NOTE TO SELF-19, Thursday, December 28, 2023 – It is Ignorant to Argue Both.
Someone trying to, "turnover the results of an Election," does not, "cause an insurrection;" it is ignorant to argue both.
First, objecting to Electors is Constitutional, including recent Democrat Party precedence.
“In January 2005, Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones [(D-OH)] and Senator Barbara Boxer [(D-CA)] objected to Ohio’s electoral votes for George W. Bush [(R-TX)], alleging “they were not in all known circumstances regularly given.” The House and Senate met separately as required and using a roll call vote the objections were widely rejected. The House denied the objection in 31-267 vote, and the Senate denied it in a 1-74 vote” (1.).
The history of objecting to Electors dates to, “a process established by the Electoral Count Act of 1887” (1.).
Regarding January 6, 2021, “[o]bjections at that meeting about electors will be settled using a process established by the Electoral Count Act of 1887. The law has its origins in the contested presidential election of 1876 between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes. Several states during the 1876 election sent rival electoral ballots to be considered by Congress, which lacked a procedure to decide among contested slates of electors. The short-term solution was a special 15-person commission (including five House Representatives, five Senators, and five Supreme Court justices) to decide the election, which went to Hayes. In the end, the participating Supreme Court justices cast the deciding votes, after the House and Senate members voted on party lines” (1.).
See Reference (1.) for a full accounting of the process of objecting to Electors, and opinions.
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So, what time was the subject meeting set on January 6 – a meeting that included the right to lawfully object to Electors?
It was set for 1:00 p.m. (1.).
Remember that time.
What happened on or about, and after, 1:00 p.m. on January 6?
“Heading into Wednesday's [January 6, 2021] joint session of Congress to tally the Electoral College vote results, lawmakers anticipated a long day peppered with objections hinged on baseless allegations of election fraud. More than a dozen Republican senators had said they would object to at least one state's election results.
“They began with a debate over a challenge to Arizona's results. But after pro-Trump extremists brought violence and chaos to the Capitol, both chambers were forced into an emergency recess while the building was locked down.
“When lawmakers reconvened hours later, a number of Senate Republicans abandoned their plan to cast objections.” (2.).
Well, both questions were just answered, along with a summary conclusion of the events of January 6, 2021. The reference to “baseless allegations of election fraud,” is purely editorial, because the very objections were intended to present Election fraud evidence, and before the American people on live television.
Regarding the first question, what happened on or about 1:00 p.m. on January 6, was that debate began regarding objecting to Arizona’s election results, with the intention to present Election fraud evidence before the American people.
Regarding the second question, what happened after 1:00 p.m. on January 6, immediately following the commencement of debate over Arizona’s election results, was that the chaotic events of January 6 commenced.
After Arizona, objections were to be made regarding Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, election results, but again, all debate was shuttered because both chambers of Congress were forced into an emergency recess. The building – and the Constitutional process of objecting to Electors – was locked down.
The summary conclusion regarding the events of January 6, 2021, was that if you are trying to lawfully – Constitutionally – “turnover the results of an Election,” you do not start a riot, i.e., “cause an insurrection.”
“January 6th,” stopped the lawful, Constitutional, process, including the presenting of Election-fraud evidence before the American people during daylight hours, and on live television. Proceedings were pushed into the dead of night while most Americans slept.
After what amounted to a time-coordinated, and State-sponsored domestic terrorism event by the opposing party – not the President – Democrats were able to prevent Republicans from their right to object to Electors. I would argue that what was more important to Democrats was to prevent the presentation of election fraud evidence before the American people.
From these events of that single day, Democrats created three (3) primary campaign rallying cries, albeit all false: the President tried to unlawfully overturn an Election, the President led an insurrection, and that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
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Secondly, despite President Trump being impeached for, “inciting an insurrection,” he was acquitted. Meaning, as a result of a verdict in the impeachment trial, President Trump was found innocent.
“The U.S. Senate on Saturday [February 13, 2021] acquitted former President Donald Trump on an impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection” (3.).
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Side-note: There was violence, but there was no, “insurrection,” on January 6, 2021.
“WASHINGTON, Aug 20 [2021] (Reuters) - The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.
“Though federal officials have arrested more than 570 alleged participants, the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations” (4.).
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It is ignorant to argue both.
- Matfucius
1.) https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/explaining-how-congress-settles-electoral-college-disputes
2.) https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count
3.) https://www.npr.org/sections/trump-impeachment-trial-live-updates/2021/02/13/967098840/senate-acquits-trump-in-impeachment-trial-again
4.) https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-fbi-finds-scant-evidence-us-capitol-attack-was-coordinated-sources-2021-08-20/