Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Atlanta’s former police chief heads to Louisville, Biden chooses women for more key posts, and we reflect on a dark moment in U.S. history. Have a peaceful Thursday.
– Speechless. Whew. Five-plus years into writing this newsletter, I don’t think I’ve ever been more at a loss about what to say to you all than I am this morning—the day after a mob of (overwhelmingly white and male) Trump supporters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol in an attempted coup, disrupting the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. What’s the Broadsheet angle on an attempt to dismantle democracy?
With no obvious answer to that question, let me attempt to at least look for some spots of light in what was a very dark day for the United States:
-Imagine the fortitude of the lawmakers—led in the House by the unflappable Nancy Pelosi, whose office was broken into, vandalized, and planted with a threatening note—who returned to the Capitol after the rioters were dispersed (but not arrested!) to do their duty and continue the proceedings. And while the eventual vote brought plenty of empty words from the same politicians whose actions helped bring that mob down on their heads, there were moments that cut through the speechifying, including a searing address in which Sen. Tammy Duckworth called out those who coddled the President’s “porcelain ego.”
-The business community moved quickly to condemn the actions of the mob. (A special hat tip to the National Association of Manufacturers, whose CEO shed the usual placid language of such statements to call the actions of the “armed thugs” who converged on the Capitol “disgusting.”) In addition to a strong statement from the Business Roundtable, a number of CEOs—including GM’s Mary Barra—decried the violent and illegal action.
-In the better-late-than-never category: Social media at long last took a stand against President Trump’s endless spewing of misinformation about the election, removing his tweets and video of his remarks from several platforms—including YouTube, led by CEO Susan Wojcicki.
– Even this terrifying event couldn’t completely overshadow Democrat John Ossoff’s victory in the Georgia Senate race, a win that—as Claire pointed out yesterday—will transform the Kamala Harris’s role as Vice President (making her the tie-breaking vote in the 50/50 Senate) and cements the victory of Stacey Abrams and other Black female activists who made it their mission to turn Georgia blue.
Kristen Bellstrom
[email protected]
@kayelbee
Today’s Broadsheet was curated by Emma Hinchliffe.
