5 Silver Linings of the Capitol Attack
A sad day for America that might inadvertently lead to some good
It was a sad day for America. A mob stirred up by lame duck president Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building as Congress met to certify the November election, smashing windows, ransacking offices, and taking photos on the Senate floor. Five people died, including a rioter shot by Capitol police.
I love the Capitol. It’s a gorgeous piece of architecture and symbolizes American democracy, which is something I care about a great deal. On my last night living in D.C., I made a point of walking all the way around it. To me, this was desecration.
And yet, as I think about it, I see some positives too:
1 — It could’ve been a lot worse
This was an egregious security failure. The seat of American government fell to pro-Trump demonstrators way too easily, especially since the risks were clear in advance. The president had been encouraging supporters to come to D.C. on this date to do something about election certification, and while many were peaceful, those who never planned to be heard the call as well. Online chatter about the event included a lot of references to “revolution,” “1776,” and “civil war” from people who insist that Trump didn’t actually…
