'Helpless fury': January 6, four years later

We are a species that is obsessed with remembrance. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and monumental achievements that are indelibly emblazoned on our personal calendars. And it is the same with incidents of infamy and trauma sometimes so world-shattering that they simply become dates, such as April 15, 1865, December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, or 9/11.

Add to that list January 6, 2021, now known simply as Jan. 6 and enshrined in the pantheon of dark and horrific days in our nation’s history. As we observe the fourth anniversary of the violent and previously unimaginable attack on the U.S. Capitol, incited by President Donald Trump and viewed in living color by tens of millions of horrified Americans as it unfolded, we face this ignominious date with more troubling questions than ready answers.

Jan. 6 saw an undeniable attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election in which Joe Biden triumphed over Trump to unseat the incumbent president after a single term. Trump refused to concede, set off a quixotic wave of lawsuits and illegal attempts to strong-arm state officials to change a fair and secure election. And on that fateful day, in a direct rejection of his sacred oath to the Constitution, he incited a mob of MAGA supporters to attack the Capitol, hunt down elected officials — including his own vice president — and stop the electoral vote count. It was an act of traitorous sedition.

Incredibly, even though Republican party leaders stood up the next day and unequivocally condemned Trump’s actions, and the House voted to impeach him for an unprecedented second time, Trump is going to be sworn in as president yet again in just two short weeks. The idea that he was eligible to run for office again after Jan. 6 was incomprehensible to half of America. But attempts to indict and try Trump for his actions are now scuttled and he has demonstrated, contrary to our Constitution, that one man can rise above the law.

For Trump’s supporters, the idea that Jan. 6 is synonymous with a mob, riot or insurrection will fade into obscurity as a figment of liberal imagination. He is likely to pardon the hundreds of violent criminals who have been convicted and imprisoned for their contemptible behavior on that day. He has called Jan. 6 a "day of love" and promised revenge on those who sought to prosecute him for these crimes.

For the rest of us, Jan. 6 will forever be a date when shock and horror gave way to disbelief and despair for our democracy. Not since the Civil War have Americans experienced such a sense of helpless fury, a realization that our long-held beliefs about our nation and our leaders broke down into a pillar of dust and sorrow. Anger mixed with fear and regret will forever be the legacy of this shameful date.

That said, Trump’s election for a second term dramatically shifted the story that Jan. 6 will tell future generations. Rather than being called to account for his crimes that day, he arrives back on the Capitol steps triumphant and unscathed. It is anathema to those who believe in the foundational values of our democracy. If 9/11 reminds us of the pain and catastrophe of the events of a very dark day, it also shines a light on the strength of America to endure and rebuild and honor the future.

Americans have always been a resilient people. We have endured and survived catastrophic wars, assassinations, civil unrest, pandemics and natural disasters. We have taken severe blows and come together as a nation to get back on our feet against all odds. Each challenge becomes a date on the calendar to serve as a reminder that, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, it’s our Republic, if we can keep it.

Jan. 6 could have offered a similar legacy, but now the uncertainty of the future is tinged with fear and dread as we try to understand what our nation has become and where it is headed.

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