The Right Resistance: January 6 is one historic moment that doesn’t deserve to be kept alive

“I wish this moment would last forever.”

The thought passed through my mind the other day as I watched legendary 50-year-old golfer Phil Mickelson make his way through a massive throng of mask-less and jubilantly free spectators to approach the 18th green (at Kiawah Island, South Carolina), pour in his final putt and win the PGA Championship. In so doing, Mickelson became the oldest player ever to win one of the sport’s four majors, a feat that gave hope to everyone who’s slightly past their prime in golf -- and even in life. If one human being can still compete at the highest level entering his fourth decade as a professional or top amateur, then yes, it would’ve been terrific for that instant to last an eternity.

But it came and went. Media reports the next day went shot-by-shot in dissecting Mickelson’s historic round (the last of four, of course), perhaps seeking to preserve the feeling a little longer. Commentators dished on the native Californian’s impressive feat and how it might impact the sport and the millions who regularly tee it up. (As a side note, golf experienced a boom during the COVID lockdowns because the golf course is one place where social distancing is a certainty and no one had to wear masks.)

Needless to say, there are plenty of other moments folks would like to last forever. If you’re a Democrat in the post-Trump era, for example, you probably wish every day was January 6th all over again. Like a Groundhog Day-type movie, liberals of all stripes -- and a few wishy-washy Republicans with them -- seek to relive the events of that tragic afternoon where thousands of Trump supporters took to the Capitol grounds to make a statement. Hundreds of them behaved badly, and are in the process of being punished by the revenge-driven Biden Justice Department.

For the ones who clearly broke the law, conservatives favor prosecution. It isn’t hard to figure.

Lawmakers wouldn’t hope to personally rehash the uglier aspects of the occurrence and it’s doubtful they’d want to run like scared tourists during the annual running of the bulls of Pamplona (in Spain) again, though the fantastic and scarcely believable video imagery is something Democrats would fancy showing in perpetuity. To that effect, they’re trying desperately to sell the concept of a “commission” to study January 6th. Wisely, Republican leaders resisted. The riot is one moment that has already been covered. Anything more is forgettable overkill.

Byron York wrote at The Washington Examiner:

“[T]here already is a Capitol riot investigation -- or, more precisely, there are Capitol riot investigations. ‘There is, there have been, and there will continue to be no shortage of robust organizations by two separate branches of the federal government,’ Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech rejecting the proposal for a commission.

“But Democrats want more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi originally wanted a commission in which, unlike the 9/11 commission which Democrats often cite as a model for the new panel, one party -- hers -- would have a numerical advantage. Pelosi gave up that demand, but Republicans believe Democrats will seek to stretch the investigation's scope to include the hyper-politicized issue of Trump's challenges to the 2020 election results.

“Recently an article in the zealously anti-Trump publication The Bulwark said the commission should investigate ‘Trump and his allies’ and their ‘all-out media war to cast doubts on the presidential election, complicated by dozens of bogus, losing lawsuits, and conspiracy-laden press appearances by his various lawyers and surrogates.’”

The small minded and misguided so-called “conservatives” at The Bulwark would do anything to smear Donald Trump and his name, and lingering prosecutions of the former president, his family, his administration personnel or his supporters is precisely what the establishment snobs are after. Justice be damned, the #NeverTrumpers just want the moment to last forever, since they worked for the better part of five-plus years trying to make a dent in Trump’s popularity.

January 6 gave them the chance, or so they thought. The actions of a few hundred overzealous yahoos (good intentions notwithstanding) served to discredit the hopes and dreams of tens of millions of law-abiding, constitution-revering Americans. The Trump-haters would have everyone believe that the nuts who tussled with police or broke windows or committed other acts of property damage were merely representing every MAGA-loving conservative in their living rooms or workplaces. Seems to me that 99.999 percent of Republican voters weren’t there on the grounds that day. I thought prejudicial judging by the group was a bad thing?

In pointing to the volumes of evidence that something funny was amiss during the election’s counting phase, Trump and his supporters sought a public forum for the presentation of evidence and a fair hearing of their claims without being dismissed by politically terrified judges as lacking standing to sue. They didn’t get it. Some states -- like Arizona -- are now auditing the results. No wonder liberals desperately want to change the subject back to January 6.

As York alluded to above, what would a “commission” establish that hasn’t already been found and determined by the plethora of ongoing investigations? If Joe Biden’s federal goons haven’t invaded enough private homes and confiscated innocent people’s firearms, computers and smart devices, what will more study reveal? What social media posts haven’t already been looked at? What video evidence hasn’t been seen (of course they won’t release it to the public, the images are being kept locked tight by federal law enforcement and Biden’s prosecutors)?

Investigative bodies made up of politicians or partisan staff always devolve into bickering and backbiting worthy of a kindergarten class. Do these people never learn? A “study” would go on and on and delay after delay, finally leading to a “report” to be released a couple days prior to the 2022 midterm elections. The establishment media would announce its “shocking” findings and release the imagery again. American voters don’t have long attention spans. To the political class, who cares about the truth?

Make no mistake, Democrats want January 6 to last forever so they can plaster Donald Trump’s image onto every party attack ad ahead of next year’s crucial votes for control of the House and Senate. Anything that will deflect criticism and real analysis of the current administration’s multitude of disastrous crises is a victory for the liberal faction. No one will talk about the skyrocketing national debt or the fact Biden and company have turned the United States into a woke dystopia promoting “systemic racism” and the 1619 project.

To these people, the less substance, the better. Sensationalism always sways the gullible, which make up the base of the Democrat party.

At the same time, it’s hard to give a lot of credit to Republican congressional leaders Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy. Both of them (likely independently) assessed that to go along with Nancy Pelosi and “Chucky” Schumer in setting up a January 6th commission would amount to political suicide. Both probably would’ve enjoyed giving an okay to the media-attractive exploratory body, but the grassroots wouldn’t take it kindly.

McConnell and McCarthy aren’t stupid (at least when it comes to numbers counts). 35 weak-kneed House Republican idiots voted “yes” with all of the Democrats to pass the commission bill. A couple GOP senators likewise said they were in favor. The motion won’t survive a senate filibuster, which is still in place. The idea will die; Democrats will use the defeat as yet another wedge to divide the country further, accusing Republicans of wanting to cover-up the “truth”.

Will the January 6 moment live on regardless of no congressional commission to probe and exploit the happenings of that day? Democrats won’t stop talking about it. Republicans will try and focus on Joe Biden and the real issues instead. The media will side with the Democrats. Another day, another minute squandered to work on real vexing dilemmas.

That’s life in 2021 American politics.

• January 6 riot

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• Phil Mickelson victory

• Nancy Pelosi

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