OK, I was going to start a thread for Predictions of what will happen from the 17th (when there are supposed to be protests at all the State Capitals through the 20th (Inauguration Day). But it seems this thread is suitable for this, albeit I will be looking a few days back (the OP didn’t know about the ‘plans’ for the 17th when this thread began.
So, my predictions:
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There will be protests in all the state capitals, ranging from a few dozen (in solidly Republican states like Alabama and Mississippi) to over a thousand people, many of them armed, in states like Oregon, Georgia, and Michigan.
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In most if not all states, there will be more than sufficient force to deter the protesters. I believe the Governors, be they Republican or Democrat, have had quite enough of this B.S. and won’t hesitate to bring out the National Guard or other area police departments to hem in and contain the protesters with overwhelming numbers.
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In most cases, that will be enough, there are really only a small number of hard-bitten radicals out there, the rest talk loudly on their favorite type of Media but have no desire to go up against armed and ready police/Guard units that outnumber them. So say in 40-42 of the states the crowds are loud and profane but ultimately peaceful.
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In 8-10 states, however, I expect they’ll try to make a push for the State Capital (or whatever building they have targeted) and find that the Police/Guard units have also had enough of them, whatever the individual’s cop’s feelings might be, and they’ll encounter a “BLM type response” that will shock and dismay them. They’ll be dispersed (and many arrested) and the rest will bug out of town as fast as they can and hope nobody saw thier faces.
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But in 2-3 states (If I had to predict, Michigan, Oregon and maybe one of the more conservative states in the NW (Montana, Idaho), shots will be exchanged and people (mostly protesters) will die. Again, the cops and Guard will not be fooling around. This is the prediction I most hope won’t come true, but if the protesters meet real opposition in the states (something they haven’t seen), one of the ‘true’ radicals may open fire to try and start his dreamed-of Civil War. What he’ll do is get people killed and others will die as the mob tramples them to escape (this is not an organized movement, this is a mob and they will act accordingly).
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There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth from all sides of the political spectrum, and some people will say that the Inauguration should be postponed or held in some hidden/secure place. To his&hers Credit, Biden and Harris will reject this as giving into terrorism and insist on the 20th going off as planned.
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And that said, it will go off without significant issues. Why? For one, the police (both Capitol and D.C. City), along with the FBI, National Guard, and others were thoroughly embarrassed by the 6 January Insurrection and they will flood the area with whatever they need to secure the streets and capitol area. You think the picture from the BLM protests earlier this year were overkill? Just wait. The Inauguration will go off without a hitch, Biden will make an excellent speech, and the nation will breathe a sigh of relief.
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But the cops and the rest won’t have that much to do. The protesters know now that they’re being watched closely, that appearing in D.C. will get them eyeballed and approached by large (and to them, hostile) forces and the odds of arrest are high. Plus if the events I mention above come to pass, 95% of those “Patriots” will be sitting in their living rooms complaining loudly but not going anywhere there might be violence where they could be shot. Apparently dying for the cause is not in their playbook when dying is a real possibility.
I have no crystal ball and it may be that none of what I have written will come true. But the OP wanted to know how bad it will be, so this is what I’m predicting.
IMHO as always. YMMV