Snip

Call it whatever euphemism helps you sleep: a “riot,” a “protest that got out of hand,” a “tour group with bad vibes.” But in plain English, it was a terrorist attack. It was political violence aimed at overturning a constitutional process through fear, force, and intimidation. It degraded the values, history, and sacrifices that made this country what it was for 250 years. It was an assault designed to make Congress, Trump’s own Vice President, and anyone else standing between Donald Trump and power, choose between duty and survival.

Snip

The Republican Party didn’t just fail on January 6. The Republican Party has failed every day since, by refusing to treat that attack as what it was: an attempt to overthrow a lawful election.

They could have drawn a bright moral line: no excuses, no minimization, no rehabilitation, no lies. They could have isolated the extremists. They could have made it politically fatal to flirt with insurrection. They could have rejected Trump.

Instead, they did what they always do: they looked at the monster they helped create, then asked themselves whether it polled well in the suburbs, whether the base was still with the Donald.

Snip