As online sleuths are exposing ever more of the participants of the storming of the Capitol and social media giants feel forced to go after the on-line places the MAGA fascists hag out at, it’s tempting to think that they are finished. But that would also be wrong.
The ready-for-violence far-right is much wider than those who were at the Capitol. Even if the coup failed and their comrades are getting arrested, for those who weren’t there, the storming of the Capitol was an inspiration, a model to follow, and a glorious failure with noble martyrs who shall be avenged. And the wanna-be violent mobs can count on the support of at least dozens of millions who approve of the Capitol storming, and more dozens of millions who will readily believe that it was a false-flag operation by antifa, among the 75 million who voted for Trump.
In her diary Congress member declared "Today is 1776," tweeted re Pelosi's location during insurrection, Clio2 quoted this tweet:
What I find maddening is that anyone is surprised by this. (Also see: “I never imagined this could happen here,” “I didn’t think I’d live to see something like this,” “The Republican Party is now finished,” and earlier, “Now we ‘re back to normalcy.”)
Let me quote myself — first from over two years ago, from the end of a diary titled Let's face the monster:
Hopefully, after the Obamacare repeal fail, Charlottesville, Roy Moore, the children in cages, and now the Kavanaugh confirmation, the majority of liberals and Democrats will finally recognise the conservative base as a much larger problem than Trump, and a much wider group than the MAGA-hat-wearing morons showing up at Trump rallies. One for which the term “Deplorables” is too kind. One that can’t be changed on the short run, only contained by voting in higher numbers. Not just in 2018 and 2020, but for two decades straight. With candidates and policies that can maintain voter enthusiasm. Even if their rage spawns a hundred Tim McVeighs.
The next one is from a comment two years ago:
...meaningful bipartisanship is dead. Stop hoping that one day, Republicans will come to their senses, and prepare for the difficulties of governing without them. Difficulties which include the necessity to win several elections in succession, and handling a wave of legitimate but completely unreasonable protests as well as illegitimate terrorism.
This one is from a comment 15 months ago:
As for the Civil War rhetoric, I think a confrontation is unavoidable whatever Democrats do, and I have told for years now that I fully expect a wave of right-wing terrorism for after a Democrat victory.
...and as an extra, something from a comment ten months ago:
If Trump will claim that he won the election and the actual vote count is wrong, the GOP will go along with it, just like it went along with all the nonsense defences of the Trump admin in the Kavanaugh hearings and the impeachment hearings.
To be clear, I’m not a genius for having had these foresights, and I’m far from being alone in having had them. But lets just say that these comments weren’t too popular back then. But the first step to avert a menace is to accept its possibility. The predicted wave of right-wing terrorism can be minimised — with increased efforts to disrupt their organisation and mass participation in counter-protests that sap their morale — , but it needs sustained activism for long after the now concluded elections.