# It wasn’t a coup **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 13, 2021, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407 "2021-01-13T05:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/642 "2021-01-30T13:09:52Z")
FREEDOM for business owners and FREEDOM for business workers are not the same thing. The latter outnumber the former by thousands to 1. The Rs are, unsurprisingly, the party of the former. The only surprising thing is how many of the latter vote as if they were the former. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/643 "2021-01-30T15:21:20Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Do you guys not get that… while there are a few coups that followed legal processes… most of them throw away the whole legal processes? Do you think coups can’t succeed unless they fill out all the proper paperwork and follow the proper procedures? That’s absurd. Most coups are about bypassing all of that. Exactly - it is typically “Might makes Right”, i.e. take over by force, jail or execute the opposers, and claim victory equals justification. Remember - these people believe _they are the patriots_. They believe the election was rigged, corrupted by rampant fraud, and nobody in power is trying to stop the **illegal** election results. Thus, the only recourse is ~~mob action~~ direct intervention by the people themselves. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > You guys are being dangerously naive in thinking this coup attempt was feeble and helpless and could have never succeeded… all because you’re saying, basically, it can’t succeed because it’s outside the norms. You know what else is outside the norm? Every fucking thing Donald Trump, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED FUCKING STATES, and his cult of tens of millions have done in the last 4 years. Exactly. Trump has been violating the norms and the Republican party has largely supported his every effort to disrupt the system and take power. Driving the “people” to “march on Congress” and put on some mock trial or hang a few or whatever “patriotic” extremes they wished to engage would serve to frighten the public into compliance with their desired result. The saving grace is that if it had gotten that far, it is fairly likely the military would have acted sans Trump. They would _have to_ take a side. There’s no neutral position for them when one branch of government is physically attacking another branch. There’s no neutral when Congressional members are being executed. There’s no neutral when democracy is being decided by mob action. Either they intervene or they are complicit in Trump taking over. “Stand Back and Stand By” for them would be allowing Trump to retain control beyond Jan. 20." That in itself is taking a side. Once bodies start falling, you are in chaos. The system is broken. You can’t look to the Constitution to save us when the President is violating the Constitution and a large fraction of the American people are helping him. It is revolution time. They might try to frame it as “restore democracy” or whatever, but any steps taken in that timeframe they would self-justify as necessary to preserve the true People’s will. The American Succession wasn’t resolved by bureaucratic process - it took the Civil War. Once the shooting starts, all bets are off. What happens when your neighbors are waving their guns in the street and chanting “Go Trump!” Do they come knocking on your door for your Biden/Harris campaign poster in your yard? Yes, this was a coup attempt, and yes, it really could have been a lot worse, and no, the threat is not gone. These people still believe the lies that the election was stolen. They still believe that they are the chosen ones to protect democracy with their Second Amendment gun rights. That they are not invading state capitols and government buildings en masse is a hopeful sign, but the fact we still have to have National Guard members stationed in our Nation’s Capitol is frightening, and police and National Guard are stationed around some of the states, too. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > Even if I took up arms, I don’t know where I would go with them, who I would point them at. Maybe your Trump neighbors when they start rounding up the traitorous Biden/Harris supporters. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/644 "2021-01-30T15:25:08Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Maybe your Trump neighbors when they start rounding up the traitorous Biden/Harris supporters. You mean when they come for me? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/645 "2021-01-30T16:15:51Z")
Yep, pretty much. They want the freedom to enslave; freedom for the plebes, OTOH, is slavery. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/646 "2021-01-30T17:09:09Z")
My dad’s pretty damn conservative. I had an argument with him the other day where he insisted that a minimum wage is always a bad thing because it inhibits the free market. I insisted to him that it protects against exploitation. I agreed that raising the minimum wage to ridiculous levels just causes unemployment and drives inflation, which defeats the purpose of a minimum wage, but a reasonable one keeps businesses in check from being tyrants. He then countered that the law can’t force people to behave decently and I asked him what the point of the law is if that’s not the goal, and he realized he’d painted himself into a corner. Not that I was a master debater (heh) but if you get someone with that mindset to just really think through what they’re suggesting rather than regurgitating talking points it inevitably falls apart. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/647 "2021-01-30T17:38:09Z")
You know what else is free market? The right of employers to not hire people who hold certain political views. My right to not buy products because I disagree with how the owner of the company makes or spends their profits. The right of companies not to hold events in states that don’t protect the rights of all their workers and customers. The right of a venue not to host a speaker because they don’t like their views. The right of social media companies to forbid disinformation on their platforms and their right to ban people that violate their rules. Pretty much every single thing that conservatives whine about, basically. They love that invisible hand of the free market while it’s stroking their crotch, but not so much when it bitch-slaps them in the face. They have no real love for the _idea_ of free markets, they just like it when they work in their favor. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/648 "2021-01-31T12:51:35Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > So, the President must be removed, prosecuted and punished as a criminal. Yes. Absolutely. Full extent of the law. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Anyone still making the argument that “If wasn’t a [attempted] coup”? They updated that article. It now says prosecutors removed the line about intent to capture and execute. They don’t quite have the e evidence for that strong of a statement, yet. Not that I disagree with your point, just pointing out your article isn’t making the point for you. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > As a nation, we (and in particular, federal law enforcement) has been so focused on the threat of foreign terrorism for so long that the idea that a throng of ‘ordinary’ citizens would just force their way past inadequate barricades and into the Capitol Building threatening to hogtie, kidnap, or lynch legislators just seemed too ridiculous, and in fact if you went to some publisher with that as a plot of your political potboiler they’d turn you away for being absurd, and yet…it happened. ‘Ordinary’ _white_ citizens. They freaked the fuck out over BLM coming to town, but MAGA gets a smile and a wave. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > A lot of people venerate Heinlein (as I did in my younger days) but while his hyper-individualistic libertarian philosophy sounds good in concept it doesn’t seem to work out as well in practice. Heinlein frequently opined that an unconstrained democracy would result in the population granting themselves “Bread & Circuses” until the money ran out, but what we’ve seen since the deregulation of the 'Eighties and 'Nineties is large corporations using their power and influence to get government handouts in the form of tax relief, subsidies, and outright bailouts while focusing on maximizing profits over concern for any public interest or health impacts. It seems the greater threat to the public purse isn’t poor people looking for a ‘handout’ in the form of a livable minimum wage or basic health care but billionaires and boardrooms feeding from the trough of government spending and protections. This whole post is excellent. I just highlighted some of it, but the rest is also great. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Here is the text of the censure. In addition to the general idiocy, illiteracy and sheer nastiness, notice how they seem to think “the Constitution”means “Republicans are always right” No, that’s not about the Constitution. They are laying out how she doesn’t conform to the party ideals, and thus they don’t want her in the party. That’s just the inner workings of a group. They can set the rules for their club and kick out who they want to. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > “Whereas Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Arizona US Senator John McCain, has been a troubled individual, with a past riddled with drug abuse and illegalities associated with such behavior;” That part I don’t know about, but seems vindictive. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Whereas Cindy McCain has supported globalist policies and candidates, including Democrats such as Joe Biden, in direct opposition to Republican values, the interests of the America people, and the Constitution of the United States;" Ok, that part about the Constitution is off, and does support the comment about them not understanding it. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > “Whereas Cindy McCain has condemned President Trump for his criticism of her husband and erroneously placed behaviors over actual presidential results;” “Erroneously placed behaviors over actual presidential results” really sums up the modern Republican party. The party of “moral values” and condemning homosexuality and Christian values is willing to ignore deeply immoral behavior because he’s one of them. It’s also hypocritical given that they start their censure with comments about her personal behavior. Funny how they have turned “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” into “Judge now, before ye be judged.” > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > “Whereas, President Trump was truthful in his criticism of Senator McCain, who has become known for serious wrongdoing during his military service, and his service as US Senator, thereby making Cindy McCain’s condemnation of President Trump unjustified.” What are they talking about here? His thumbs down vote over abolishing Obamacare? What serious wrongdoing are they accusing McCain? > [@Bookkeeper](#): > > but military service was only one way to serve - one of Johnny’s friends was working as a research scientist on Pluto. Technically, he was a military member assigned to science research. It was military R&D. There’s a whole debate about what Heinlein meant and what he justified as service and what the book seems to say. Let’s not have it here. > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > _Starship Troopers_ is notably colorblind Yeah, the main character let’s slip at the end that he has Maori roots, IIRC. Verhoeven’s take on Heinlein is a total misrepresentation of Heinlein’s ideas. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > FWIW, my (half a lifetime ago) recollection of the book was that although they would be obliged to find a method for, say, a quadriplegic to serve, it would be in the realm of something like a crash test dummy or similarly unequal form of service, seemingly to dehumanize and hazard such a person for even daring to ask to be treated as an equal (a citizen). That’s definitely an unfair characterization. Heinlein expressly wanted service that put the server at personal risk - that was the point of it being military service. It is about putting your health, safety, and life on the line for the country. He tried to find a way to allow everyone the opportunity to serve in some capacity and earn the privilege, but the whole point is to put yourself in harm’s way for the good of the whole. That’s what makes the whole discussion about what constitutes service complicated. What can a blind, deaf mute with no fingers and toes realistically contribute as a real contribution? They are required to find something. But hazardous duty is not about dehumanizing anyone, and it’s not about punishing some out group for daring to want to be a citizen. It’s about putting the nation over the self. Like I said, there’s a lot to debate about Heinlein. > [@Miller](#): > > “Why would you be so silly as to want to vote?” isn’t a great take, but it’s not quite, “How dare you want to be treated as an equal!” and could be argued that it’s just that particular character being a dingus. That doctor is also a civilian contractor who is not a veteran and not allowed to vote. He seems to think it silly for _anyone_ to want to put himself or herself in harm’s way for such a meaningless prize - the right to vote. There’s no animus meant to the disabled, no they don’t deserve the right. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > It’s been a long time since I’ve read the books, but I seem to recall that there weren’t really any tangible benefits other than the franchise that being a citizen gave a person. Yes, the sole benefit was the right to vote. Maybe there were veteran’s benefits like what we currently have. Who knows? The point is that voting is that valuable. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > The people are content and see their rights protected because that’s the way Heinlein wrote the story, not necessarily because such a system as the one he lays out would actually achieve such a result in reality. Yes, that is a fundamental flaw in Heinlein’s proposal. His philosophy is that the citizens will inherently work for the good of all and everyone’s best interests, because they have demonstrated a willingness to do so. Except getting the right to vote is such a big deal, they _are_ doing it for personal gain. So that premise is inherently flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/649 "2021-01-31T13:30:09Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Yeah, the main character let’s slip at the end that he has Maori roots, IIRC. Filipino, he quote a proverb in Tagalog and say that’s the language they speak at home. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/650 "2021-02-01T10:36:54Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > 1. There were unauthorized tours organized by insurrectionist sympathizers in congress in the days prior to 1/6 that were designed to show the layout o the building This one is a bit of fact and a bit of speculation. There were tours in the days organized by insurrectionist sympathizers in congress in the days leading up to 1/6. “Unauthorized” is a reasonable assertion given that all tours were supposed to have been shut down for Covid, but what qualifies as authorized? “That were designed to show the layout of the building” is speculating on motive and intent. It’s not a wild stretch, unlike craziness saying Democrats are baby-eating pedophiles, but it is an assumption. Still, it’s not a qanon style conspiracy theory. You could add to that list 1. Those same congress members want to carry personal firearms onto the chamber floors, in violation of the rules of Congress, and they are trying to bypass security measures like metal detectors to do so. > [@MustangSal](#): > > That is not a coup attempt. No, it is a coup attempt, it’s just not a full authoritarian military coup, and it is not just the day of Jan 6, but starts with his claims that the only way he will lose is by voter fraud. It continues with anti-Constitutional claims about how votes should be ignored as not valid, moves through silly lawsuits of no substance that he led about to his followers, and continues when he started pressuring state officials to change the vote results. All leading up to stirring up a mob that he had to know contained violent and highly motivated elements like the Proud Boys. Point them in the right direction and set them off, not knowing exactly what would happen, but being a master of surfing chaos. As for this not being a military coup, you should also remember that Trump had just fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and three top Pentagon officials, and replaced them with his supporters. He very well could have expected them to step in and help with the takeover. That’s not crazy talk. Sure, it steps beyond anything we could have dreamed from a US President, but this is Trump we are talking about. When has he ever been constrained by truth, logic, honesty, decency, the Constitution, self-awareness, or respect for the democratic process? > [@MustangSal](#): > > Usually failed coups end in firing squads for all involved. Usually coup attempts are held in authoritarian states with governments not bound by the laws of civil society or democracy. Military leaders trying to overthrow a government are guilty of sedition, which can have the death penalty. But dictatorships don’t require lengthy trials where the accused is “innocent until proven guilty” and the rights of the accused are protected. They will just do things like poison a popular opposition leader who is running against you in an election. > [@MustangSal](#): > > It wasn’t. It is a conspiracy theory This is a trap in thinking. There are such things as real conspiracies, and they can be as small as two people, or they can get fairly large. For example, [the assassination attempt on Hitler](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_July_plot) at the Wolf’s Lair on July 20, 1944, involved a number of senior military and former military leaders, and was an extensive plot developed from groups that began trying to overthrow Hitler in 1938. Various plans were made over the years, and a couple of attempts at assassination were carried out. That was definitely a large conspiracy and definitely a coup attempt. The label “conspiracy theory” can conflate actual large conspiracies with ridiculous “grand conspiracies” that would require an undefined group of aware participants that grows to include practically everyone but the theorist. The idea that the moon landings were a hoax is the latter type. The coup attempt on Jan 6 is by no means the kind of unconstrained expanding list of people who must be in on it. There appear to be several groups acting independently to effect some form of overthrow of the government to “restore democracy”, from people who just wanted to be heard that they thought the election was rigged and therefore illegal, to people who had the means and stated intent to “hang Mike Pence” and likely kill Nancy Pelosi and any other prominent Democrat they found. Trump’s act of a coup doesn’t have to have him know details of any particular group or plan. It just requires a reasonable certainty on his part that members of the crowd are committed enough to the idea that he must remain President and willing to take bold action. He doesn’t need to communicate secretly or individually with anyone in the crowd. All he had to do was fire them up and stir up a frenzy from the victims of years of lies. The more knowing elements was putting in place military leaders who supported him who, at the very least, obstructed efforts to provide proper security for the anticipated protests. He wouldn’t have to know all the details, such as panic buttons being removed from some offices. Though being the control freak he is, I consider it likely he did. Not that that will likely ever be provable. (Yes, I realize I am spending a lot of effort on someone already booted for trolling. I think my responses are, nevertheless, important to share.) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/651 "2021-02-01T10:58:46Z")
> [@MustangSal](#): > > So why isn’t President Biden arresting everybody involved in this vast conspiracy? Because in a democracy that respects rights and operates with a legal system, it takes time to accrue the evidence to support arrest and conviction. Maybe Trump’s government would hold spontaneous arrests for conspiracy charges based solely on a hunch, but Biden’s is bound to follow the law and actually find the evidence, _then_ charge. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/652 "2021-02-01T12:14:46Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > As for this not being a military coup, you should also remember that Trump had just fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and three top Pentagon officials, and replaced them with his supporters. He very well could have expected them to step in and help with the takeover. There is, actually, circumstantial evidence to suggest that this was more than Trump’s expectation, that they did, indeed, take active steps to weaken Capitol defenses and tilt the situation in favor of the insurrectionists. [See this article](https://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-tied-d-c-national-085312961.html). It’s not conclusive that they were seditious collaborators, but if they weren’t, then their best possible defense is that they were wholly incompetent in their roles. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/653 "2021-02-01T14:31:08Z")
Don’t forget you’re replying to an already-banned sock. (Not that your words are any less valid.) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/654 "2021-02-01T15:20:28Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Because in a democracy that respects rights and operates with a legal system […] Besides, Joe Biden isn’t going to be arresting _anybody_ – it’ll be the FBI. The departed poster is just another MAGat assuming Biden voters have made him a personality cult as they did for Donny Two-scoops. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/655 "2021-02-01T16:06:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Don’t forget you’re replying to an already-banned sock. (Not that your words are any less valid.) What a shock that someone arguing badly that this was not a coup turns out to be a lying shitstain who re-joined the board after being banned for being an asshole. Who could have predicted? /s ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/656 "2021-02-01T16:07:54Z")
I sure never saw it coming. 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/657 "2021-02-01T17:11:11Z")
I keep wondering how it would have turned out if the Democrats had not won control of the Senate the night before the attempted coup. The Republicans could have used it to argue the Presidential election results in Georgia were thus not valid. It does not take a stretch to believe a Republican win on January 5 would have embolded many on January 6th and helped promote the lie that Biden did not really win. As has been noted elsewhere, Stacey Abrams is an American hero. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/658 "2021-02-01T17:53:13Z")
I don’t want to exaggerate the dangers that we faced, which were legitimately dangerous enough as they occurred, but I think we were close to something even worse. What happened on January 6th was mostly resolved by that evening. However, had any federal or state court anywhere, or had the DOJ at any time, or had a state refused certification, this would have given weight to the conspiracy theory – regardless of the fact that it would have been just as much of a manufactured truth as the idea of the steal itself, it would have added fuel to the fire because it would have introduced a new twist to the story. I don’t think the goal was ever to convince a majority of the country that the election was stolen; I think the goal was to inspire enough of their activists to believe it was stolen to the point where they’d be motivated enough to act on that perceived outrage - which clearly worked. And then the other part of that was to confuse enough people in the softer center so that they had doubts about whether the election was actually fair. The Supreme Court in Wisconsin came very close to adding more doubt. The board of elections in Michigan came relatively close to introducing doubt. Trump tried to use the DOJ to sow doubt. Just enough doubt to justify extraordinary action. Just enough doubt to get more than the 147 Republicans who were already willing to market the great lie. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/659 "2021-02-01T19:33:13Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Don’t forget you’re replying to an already-banned sock. (Not that your words are any less valid.) Did we ever learn whom he/she/it was socking for? ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/660 "2021-02-02T02:08:29Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > (Yes, I realize I am spending a lot of effort on someone already booted for trolling. I think my responses are, nevertheless, important to share.) An awesome and articulate response. Thanks for taking the time to write it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/661 "2021-02-02T03:19:58Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Did we ever learn whom he/she/it was socking for? The mods tend to favour inscrutability on sock identifications, with no public announcements. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407.md?page=34)