions and tanks on the streets of Washington DC. They would have crushed any protestors. Also, the Republican office-holders who held their ground, electorally, are quite well known and some of them still need security protection. I don't recall any Kavanaugh opinion you mention in your post.

[ismnotwasm]

49. Fuck no.

There are a lot of Democratically organizations and groups that protest usefully.

[Progressive Jones]

50. I wouldn't "storm the government", but I might be a "problem child" at mass protests. nt

[Voltaire2]

57. Sure. I was at the protests for Bush's inauguration. That election was stolen.

But I would have to be convinced that the election was in fact stolen. Also, I'm more into militant pacifism, so 'storm the capital' would not look like those dumbass motherfuckers on Jan6.

You've presented a false equivalence. The election was not stolen, it wasn't even close. Biden won.

[obamanut2012]

58. They didn't have the election stolen -- epic fail

Try harder next time.

[obamanut2012]

60. Hit and run OP

[WA-03 Democrat]

64. Wonder if we can get a weather report for

St. Petersburg soon?

[obamanut2012]

68. hahahahaha

[Tomconroy]

67. You can read my reply if you had actually read the thread.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

61. There are more effective ways to protest a stolen election than foolishly storming the Capital.

General strikes
Work stoppages
Civil disobedience.

[Aristus]

62. Let's see: New guy, low post-count, trying to get Democrats to admit to desiring insurrection.

[Tomconroy]

65. Well, actually I wasn't trying to get Democrats to admit

anything. The post did get 62 replies and a few recommendations. I guess someone found it interesting. I may be a new member of DU, but I am relatively certain I have been a member of the Democratic Party for longer than most. Thanks for the unpleasant welcome though.