# Jan 6 ceremony and NO members of the republican party attended except: **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 7, 2022, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371 "2022-01-07T11:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/81 "2022-01-13T15:22:48Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I also voted for school funding, single-payer health care and reintroducing wolves to Colorado. It really seems like the Republican party has left you behind. I mean, nearly all of the positions you stated in this thread fit right in with the Dems. Are you a party rep or something? I guess I just don’t feel that kind of attachment to any political party – I’m a registered Democrat so I can vote in the Democratic primaries. I agree much more with their stances than I do with the Republicans. But, if I didn’t like the leaders or their policies, I would no longer be a Democrat. It’s about the loosest tribal attachment I have – I am much more of a loyal Islanders fan than a Democrat. I’m more attached to my 1/8th English heritage than the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/82 "2022-01-13T15:23:46Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Did I say that? No I did not. Being a member of a party does not mean you vote for them 100%. Why? Do you Dems do that? Vote Democratic no matter who it is and their ethical issues (yeah all you Denverites that voted to re-elect Hancock)? Well that’s why I put a question mark on it. It seemed implicit in what you were saying. But thanks for clarifying. I will add though, that if I were a member of the Republican party before 2016 I would have quit in disgust at any number of turning points of the last few years. In terms of your (rhetorical?) questions for me, I’m British. But I can say that I have voted for all 3 major parties at one time or another here: Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat. ---
**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 13, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/83 "2022-01-13T15:44:19Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@RitterSport](#): > > > > I don’t know what to tell you. If you’re conservative and still support the Republicans, you’re supporting a party that has worked to overthrow democracy in this country. > > OR maybe we’re working to change our party to what it once was. One that supported public education as the Great Equalizer. One that supported democracy because that’s what makes America great. One that believed politics was best served at the local level and that people, not governments, were the best deciders on what to spend their money on. I’m not claiming that that is the Republican Party of today but I choose to remain a Republican and fight to make my party the fiscal conservative / social libertarian party it should be. But of course the Dems on this board don’t hear that. They hear, “I’m a Republican and all of us are in lockstep with Trump. Seig Heil.” and of course ignore everything we say; which is strange because they themselves are dealing with the moderate/progressive schism and belief marginalising in their own party. This reminds me of a guy who is unhappily married to an unattractive,embittered alcoholic abuser. But every time his friends suggest that he consider leaving her, he pulls out a twenty-five year old photo of his wife in a bikini and starts talking about how she is so sweet and sexy and hot and how could anyone leave the woman in that photo. Change happens. Your wife isn’t the woman in that photo anymore. Your political party bears no resemblance to the party you described. In fact, the two things you mentioned…..democracy and public education….are actively under assault by conservatives. You say _you_ are fighting to make your party into it what it once was. My question is, you and who else? One of the most baffling things about the right wing authoritarian takeover of the Republican Party is how the entire “principled Republican” wing of the party just fucking disappeared without a fight as soon as Trump burst on the scene. They are still around in the pundit world, there’s the Bulwark and Lincoln Project and conservatives like Joe Scarborough and Nicole Wallace are working for MSNBC, but with the exception of Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney, the entire Bush Ryan Kasich wing of the party just disappeared from the public service sector. It’s frustrating for an independent thinker with a full range of varied and well-thought out beliefs to be slotted into one of two stereotypes. I get it, it happens to liberals, too. I see cringey facepalm inducing bullshit from my own “side” on a daily basis. I have a neighbor that’s a pro-life the election was stolen religious conservative, except that she believes strongly in single payer health care. As individuals, we all have our own set of beliefs and I think most of us recognize this. But we still need shortcuts for discourse. When I say “conservatives believe x, y and z”, I am saying that because these are the positions that the party organizations, elected leaders and popular pundits are taking publicly. I am not saying that every single person that is a registered Republican believes those things. I know they don’t. But I still want to talk about those conservative public policy positions, because even though you aren’t a goose stepping Trumpist marionette, a significant percentage of conservatives, especially those in positions of public influence, are. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/84 "2022-01-13T15:48:32Z")
Using this analogy, I would definitely cling to my wife if she went through some tough times, but I wouldn’t do it for decades. For a political party, I would certainly let go much, much, much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/85 "2022-01-13T16:43:00Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Step One? Yes, via constitutional amendment. For which you would need a 2/3 majority in both Congress and the Senate, if I’m correct. Which is unlikely to happen right now. > [@Monty](#): > > Step Two? Yes, via a nonpartisan oversight committee created by law. Which probably also needs a majority vote. > [@Monty](#): > > Step Three? Yes, via the normal legislative procedures of the state and federal legislatures. Which is not going to happen in the current division of power. Sooooo… Looks like you’re… ehm… up a stream of excrement (is this allowed in P&E?)? Or am I missing something? ---
**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:** [January 13, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/86 "2022-01-13T16:43:50Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Step One in fixing the current mess is to eliminate the Electoral College. Step Two is to stop the gerrymanding. Step Three is to block passage of discriminatory and restrictive voting laws or rescinding such where they have already been passed. These need to be reversed to have any realistic impact. #3 can happen – with considerable heavy lifting – in our current climate. #2 requires 2-3 new SCOTUS justices who understand that voters can’t correct a problem when that problem reduces the effectiveness of their vote. #1 requires a constitutional amendment which may be impossible but at best is a far-off pipe dream. IOW, start with something you can actually accomplish. ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/87 "2022-01-13T16:44:53Z")
Ninja’d 🤣 ---
**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:** [January 13, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/88 "2022-01-13T16:45:36Z")
Dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/89 "2022-01-13T16:51:36Z")
Your version at least leaves a glimmer of hope… > [@Akaj](#): > > #1 requires a constitutional amendment which may be impossible but at best is a far-off pipe dream. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/90 "2022-01-13T17:47:51Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I would use the bully pulpit to make America aware of the machinations of the Republicans to attempt to undermine our democracy. Like the speech that Biden gave recently that was not covered on Fox (or any media that the R’s will watch) except for the big headlne where McConnell trashed it? The Democrats ARE doing what you want. The Trumplicans WILL NOT LISTEN. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/91 "2022-01-13T18:16:30Z")
Maybe it’s time for the Democrats to lower the bar and take a page from he who shall not be mentioned - perhaps a campaign-style rally where Joe and prominent party figures give speeches about the election, voter suppression, vaccine hesitancy, reminding people about the infrastructure bill, etc. Call out Republicans by name and don’t give them any cover for lying. Maybe do one of these each month. Maybe send someone who is confident, competent, and willing to go into the sewer of Fox News to trade punches with Tucker Carlson. I do agree that the current D messaging, and messengers, are not reaching enough of those who are under the spell of Republican messaging. There are many ways for the Democrats to do something different to reach more people, but they should not hold their noses at any channel, no matter how odious, to try to reach people and communicate what’s at risk. They wont be able to reach all of them, but a few may help in some of the key swing states. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/92 "2022-01-13T19:10:13Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Maybe send someone who is confident, competent, and willing to go into the sewer of Fox News to trade punches with Tucker Carlson. Bring back Celebrity Deathmatch! 😃 ---
**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:** [January 13, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/93 "2022-01-13T21:22:41Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Maybe send someone who is confident, competent, and willing to go into the sewer of Fox News to trade punches with Tucker Carlson. Carlson would not have such a person on his show. Because he is a cowardly lying sack of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/94 "2022-01-13T21:26:41Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Carlson would not have such a person on his show. Because he is a cowardly lying sack of shit. Yes, this. It used to be they occasionally had guests on with contrary views; they were asked leading questions and immediately interrupted before they could get two words out. Tucker would then wrap up with a monologue about what they were _really_ saying. But nowadays they don’t even bother with this. Too much of a risk of their audience hearing even two words of rationality. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/95 "2022-01-13T21:31:38Z")
It’s right out of Rush Pigbaugh’s playbook. And if you played stupid, or faked party allegiance, to get _on_ the show (as a caller), as soon as their barometer sensed a triple-digit IQ (because you were scoring rhetorical points), Pigbaugh would just quietly end the call, and then bloviate interminably until the fact that there _ever was_ a call had long been forgotten by the troglodyte masses stultifyingly enthralled. ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/96 "2022-01-14T08:55:47Z")
Sorry @Akaj for the snark upthread. I thought you beat me to it, and then I was too late to edit. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > as soon as their barometer sensed a triple-digit IQ (because you were scoring rhetorical points), Pigbaugh would just quietly end the call, Isn’t there a possibility to kick Fox off the network? Idk, for undermining democracy or something? At least throw some lawsuit? I have no idea how this stuff works with you guys. Would there be a case to be made? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/97 "2022-01-14T11:33:52Z")
They lost their Christmas tree! What more can we do?! /s More seriously, I’m sure they have long and arcane “freedom of speech” defenses all lined up with heavyweight lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/98 "2022-01-14T14:09:59Z")
There was actually a whole thread about it: > [@Can anything be done about obviously disinformational news outlets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-about-obviously-disinformational-news-outlets/926048): > > After seeing the role that obviously wrong, inaccurate, and frankly fraudulent news sources like Newsmax, Fox News, OANN, Daily Caller, etc… have played in a lot of recent events, is there anything that can be done? The reason I ask is because it seems like there’s a fundamental difference between say… an editorial spin on things, which all reputable news sources have, and being a propaganda arm for a political philosophy or even more than that, being an active source of deliberate misinformati… There are some high-profile **[lawsuits](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/11/23/fact-check-post-makes-false-claim-dominions-defamation-lawsuit/8724697002/)** against some of these outlets, but it’s hard to know which way they’ll go, and – typical for late-stage capitalism – if the economic impact is one that can be absorbed (ie, more profit than pain at the end), nothing will change. Segmenting the market for “news” consumers was as brilliant from a business standpoint as it was devastating to a populace. Until and unless the strategy’s effectiveness wears off, I see very little standing in its way. I go back to primary education as a possible way to reduce ‘demand’ for these outlets, but education is just another very basic social service with nearly unlimited benefits that meets powerful resistance from the US Right Wing. Again: no coincidence, I’m sure. They’re evil but they’re not stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/99 "2022-01-14T14:29:50Z")
I remember when a British news story was being covered on CNN and they mentioned the “news regulators” in the UK. The panelists were aghast at the state of free speech in the UK that there is such a thing as “news regulators”. But of course the UK regulators don’t tell the news agencies what they can say per se; it’s more about methodology and ethics. There is nothing in government regulation about printing lies; that is only guidance by the industry body itself. I think a good case could be made that the US would benefit from something like this (and indeed the UK’s regulators should have more teeth). Obviously not going to happen though. ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371/100 "2022-01-14T14:37:48Z")
Thanks for the link and your elaborate response. Obama was spot on in the Atlantic article calling this an epistemological crisis. The irony of it is IMO that we should have learned this lesson from the 20th century already. From nazi propaganda to Milosevic, we know that mass indoctrination can and will lead to war. What’s new is that the Republicans have managed to do this even within a pluriform media landscape, so without limiting access to other sources, because social media algorithms create an automatic tunnel vision and thus have played right into their hands. This does not bode well for the rest of the world. Of course, e.g. the Rohingya people have already experienced that as well. When it comes to primary education, critical thinking and logic skills should be first and foremost taught/developed. That’s a lesson for us as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jan-6-ceremony-and-no-members-of-the-republican-party-attended-except/957371.md?page=6)