This is not who we are : Actually, the Capitol riot was quintessentially American
Omar Wasow, The Washington Post
Jan. 7, 2021
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After a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol on Wednesday, commentators and elected officials - notably House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. - decried the events as un-American. In an interview with a Boston radio station on Thursday, Harvard historian Jill Lepore went so far as to say, We are off the grid of American history.
There s no disputing that the assault was remarkable. But un-American is the wrong adjective. A better way to make sense of the news of the past few days - not only the violent occupation in Washington but also the historic Senate victories by Democrats in Georgia - is as a long-run contest between two competing American traditions: one committed to preserving the status quo racial hierarchy and one fighting to advance equality.
Print article After a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol on Wednesday, commentators and elected officials notably House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. decried the events as “un-American.” In an interview with a Boston radio station on Thursday, Harvard historian Jill Lepore went so far as to say, “We are off the grid of American history.” There’s no disputing that the assault was remarkable. But “un-American” is the wrong adjective. A better way to make sense of the news of the past few days not only the violent occupation in Washington but also the historic Senate victories by Democrats in Georgia is as a long-run contest between two competing American traditions: one committed to preserving the status quo racial hierarchy and one fighting to advance equality.
Un-American? In fact, the riots fit squarely in the U S political tradition washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Washington Post. Most recently, Wallach examines how Congress fell behind the executive branch in a chapter in the forthcoming edited volume,
Does it really matter which party controls Congress next year? Will the House and Senate still be dysfunctional if Democrats control both chambers in the 117th Congress? Or is a change in Congress’s partisan balance of power just what it needs for its members to get back to work? These are some of the questions Philip, Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.
“Wallach”: https://www.aei.org/profile/philip-wallach/