WASHINGTON — It’s now been 30 days since the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, and what stands out to us are the completely different reactions the two parties have had to the events of Jan. 6.
Congressional Democrats (along with 10 Republicans) voted to impeach Donald Trump; they erected metal detectors to enter the House floor; they (along with 11 Republicans) took away Marjorie Taylor Greene’s committee assignments after revelations of her apparent support for violent rhetoric; and on Thursday night, they delivered personal remembrances of the attack.
But much of the GOP — minus some notable exceptions like Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. — has decided to largely move on.
They’ve opposed Trump’s impeachment on process grounds (arguing you can’t impeach and remove an ex-officeholder when history has shown us that you can); some have sidestepped the metal detectors; and they’ve defended Greene.
And the result is a Congress that has no shared memory of Jan. 6, and that has taken no collective course of action to prevent it from happening again.
In fact, it’s reminded us of what routinely happens after a tragic school shooting — one side demands action, while the other offers tears, thoughts and prayers before moving on.
But this time, the tragedy happened in their own place of work.
MAGA means never having to say you’re sorry
Here are some excerpts of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green’s, R-Ga., speech on the House floor yesterday.
On QAnon: “Throughout 2018, because I was upset about things, and didn't trust the government really, because the people here weren't doing the things that I thought they should be doing for us. ... And I want you to know, a lot of Americans don't trust our government. And that's sad."
"The problem with that is, though, is I was allowed to believe things that weren't true, and I would ask questions, questions about them and talk about them. And that is absolutely what I regret. Because if it weren't for the Facebook posts and comments that I liked in 2018, I wouldn't be standing here today and you couldn't point a finger and accuse me of anything wrong.”
On the media: “I also want to tell you that we've got to do better. You see, big media companies can take teeny, tiny pieces of words that I said, that you have said, any of us, and can portray us into someone that we're not. And that is wrong. Cancel culture is a real thing.”
More on the media: “What shall we do with Americans? Shall we stay divided like this? Will we allow the media that is just as guilty as Qanon of presenting truth and lies to divide us? Will we allow ourselves to be addicted to hate and hating one another? I hope not.”
It wasn’t too long ago when Republicans stood for personality responsibility. But much of Greene’s speech was about blaming others — like the media or a lack of trust in government.
Tweet of the day
Data Download: The numbers you need to know today
11: The number of House Republicans who voted to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., of her committee assignments.
51-50: The Senate’s vote count on the budget bill needed to begin the process of passing President Biden’s Covid-19 plan with a simple majority.
21: The number of people charged with criminal charges in the Capitol Hill riot with possible ties to militant groups.
26,787,271: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That’s 116,721 more than yesterday morning.)
457,727: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far, per the most recent data from NBC News. (That’s 5,063 more than yesterday morning.)
88,668: The number of people currently hospitalized with coronavirus in the United States.
318.6 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.
About 27.9 million: The amount of people who have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
83: The number of days left for Biden to reach his 100-day vaccination goal.
Mr. No
Just one senator has voted no on each of President Biden’s Cabinet nominees so far: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
The Republican senator was just one of two senators who voted against Secretary of State Lloyd Austin’s nomination (Utah Sen. Mike Lee also voted against Austin). But when Lee voted for Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s nomination, Hawley became the only senator to vote “nay” on each of the six nominations to come to the floor so far.
A senator voting against most of an opposing party’s nominee isn’t unprecedented. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., voted against most of former President Trump’s nominees in 2017. And she went on to use it as a campaign point in her 2020 run for president.
Hawley has spurred conversation about his 2024 hopes, and if he continues this pattern on voting “no” for Biden nominees, we could see it arise in the next campaign cycle.
Biden Cabinet Watch
State: Tony Blinken (confirmed)
Treasury: Janet Yellen (confirmed)
Defense: Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin (confirmed)
Attorney General: Merrick Garland
Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas (confirmed)
HHS: Xavier Becerra
Agriculture: Tom Vilsack
Transportation: Pete Buttigieg (confirmed)
Energy: Jennifer Granholm
Interior: Deb Haaland
Education: Miguel Cardona
Commerce: Gina Raimondo
Labor: Marty Walsh
HUD: Marcia Fudge
Veterans Affairs: Denis McDonough
UN Ambassador: Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Director of National Intelligence: Avril Haines (confirmed)
EPA: Michael Regan
SBA: Isabel Guzman
OMB Director: Neera Tanden
U.S. Trade Representative: Katherine Tai
ICYMI: What else is happening in the world
Johnson & Johnson applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its one-dose Covid-19 vaccine.
An elections equipment company sued Fox News over false reports it was part of a conspiracy to rig the 2020 election.
President Biden ended arms sales and other support to Saudi Arabia for a war in Yemen.
Former President Trump will not testify or provide a statement during his impeachment trial, according to his lawyer.
The United Nations confirmed that the leader of Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen was arrested in October and is still in custody.
