I didn’t know I needed Stephen Colbert declaring “Grand Theft Auto rules” about the MAGA efforts to overthrow the election, but here we are. Much like the rest of us, Colbert is tired of everything going on—more specifically, the GOP asking for unity and not standing up and rallying behind the impeachment of Donald J. Trump.
In case you need a quick catch up, there’s been a lot happening in the news recently.
Last week, we watched as Trump fans stormed the Capitol, chanting things like “Hang Mike Pence” and trying to force a change in the election all because Trump fed them lies and let them believe that they were somehow being cheated out of a second term of Donald Trump’s presidency. He incited a riot and told them to march to the Capitol, and yet somehow, there are members of the GOP who are still not willing to get him out of office?
Beyond being frustrated, it’s just disheartening. We’re supposed to have a system of checks and balances, but all we have are cowardly Republicans who are too afraid to stand up and do what’s in the best interest of Americans because they might anger Trump or his supporters? Or is this just about keeping power and not doing what’s best for their constituents?
Stephen Colbert wasn’t having any of it and tore into the GOP for their cowardly acts in the aftermath of the coup.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Colbert exclaimed after pointing out that Trump blamed the storming of the Capitol on “Antifa people.” I want to point this out specifically because “Antifa people” makes my skin crawl. ANTIFA is simply the idea that fascism is bad, and the fact that Trump is now trying to say that his fans were not the cause of the storming of the Capitol … I just … what?
“You invited those rioters to your rally in Washington. They were wearing your shirts, your hats, waving your flag! And they cheered when you told them to go march on the Capitol. From now on, neurologists are going to hold up pictures like this to stroke victims and say, ‘Can you tell me whose supporters these are?’ And if they don’t say, ‘They’re MAGA people’ you know it’s time to take away their car keys.”
For the last four years (and honestly beyond that), we’ve been subjected to this constant “Oh that’s not our people” rhetoric, and I’m glad people like Colbert have finally reached their breaking point in calling out the GOP and their hypocrisy. “Republican lawmakers desperately need the president’s supporters to like them. I mean, their hands are tied—almost literally,” he said and no, but really. QUITE LITERALLY. A man came into the Capitol building with zip ties, but it was all a spur of the moment thing, right? There wasn’t any planning for the coup?
I’m just beyond frustrated and angry, and I feel hopeless. Right now, the calls for “unity” from the right are basically saying let’s let everyone go with a slap on the wrist and make them promise to never try to storm the Capitol again. You know what I say? NO. “OK, let’s unify in punishing all the insurrectionists and their political leaders who legitimized their homicidal fantasies,” Colbert said, and look, brushing aside a coup in Germany without real consequences led to Hitler’s rise to power.
I’m not here to let the Republicans who fed into Trump and his rhetoric get away scot-free. I’m not here for this false idea of “unity” where the Democrats have to sit and just let the Republicans get away with a government overthrow attempt.
There was (and maybe still is?) a plan from Trump fans to literally block and maybe kill any Democrats from walking into the Capitol building in an attempt to let Republicans just take over. As if that’s how the government even works. So, all this talk of unity and coming together? It’s crap. I wasn’t here for it back when Trump first lost and the MAGA fans cried, and I’m not here for it now.
Unless you stand up and understand why Trump, Ted Cruz, Mike Pence, Jim Jordan, Josh Hawley, Matt Gaetz, and every single one of you who need to face consequences for this attempt to subvert our democratic process.
(via Daily Beast, image: CBS)
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