Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, and 24 Hours at the Capitol is out now (and already selling very, very well!). I’m thinking about U.S. intervention in Venezuela, though, as you probably are too. And there’s actually a very serious thread connecting the two stories.
The attack on Venezuela is not only an attack on the rules-based international order (which aligns us closer with Russia), but also an attack on the U.S. constitution, which says that only Congress can declare war, and on democracy more broadly. Pres. Trump did not get Congressional approval for the strike. He didn’t even tell Congress, other than a few high-ranking Republican members. Which is arguably worse than telling nobody in Congress because, as historian Heather Cox Richardson explained, “it says he is declaring himself the leader of a one-party dictatorial state.”
The January 6 insurrection was also an attack on the U.S. constitution and on democracy more broadly. The insurrection made abundantly clear that the President has no respect for Congress or the rule of law.
Five years later, the President is in a deeply weakened state, with low poll numbers, a poor economy, and a nation asking what was so damning in the Epstein files that Trump’s DOJ would hide them from the public. Tomorrow, we’ll add the five year anniversary of the time he tried to overthrow the U.S. democracy into the mix.
You know what has consistently improved a president’s popularity over the course of American history? War.
So let’s all keep a close eye on Venezuela, and tomorrow you should also be prepared to see a large pro-insurrection Jan 6 anniversary march on Congress. It is organized in part by the violent white nationalist militia group the Proud Boys and follows the same path as five years ago from the White House ellipse to the Capitol building. It has real potential to get messy, which is saying the least.
As all this is going on, I’d love for you to join me to discuss the latest developments at one of the book tour events for 24 Hours at the Capitol. Hopefully we don’t have too much new stuff to talk about and can actually just chat about the history.
TOMORROW NEW YORK: January 6 at P&T Knitwear @7p (Doors 6:30p), click here
WEDS CHICAGO (NAPERVILLE): January 7 at Anderson’s Bookshop @7p, click here
TENAFLY: January 11 at the First Presbyterian Church in Tenafly, NJ @4:30p, no tix required
PORTLAND (OREGON): January 14 at Powell’s at 7pm, no tix required but more info here
