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Comment by jariel | Hacker News Reader

Why specifically is the RNC being targeted?

Because the democrats and big tech are aligned and using the idiocy from the 6th as cover to shore up power and take out their enemies.

Umm. You know that the Democrats will the ones who will enact regulation on big tech right?

That regulation can very easily take a form that shores up the power of big tech and takes out their enemies.

We will see if that actually happens or if that was all just a show to make them sound like the scrappy underdog for the people.

The attempted overthrow of an elected government on the 6th is a direct result of RNC activity. They supported the radicalization of millions of people by continually claiming that the election was a fraud. Even after the literal halls of democracy were stormed by white nationalists, over a hundred RNC congressmen refused to withdraw their objections to the election.

The RNC owns this. If you still support the RNC after the 6th, you own this.

I don’t think anyone seriously views that shit show as an attempt to “overthrow an elected government”.

"I know there's been a lot of information about the Sedition Act out there, that's probably why you're asking the question," said D'Antuono. "We are not closing the book on anything."[1]

D'Antuono is the "assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office."

[1] https://www.fox5dc.com/news/fbi-50000-tips-connected-to-capi...

If you’re planning to take over the most powerful and militarized nation in the history of the world, and only bring a few dozen unarmed people and elect LARPers in viking helmets as leaders then you clearly belong in a mental institution, not in prison.

> 'The rioters had openly planned to disrupt the counting of Electoral College ballots for several weeks prior to the event, and had called for violence against Congress, Pence, and law enforcement. Plans were coordinated on "alt-tech" platforms – distinct from larger social media platforms such as Reddit or Twitter, which have implemented bans to censor violent language and images. Websites like TheDonald.win, founded after its predecessor was banned from Reddit, the social networking service Parler, the chat app Telegram, Gab, and others, were used to discuss previous Trump rallies and to make plans for storming the Capitol. Many of the posters planned for violence prior to the event, with some individuals discussing how to avoid police on the streets, which tools to bring to help pry open doors, and how to smuggle weapons into Washington D.C. Following clashes with Washington D.C police during protests on December 12, 2020, the Proud Boys and far-right groups turned against supporting law enforcement. At least one group, Stop the Steal, posted on December 23, 2020, its plans to occupy the Capitol with promises to "escalate" if met with opposition from law enforcement.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_storming_of_the_United_St...

Obviously they wanted to cause disruptions, just like any BLM or environmentalist action. That is not the same as taking over government.

They wanted to occupy the Capitol building, using force if necessary, to nullify the results of the 2020 elections. What is that called, if you can't bring yourself to call it taking over the government?

I call it you being hyperbolic. They need to be punished according to the law for what they were doing, but you are not responding to the arguments. In no way were they properly mobilized for an actual takeover of the government. I just cannot believe that you actually believe that yourself.

They believed they were properly mobilized. They believed the President would walk with them to the Capitol, because he said he would walk with them to the Capitol, after organizing a rally around the slogan "Stop the Steal" on the day they were counting votes.

This is clear evidence "insurrection" according to Sen. Mitt Romney and others.[1]

Here is a small sample of the chatter leading up to the 6th.[2]

If the police stop a truck full of weapons and people with written plans to murder someone, but that someone has more guards and ammunition, it's still attempted murder.

If it is "hyperbolic" to say it was a coup attempt when a group of people publicly stated they wanted a coup, found their way to DC, started a riot, broke into the US Capitol, and beat a cop to death, I guess I'm just hyperbolic.

[1] https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gNOdcT...

[2] https://i.redd.it/aqdl9s2pfua61.png

In case you missed it, the FBI has just announced in a nationally televised briefing that they have formed a "sedition and conspiracy" task force, expected to last years.

Maybe they're just being hyperbolic.

Good to hear. True experts can then determine the seriousness of the situation.

"People have just beat a cop to death on the capitol steps, shots have been fired in the capitol building, and the secret service has escorted everyone in the line of succession to a secure location."

"We'd better wait for true experts to determine if this situation is serious."

Republics don't fall internally because their 'armies are defeated'.

These are 'coups' and they mean to overthrow the legitimacy of the government. It happens all the time in other countries.

This was a 'coup by mob' with obvious incitement (but not technically direct) by Trump & Co.

"The election is illegitimate"

"Mike Pence must stop the count"

"Everyone come to Washington and we will protest the count"

"Walk with me down Pennsylvania avenue"

"This is political combat, we need to fight and never give up"

There are parallels to BLM, but the fundamental difference is the violent mob wanted to stop Pence from validating the election results, which is a very scary existential form of interference going right to the core of the Republic.

There are legal consequences to this: if Pence does not validate the vote, then in fundamentally calls into question the legitimacy of Biden.

If that transaction doesn't take place, then 'Who is President' in a few weeks is completely ambiguous.

How would SCOTUS rule?

And does it matter?

Trump is playing straight out of the '3rd World Despot Playbook' - this is pretty much how it goes down in the Congo.

This insurrection would have physically been deal with, surely, but it could very easily snowball into something much worse.

Revolutions to start with a starting gun, they build up to a crescendo, one event propagating to the next.

Consider this: during the insurrection, Trump was not calling for people to stand down, he was not coordinating with Pence, he was not calling in the National Guard - you know what he was doing? He was on the phone with members of Congress who were on lockdown the phone being passed among them while he pressured them to 'stop the steal' and to thwart Mike Pence's vote count.

If that isn't straight up Treason what is?

What happened on Capitol Hill was not dangerous for the momentary bit of violence, it was dangerous because it's a strike to the essential foundations of the Republic.

Finally - I don't know what the RNC had to do with any of this, which is why I asked.

-> The attempted overthrow of an elected government

You're giving that rabble too much credit. It more resembled the spasms of a dying bird, than a Bay of Pigs.

Got it, so all we need to discredit any idea or proposition is to associate some violent people with it. There goes the Democratic party too between the explicit support of previous riots by some of its representatives and their racist history with the KKK and enslavers. Do you think that makes sense?

It would make sense if the DNC organized a rally on the day that Congress was set to formally accept the results of an election, spent a few hours telling thousands of people that their vote was stolen, and then Barack Obama instructed the crowd to march over to the Capitol, the crowd stormed the building full of elected officials, and even after that, no one from the DNC would admit that they were lying about a stolen election.

If that happened, then of course it would make sense to discredit the DNC.

In the end, Trump has robbed the RNC of its ability to be accountable to the democratic process. Hope it was worth it.

I seem to recall dems saying that trump colluded with russians to steal the election...

<<“I think it’s also critical to understand that, as I’ve been telling candidates who have come to see me, you can run the best campaign, you can even become the nominee, and you can have the election stolen from you,” the former secretary of state said.

She's hardly the only prominent Democrat claiming to have been wrongly kept out of office. On Friday, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams again claimed she won the state's 2018 gubernatorial race, despite losing to now-Gov. Brian Kemp.>>

<<For the third night in a row, anti-Donald Trump demonstrators took to the streets in several big cities and on college campuses across the United States, including an outburst of smashed windows and a dumpster fire in Portland that police countered with pepper spray and flash-bang devices.

About 4,000 protesters assembled downtown late Thursday chanting “we reject the president-elect!” the Associated Press reported. Some among the crowd vandalized 19 cars at a dealership in Northeast Portland, according to a sales manager, Oregonlive.com reports. Protesters then headed west, over the Broadway Bridge and into the Pearl District, where the windows of several businesses were smashed.>>

Because they tried to overthrow an election.

Have they colluded with Russia again?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cyber/se...

"A Senate Intelligence Committee report released on Tuesday supports three U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia tried to help Donald Trump win the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

Are you saying there wasn't collusion?

That article says Russia meddled in the election. There is nothing there to say they did it in coordination with Trump or any of his staff.

Mueller determined the Russians were interfering in the election, but there was no evidence linking Trump to those efforts.

Given it was the largest such investigation of it's kind in history with hundreds of witnesses, many of them 'flipped' and singing like birds to avoid jail including Trump's own personal lawyer - it seems there was no collusion.

Trump's friends were dirty with Russian money, they were caught lying - and even worse, Trump was apparently trying to obstruct justice.

So it's all very bad, but there was no collusion.

Many Americans believe there was collusion, which is a belief not based on evidence - you can see the massive irony here.

As far as the RNC - if they were involved in the insurrection, then ban them, otherwise I don't think the should be banned as this is going to get out of hand very quickly.

Many citizens and police officers died this summer of protests, even if they had more of a kind of legitimacy, they were still obviously dangerous and destructive, and many people supported the violence directly.

Around the world, there is all sorts of crazy stuff going on, FB is being accused of hosting some genocidal propaganda in SE Asia, it's going to get rough, we need clear thinking and guidelines. I don't trust corporate America to be the world's arbiter of information.

So, USA presidential election process is weak and can be "hacked". Right?

I believe Russia's goal in that work was not to get Trump in but to destabilize. They are certainly succeeding.

Did they specifically? From what I understand it was Trump, his supporters, and administration. A lot of republicans hate him and never supported him. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.

The RNC specifically, yes. They were sending out this email on Jan 6:

> “Every single Patriot from across the Country must step up RIGHT NOW if we’re going to successfully DEFEND the integrity of this Election.”

Do you have a source for that? I would like to see the rest of the email. I tried a Google search, but could not find anything from a source I was confident is reliable.

Here's one that I have dated Jan 6th:

<FistName>,

The Vice President is right. TODAY will be a crucial milestone in our months-long effort to DEFEND Election integrity.

Over 100 Members of Congress plan to object to the Election results, because they share the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities. This is our last line of defense, <FistName>.

President Trump and Vice President Pence will never stop fighting to deliver you a FAIR and HONEST Election, and now they need to know they have your support.

For a short time, when you contribute to the Official Defend America Fund, you can increase your impact by 1000%.

We’re calling on our STRONGEST allies to step up to the front lines of this nasty battle. With your help, we’ll uncover the TRUTH.

Please contribute ANY AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY to the Official Defend America Fund and you can increase your impact by 1000%. >>

Join America's Defenders

CONTRIBUTE $250 = $2750

CONTRIBUTE $100 = $1100

CONTRIBUTE $50 = $550

CONTRIBUTE $45 = $495

CONTRIBUTE ANY AMOUNT

Your support has never been more critical than it is RIGHT NOW, <FistName>.

President Trump will be reviewing a list of EVERY Patriot who stepped up when he needed them most. Can he count on you?

Contribute ANY AMOUNT TODAY to support your President and you can increase your impact by 1000%.

Thank you,

Team Trump

Here's another one I got dated Jan 6th:

<FistName>,

We need to make sure you’re aware of how important today is.

Congress will vote this afternoon to certify, or object to, the Election results. Over 100 Members of Congress have vowed to fight for President Trump and OBJECT TO the results because they are concerned about voting irregularities and potential fraud.

The stakes have NEVER been higher, <FistName>. President Trump needs YOU to make a statement and publicly stand with him and FIGHT BACK.

Let’s get 1,000,000 signatures from Americans supporting their President and Vice President and DEMAND transparency.

Please add your name NOW to stand with President Trump and Vice President Pence against the Election results. >>

STAND WITH YOUR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

CONFIRM YOUR INFORMATION:

President Trump and Vice President Pence are really counting on your support right now, <FistName>.

We’re sending them a list of EVERY Patriot who steps up today. Make sure they see your name.

Please add your name IMMEDIATELY to publicly stand with President Trump and Vice President Pence.

Thank you,

Team Trump

And here's one on Jan 5th. Apparently this kind of verbiage will get you deplatformed now?

<FistName>,

Is it true that voting machines were not working earlier in certain Republican Congressional Districts for over an hour? If so, we must remain vigilant.

Is the LEFT going to STEAL this Senate Runoff Election? Did they STEAL the Presidential Election? I’m counting on you to step up to the front lines with me and FIGHT BACK!

1000% IMPACT: ACTIVATED!

I’ve requested to see a list of EVERY Patriot who donates to this email. Make sure I see your name. This is our last stance to defend our Nation and defend Democracy.

Please contribute ANY AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY to PROTECT our Republican Senate Majority and to DEFEND the Election. >>

We Need to Win BIG!

CONTRIBUTE $250 = $2750

CONTRIBUTE $100 = $1100

CONTRIBUTE $50 = $550

CONTRIBUTE $45 = $495

CONTRIBUTE ANY AMOUNT

Thank you,

President Donald J. Trump Signature Headshot Donald J. Trump President of the United States

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