In February, the Republican National Committee held their winter meeting in Salt Lake City. During the session, RNC chairperson Ronna McDaniel described the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, as a “legitimate political discourse.” She claimed the “ordinary citizens who engaged in (this) discourse … had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol.”
I wanted to know, How does the RNC define “legitimate political discourse”? Who were the “ordinary citizens” that protested at the Capitol? And what differentiates a “protest” from an act of “violence”?
Four months after the RNC winter meeting, I watched the first public hearing from the House Select Committee on Jan. 6. It provided answers to my questions.
“Legitimate political discourse” is any action encouraged by President Trump. It is OK if these actions cause the House minority leader (one of the president’s most ardent supporters) to panic and call the president, the president’s chief-of-staff, the president’s son-in-law, et al., to beg for police / military intervention.
It is OK if the minority leader’s staff is forced to run from their office.
It is also okay for rioters to beat police officers and chant, “Hang Mike Pence.” President Trump was reported to have said, “Maybe our supporters have the right idea. (Mike Pence) deserves it.”
If that is the definition of “legitimate political discourse,” what is “violence”? Violence is any act that refutes Trump’s claim of a stolen election. It is also embracing RINOs like Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kenzinger (R-IL) — House members who were censured at February’s Salt Lake City RNC conference.
So, there you have it: Current Republican definitions for “protest,” “violence,” and “legitimate political discourse.”
With definitions like these, it is time for America to wake-up and affiliate with a different party.
Aaron Breen, Riverton