The January 6 Electoral College riot

[TomF]

After finally getting the mike working, Trump's now speaking at his "stop the steal" rally .. and has interspersed the usual kind of comments with threats of primarying any Republican who doesn't support his stuff.

And apparently, also said this:

Trump announces he's going to Capitol Hill this afternoon. "We are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. We're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them..."

That is as close to a Mob boss saying that they're gonna show up with their crew to intimidate people as I can imagine.

Now, in the Westminster system, a Monarch or the Monarch's representative is barred entry to either House of Parliament until and unless formally invited. We have this bit of theater every time there's a new Session of Parliament, where the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod goes and thumps his staff on the closed door, and the Monarch is only admitted to deliver any remarks upon the consent of the Members.

Am I to understand that in the American system there's no formal prohibition of the President just arriving at the Senate (or the House) and taking up a spot from which to glower and intimidate? I mean, that's exactly why the Westminster system goes through that little ritual morality play... to demonstrate that it's the People who are actually in charge, not the Monarch.

[C. Ross]

Schmozzle?

[George Jung]

variant!

schemozzle

• n.
  (Yiddish) a confused situation or affair; a mess

More at Wordnik from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

[TomF]

Well, our friend Mike's going to be under the evil eye not only of the Congressional Confederate caucus calling him a traitor, and as many protesters as will be allowed into any gallery .. but also under the disapproving glare of the Capo and his flanking squad.

Who won't stay silent, I expect. And who's gonna be able to enforce civil behaviour on the Capo? McConnell? The Sgt. at Arms?

It's gonna be a complete and horrifying sh#t-show.

[Keith Wilson]

Not to be confused with a schlemozzle.

[C. Ross]

The Capitol Hill police will deal directly and aggressively with any unauthorized political demonstration in the House or Senate galleries or any of the public spaces.

They have done so forever. And they have very impermeable perimeter control. It will go badly for anyone who decides to make a scene inside the Capitol building.

[Beowolf]

Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!

[TomF]

The Capitol Hill police will deal directly and aggressively with any unauthorized political demonstration in the House or Senate galleries or any of the public spaces.

They have done so forever. And they have very impermeable perimeter control. It will go badly for anyone who decides to make a scene inside the Capitol building.

I doubt that they'll treat the President and his Secret Service detail the way they'd treat anyone else. And I'd not be surprised at all - AT ALL - if Trump decided to make comments should Mike do something dastardly, like do his job.

[Rich Jones]

I think Trump perhaps meant he's going to the Capital grounds to throw a hissy fit outside.

[TomF]

Pence is refusing to do what Trump wants.

page 2

page 3

It's a big deal.

[Too Little Time]

The joint session is on ABC now. It seems to be going according to script.

[Art Haberland]

it's not like The Donald can anything to Pence. After the 20th he is done as a politician.

[TomF]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346879406581624833

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346883733203398664

The protesters have breached the barricades and after walking across the lawn, are now at the Capitol building. Shouting, and confronting the 1-deep police line.

We shall see.

[birlinn]

The deplorables in action.

[TomF]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346883077524639748

More. Active fighting on the steps of the Capitol. Pushing, spraying pepper spray, etc.

Waiting to see any officers decked out in full gear, however. No shields and sticks, no lines of backup with pepper-ball guns and flashbangs. The disparity is, imo, disgusting.

[hightop]

Good thing those protesters are white, if not they'd be dead already.

[Joe (SoCal)]

WOW The Turtle just grew a spine

[Alan H]

Like I thought... That single line of police was a show. There were 500 more inside the building, ready to deploy.

But this is the United States of America....with right wing riots on the steps of the Capitol building. I don't recall any "Antifa" or "BLM" activists physically attacking the Capitol building.

[Alan H]

I doubt that McConnell grew a spine. He just realizes that it's game over. He's not stupid, as much as most of us despise him.

[TomF]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346887943244419075

and here are the more geared-up officers.

[TomF]

To my immense surprise, McConnell's given a passionate speech in favour of doing the Constitutional thing. Torching the Trumpists' lines.

[J.Madison]

If that "protest" was in Seattle it would have been crushed by huge numbers of police in full riot gear backed by the national guard in combat fatigues. Pepper balls, rubber bullets, and ballistic tear gas canisters would all be used.

These fascists don't know how privileged they are.

[TomF]

Exactly. Where are the Lafayette Square officers? When the protesters apparently tore down or otherwise breached 4 lines of barriers to get to the steps of the building?

Congressional staffers have been evacuated, and are being directed into the underground tunnels to exit.

This is disgusting, on so many levels.

[TomF]

Malcolm Nance tweets:

#CapitolHill Trump protesters Breech northwest scaffolding cutting through plastic hoarding with knives. police shooting pepperball & gas volleys. That scaffold may collapse with dozens climbing it. CH Police effort concentrating there.

And Susan Hennessy tweets that private residences on Capitol Hill are being evacuated too.

[pandelume]

These fascists don't know how privileged they are.

Don't they? Isn't that both what they're counting on and ostensibly what they're fighting to preserve?

[TomF]

Alanya Treene tweets: Staff in the Senate Press gallery staff just informed reporters sitting at their desks that if protestors storm the Capitol building they will usher us all into the Senate chamber and lock the door

[TomF]

Rep. Elaine Luria tweets: I just had to evacuate my office because of a pipe bomb reported outside. Supporters of the President are trying to force their way into the Capitol and I can hear what sounds like multiple gunshots.

[Hugh Conway]

The Trumpist ilk need to be treated like the domestic terrorists they are. And all those spineless enablers of this need to be held accountable

[TomF]

The Capitol building has now been breached by violent protesters, prompting the Senate to be suddenly put into recess. Pence has left the chamber.

Armed officers have reportedly been summoned.

https://mobile.twitter.com/robertjde...98195423645699

[TomF]

[David G]

Meanwhile... some corporate CEO's are not impressed --

Top CEOs are considering cutting off funding to Republicans who have supported Trump's election

Top CEOs may withdraw financial support from Republicans who have backed President Donald Trump's challenge to the election result, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the founder of Yale's Chief Executive Leadership Institute, said Tuesday.

More than two dozen CEOs are considering such a move, he told CNBC's "Closing Bell."
Sonnenfeld, a senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management, said he hosted a call earlier that day with 33 chief executives across sectors including finance, pharmacy, transportation, and manufacturing. About nine in 10 CEOs on the call were "talking about cutting off support," he said.

"We haven't seen them put the money where their mouth is previously, and that's a big change," Sonnenfeld said.

https://www.businessinsider.in/polit...w/80135806.cms

[skuthorp]

This is the feed I'm getting, Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimam...h=58516a0b2233

and Guiliani: "Speaking on stage before a planned appearance from President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney who has spear-headed his post-election legal battle, enthralled a crowd of cheering protesters by calling for “trial by combat.”"

[TomF]

[TomF]

Video of protesters pepper spraying the Capitol Police too.

And then there's this - protesters are bringing a Confederate flag through the Capitol.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1346899955097726985

[willmarsh3]

I'm watching this live on Youtube via the Washington Post. They just said that all the capitol buildings are locked down so that no one can enter or leave. This may be getting dangerous.