The dramatic events that occurred at the United States Capitol Building yesterday, January 6, 2021 demonstrate just how far down the path to authoritarian / fascist rule the U.S. has traveled. In fact the latest reports, from Newsweek, are that 4 people died in the events. Some commenters have labeled the actions by the Trumpista Mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol Building as a “coup d'etat”. A more accurate label for the ongoing operations, by Trump and his minions at all levels to overturn the Presidential Election results, would be Auto-Golpe'. In an Auto-Golpe' a head of state and his coterie stay in power, by using tactics similar to those that a cabal of Coup d'etat plotters would use in trying to seize state power. The process of an Auto-Golpe' is often smoother because the head of state already has levers of power available to him/her. Donald J. Trump, while he retains control over many of those levers of power, has encountered significant resistance to his more strident demands from various parts of the U.S. Government apparatus. Most significant in this internal power structure resistance are the repeated statements by the military high command and such figures as the 10 living Secretaries of Defense, that the U.S. military must not and will not directly intervene in American politics to keep Trump in power. (See “All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory”, Jan 3, 2021, Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld, Washington Post, at < https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/10-former-defense-secretaries-military-peaceful-transfer-of-power/2021/01/03/2a23d52e-4c4d-11eb-a9f4-0e668b9772ba_story.html >: “Ten Angry Men: What the Incredible Letter From Former Defense Secretaries Should Tell Americans”, Jan 4, 2021, James Stavridis, Time, at < https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ten-angry-men-incredible-letter-214010429.html >).
The events of January 6, 2021 were foreshadowed by a number of right wing Trumpista takeovers and occupations of State Capitol buildings. The most famous being the events in Lansing, Michigan that took place on April 20, 2020. That was when Trumpista protesters, a large proportion of whom were brandishing assault rifles, gathered at the Michigan State Capitol. Hundreds were permitted by the police assigned to guard the Capitol to enter the building carrying their rifles and pistols. Several of the rioters staked out the office of the Governor of the State of Michigan, Gretchen Whittmer, and stood around the office door heavily armed. Several others tried to gain access to the floor where the state house and senate were working but were denied that access and stood, weapons at the ready, in the visitor's gallery in a balcony overlooking the floor (See, “Armed protesters entered Michigan’s state Capitol during rally against stay-at-home order”, April 20, 2020, Katelyn Burns, Vox, at < https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/4/30/21243462/armed-protesters-michigan-capitol-rally-stay-at-home-order >). Later, on more than one occasion, armed paramilitary types stood around menacingly at Governor Whittmer's home, at the homes of both the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, and at the Governor's summer cottage in Northern Michigan. Some 14 of these alleged terrorists were arrested for fomenting a plot to kidnap Whitmer and take her to Wisconsin for “trial” and execution. One variant of their plan was to burn the Michigan State Capitol building to the ground making sure that no legislator or staff member could escape the flames. The latest event of this sort was an invasion by armed paramilitaries of the Oregon State Capitol, just a few days ago.
Certainly Trump, and his closest advisors and elite supporters, have spent months spewing disinformation and hate-filled invective against Democrats, liberals, and supposed Communists and Socialists who stand in opposition to Trump's regime. But more immediately at about noon Eastern Standard Time, Trump himself spoke to the “Save America March” rally at the Ellipse south of the White House. That took place yesterday, shortly before the mob marched up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol Building. Both the President’s son Donald Trump Jr., and Rudy Giuliani also spoke at the “Save America” rally activities. The President himself said: “All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical Democrats, … We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore. … (and that elections in) 'Third World countries' (are) 'more honest,' ”. Trump also said the people at the rally should “walk up to the Capitol Building'' (“Trump vow to ‘never concede’ incites mob of supporters”, Jan 6, 2021, Eli Stokols, Los Angeles Times, at < https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-06/ill-never-concede-trump-delivers-last-grievanced-gasps-to-supporters-as-congress-begins-to-ratify-his-defeat >). Donald Jr. climbed onto speakers platform and made a couple of perfunctory remarks, then ended with a direct threat aimed at the Joint Session of Congress that was processing the Electoral College Votes, saying that “If you are going to be a Zero and not the hero: We're coming for you!”. Rudolph Giuliani harangued the same crowd with a talk that included the statement “Let's have trial by combat”. The Save America rally began around noon and continued on for an hour or so until about 1:30 pm. The break-in, by the Trumpista mob, into the Capitol building took place around 3:00 pm.
After getting “warmed up” at the rally, with the speeches and statements by President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Rudy Giuliani; the Save America Trumpistas, Qanon adherents, Confederacy glorifiers, Tea Party activists, and other assorted adherents of various far-right belief systems, marched up to the National Capitol Building and laid siege to it.
There are serious questions about the very poor effectiveness, quite likely the collusion of the Capitol Police with the Trumpista forces. The Capitol Police, whose charge it is to guard the National Capitol Building have an overall force of about 2,000 officers. They have long experience in guarding the building against demonstrators of all types. The size of the overall force of the Trumpista Protesters / Rioters / Insurrectionists has been estimated at somewhere from 20,000 to 40,000 people. But neither the leadership of the Capitol Police, nor any other government leader requested reinforcements or help from other Federal agencies, the military, or the Metropolitan Police force of Washington D.C. There are numerous video images of Capitol Police allowing the Trumpista forces to pass various checkpoints and gates without any challenge. There are also images of Capitol Police mixing with the Trumpista crowd taking selfies with their smartphones, and showing solidarity and support for the Rioters / Insurrectionists. The “protesters / rioters / insurrectionists” included numerous people carrying pistols secreted beneath their coats. The fact that many of the Trumpistas were coming with some kind of guns was widely known.
This deliberate under preparation for what was widely expected to be a heated protest contrasts with actions against progressive demonstrators by Capitol Police in the past. In previous incidents in the Capitol Building the Capitol Police have dragged people demonstrating in the building awat unceremoniously. In 2017 demonstrators at the door of Mitch McConnel's senatorial office, many of whom were in wheelchairs, were dragged out of the building. A photo from June 2, 2020 shows a heavily militarized response by police at the Capitol Building to a totally peaceful demonstration by Black Lives Matter protesters.
it can be said that these events were hardly a surprise. I, who have no access to any sort of secret material, was certainly aware that this protest was planned and that some of the protesters threatened to come bearing arms. The “Save America Rally” was widely publicized and discussed. Brian Klaas, a Professor Global Politics, at University College, London has written many articles about the emboldening of the far rightists, and published those articles in the popular press, mostly in the Washington Post. One such article that predicted just this sort of Auto Golpe’ attempt was published, nearly 8 months ago on May 14, 2020 (See, “We Have to Prepare for the Possibility of Trump Rejecting Election Results”, Brian Klaas, Opinion Page, Washington Post, May 14, 2020). <https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/us-capitol-violence-is-the-attack-similar-to-germanys-beer-hall-putsch-in-1923-6314661.html >)
In the Constitutionally mandated House and Senate approval of the electoral vote count, more than 140 Republican members of the House of Representative and about 12 – 15 Republican Senators had planned to make formal objections to the electoral vote count. After the rioters’ attacks on the Capitol building, the numbers went down somewhat and only about 7 or 8 Senators objected. Notable in his rabid support for the Trumpista rioters, and in his tireless promotion of the election fraud myth, was Missouri Senator Josh Hawley; he objected to the state electoral college totals in both states where they were formally questioned. Hawley was photographed giving a clenched fist salute to the crowd of Trumpista protesters, who had already surrounded the Capitol Building when he arrived but who had not yet breached the Capitol.
Josh Hawley, Junior Senator from Missouri, Gives a clenched fist salute
The World Socialist WebSite posted an article that includes the following clearly accurate statement: “Had a left-wing protest been called in Washington to protest Trump’s efforts to overthrow the results of the election, the demonstrators—as everyone knows—would have been met with a massive show of force by the police and National Guard. There would have been police sharpshooters placed strategically on every building in the vicinity of the protesters. Military helicopters and drones would have been circling overhead. The slightest unauthorized movement by the crowd, however peaceful, would have been met with demands for their immediate dispersal, followed within minutes by the launching of barrages of tear gas cannisters. Hundreds, if not thousands, would have been kettled and arrested.” (See, “The fascist coup of January 6”, Jan 7, 2021, David North, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/01/07/pers-j07.html )
We should all be aware that this is not the end of extreme right-wing actions and agitation in the U.S., to try to establish an even more reactionary and authoritarian regime than what we have now, rather it is the beginning. More assaults and mob actions are to be expected in the future as these actions become more frequent and hence, normalized.
Yesterday's events at the U.S. Capitol Building were dramatic and important. However, put in perspective, do those events rise to the first rank of importance in Deep State operations and State Crimes Against Democracy (SCADs)? Two previous major events stand out in the process of domestic manipulation and control of the populace, and as regards struggles among ruling class factions. The first event, and the original SCAD, was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. His killing marked the rise to a dominant position of power of the post-war Deep State, composed of the intelligence agencies, the military, the armaments industries, the banks and financial sectors, and other elements. JFK, whatever his faults, wanted to pursue general disarmament including nuclear weapons, he wanted to reinvigorate the New Deal, and he planned to pull out the 16,000 military “advisors” that he had sent to S.E. Asia; during a prospective “second term”. Those plans never came to fruition as both his administration and his life were cut short; and several other political assassinations of reformist leaders followed over the next several years. A new epoch of frequent openly political murders was the norm for nearly a decade. The second major event was the complicated set of “terrorist” attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Those events in 2001 were a far larger and more complex set of occurrences than the JFK killing had been. In both cases the SCADs were used to give the green light to immense military operations in far-flung places on the Earth that otherwise would not have been possible; and both cases created a set of policy options and limitations that endured for 20 or more years.
The events at the Capitol building yesterday, even if we take the darkest view of them such as that expressed by an article at the Worldwide Socialist Web Site (WSWS) today, are not quite as epochal in their global consequences. That is not to deny that the establishment of a fascist regime in the U.S. would certainly have an extremely negative impact on most of us; still it does not quite rank with the JFK assassination or 9-11. The WSWS wrote the following about yesterday's events, “What occurred yesterday was the outcome of a carefully planned conspiracy. It was instigated by Donald Trump, who has been working with a gang of fascist conspirators strategically positioned within the White House and other powerful institutions, departments and agencies of the state. … The assault was prepared by weeks of lying claims by Trump and his minions that the 2020 election had been stolen. … A majority of Republican congressmen and a substantial number of Republican senators orchestrated Wednesday’s political debate at which the legitimacy of the Electoral College vote was challenged, to provide the necessary pretext for the planned right-wing uprising. The final signal for the storming of the Capitol building was given by Trump himself, who delivered an insurrectionary harangue to his supporters, … (and ominously adds) even if the initial effort has fallen short of its goal, it will happen again.” {emphasis in original} (See, “The fascist coup of January 6”, Jan 7, 2021, David North, World Socialist Web Site, at < https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/01/07/pers-j07.html >). This view contrasts strongly with the concerned, but guardedly optimistic position, “that the U.S. has weathered the storm”; that has been taken by hosts and guests at many of the corporate controlled media outlets. What is clear is that after trying to strongarm state legislatures, the courts, judges, and election officials, Trump has now resorted to a street level thug option to try to keep himself in office. The effort will undoubtedly fall short, at least for now, but the long-term outlook for bourgeois democracy in the U.S. is less than glowing. Whether it will be Trump's version of authoritarian rule or not is another question.
In the annals of right wing putsches and coups the Beer Hall Putsch, that took place in Weimar Germany, on November 8th and 9th of 1923 is the most famous and certainly had similarities to yesterday's events and their likely aftermath. Famously, Hitler was tried for treason and sentenced to 5 years in prison, but was released after only 9 months. And his terms of imprisonment were so lenient that he lived with a group of supporters in the prison (several of whom had not been convicted or even tried), and dictated his book Mein Kampf to his loyal assistant Rudolph Hess during the 9 month imprisonment. (See, “US Capitol violence: Is the attack similar to Germany's Beer Hall putsch in 1923?”, Jan 7, 2021, Manas Chakravarty, Money,Control,at <https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/us-capitol-violence-is-the-attack-similar-to-germanys-beer-hall-putsch-in-1923-6314661.html >)
What is the appropriate response to these events by those of us on the left? Some of the more strident voices from the liberal wing of the corporate controlled media have called for removing Trump from office, using the 25th amendment. Some have even called for the arrest and imprisonment of Trump and some of his advisors. The FBI is asking the public for leads on the identities of many of the figures who appear in videos of the events in the attack on the Capitol, there are calls from members of Congress to arrest and try the immediate perpetrators of these actions, and to punish them with long prison terms. It is significant that very few of the street level operatives in these actions made any attempt to hide their faces, they exhibit a sense of impunity. These actions would all be appropriate responses, though they fall out of the range of options for most leftists. Sending messages to progressive members of Congress that demand that these rioters and plotters should not be allowed to walk free is worthwhile. But, what people on the left need to be doing most urgently is organizing the working people to prepare for strikes, boycotts, and other actions to close down vital sectors of the economy. That needs to be done in support of demands for improvements in social conditions that are delivered to the ruling class. Also well worthwhile are demands that duplicitous and dangerous figures from the Congress, like Hawley, the certifiably insane Louie Ghomert of Texas and Mo Brooks of Alabama, both members of the House of Representatives, be punished or sanctioned in some serious way. Beyond that I am certainly open to suggestions, that would be a good topic for the comments section of this article.
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