Today was a day that will live forever as one of the lowest points in the history of our nation, a day when the president of the United States, in an absolute treasonous act, incited a violent insurrection simply because of his ego and his own inability to accept defeat. (video)
Today was a day when Trump flag waving supporters smashed a window at the U.S. Capitol, stormed inside, and breached the chamber of the U.S. Senate, taking the life of at least one woman who died after being shot, lawmakers being forced to wear gas masks to protect themselves from tear gas, and the vice president and legislative leaders being hustled off to a secure location.
Donald Trump incited that riot, telling them to be strong, to fight, to go to the Capitol and let Congressmen and Senators know that they won't stand for the certification of Joe Biden as president.
Don't be weak, he said. Fight.
The National Guard was called out, finally, hours after the insurrection began, but by that time it was too late. The "people's house" had been overtaken by domestic terrorists, including at least one who broke into the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
While all of this occurred, for hours Trump did nothing but send a tweet, telling his people to protest peacefully, not engage in violence. Otherwise, it was silence.
And then, Biden went on television to say "our democracy is under unprecedented assault." (video)
"This is not dissent; it's chaos," he said. "It borders on sedition. And it must end. Now."
He then called on Trump to "step up" and tell his supporters to stand down, to leave the Capitol peacefully.
Then Trump cut a video telling his rioters that he "feels their pain," but even though the election was stolen, they should go home. It was shameful and typical Trump. (video)
Donald Trump has incited violence against his own government and he needs to pay for that. It was not simply a peaceful protest. He encouraged this violence, this travesty, this armed insurrection on Capitol Hill.
And so, Trump needs to be immediately impeached, or even better, the 25th Amendment needs to be invoked by the vice president and cabinet to remove him immediately from office and prevent him from ever seeking public office again.
The lawmakers -- Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley -- who led the effort in the Senate to sidetrack Biden's election certification, which was supposed to happen today, along with the many others who supported them, need to be kicked out of Congress. They are a disgrace to our country, our democracy. They are traitors.
Although faced with losing his powerful position as Senate Majority Leader because of the election of two Democrats in the Georgia special Senate election last night, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urged senators to drop their protest of election results in six battleground states.
"Were elections overturned due solely to unproven allegations from the losing side, he said, “our democracy would enter a death spiral.”
Today's activities seemed like that already was happening -- except for the calm, but firm words from Biden.
Georgia
They were reasons for hope, compounded by the news that Democrats Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had defeated Georgia Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in last night's runoff election. Those victories give Democrats a 50-50 tie in the Senate and effective control when Vice President Kamala Harris takes office and provides the tie-breaking vote.
That means, of course, that Biden will have a much easier path in moving his programs forward, in getting his cabinet nominees and any potential Supreme Court justices confirmed than if Republicans had maintained control.
And so, the presidency of Donald John Trump will mercifully come to an end on January 20 when Biden and Harris are inaugurated. There may be more violence before that comes to pass, but then America will be on the way to being America once again.