Do We Need a January 6 News Glut?

On the cusp of an absolute glut of liberal-media anniversary coverage of the Jan. 6 riot, CNN media reporter Brian Stelter was cranky. "We live in a world where Donald Trump's top supporters malign the media for being 'obsessed' with January 6."

You don't have to be a Donald Trump supporter to see it. The media obsession with Jan. 6 is easily quantifiable. Saying there's not an obsession is like claiming the media didn't do enough coverage of Princess Diana's car crash and funeral. The New York Times editorial board recently posted an article titled "Every Day Is Jan. 6 Now," and the daily media coverage reflects that mentality.

You don't have to be an election denier who thinks Trump won in a landslide to acknowledge it. But Stelter maligned everyone who thinks the pro-Biden media is overdoing Jan. 6 as a deranged kook: "We're not a single story or smoking-gun confession or criminal charge away from snapping back to a shared reality. Instead, we're experiencing something that might be best explained by psychologists or therapists or algorithm developers."

There's the phrase: a "shared reality." Liberal journalists mourn the existence of conservative media by lamenting the lack of a "shared reality." Everyone should accept the "reality" as announced by CNN or else they need a therapist.

As a media reporter, Stelter should understand that an emphasis is not a "reality." Making something the "top story" for a year is an editor's decision, and the coverage could be completely factual and still look like an "obsession." Stelter is appalled by anyone who would "minimize" Jan. 6 -- that is, anyone who doesn't think it should be an everyday story.

The "shared reality" people didn't even pause when their fellow liberal Matthew Dowd announced on MSNBC that casualty counts aside, "January 6 was worse than 9/11." Stelter yawned. No "independent fact-checker" gets involved. The wildest liberal exaggeration should be "shared reality."

The reality here is the Democrats have become deeply invested in Jan. 6 as a way to prevent losing their majorities in Congress on Nov. 8. The House "select committee" on the riot was so selective that the Republican minority was not allowed to place anyone on it. No "minimizers" were allowed. Two Republicans who align with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "shared reality" were allowed. This makes the process incredibly partisan, but our incredibly partisan media treats this committee like it's entirely objective ... as they like to imagine that they are.

Stelter's CNN will host a two-hour Jan. 6 special, to be held in Congress' Statuary Hall. The CNN press release announced anchors Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper will be interviewing 12 Democrats and Liz Cheney. Their interviewees are just as balanced as the committee. No "minimizers" -- only the maximizers.

The reality here is Jan. 6 has replaced Russian collusion as the media's favorite anti-Republican narrative. The players have changed, but it has all the same impulses -- that Trump is a dangerous threat to democracy. The only difference is that the collusion narrative reflected the view that Trump's 2016 election was illegitimate, and now Trump's stubborn refusal to concede the 2020 election makes the charge of Trump-hating democracy carry more weight.

The riot at the Capitol was a horrible event, and every thug and goon who beat a police officer should be prosecuted. But everyone knows that when thugs and goons tried to set a federal courthouse on fire in Portland with federal employees inside it last year, these self-appointed "reality" definers didn't find an "insurrection." They have a double standard on violent revolts against the government ... when the thugs are on the left.

“Nobody cares.”

Today you are somewhat correct. Most normal people are struggling to live with life’s normal challenges overlaid by the realities of Covid and associated hurdles resulting from government management of the “pandemic”. They are coping with life and ignoring external realities of increasing government tyranny that doesn’t directly impact their lives. Most have no real knowledge of January 6 other than what the media propaganda machine spews daily. The media meme givens most people no reason to care.

Around the country there are signs of people beginning to wake up. Some have refused vaccination mandates at work and have reaped the consequence of losing their jobs. Some protest mask mandates at work by wearing the mask but exposing their nostrils. I see this behavior frequently in many retail stores and most restaurants. Many shortages in grocery stores are the result of hoarding. Some people are fleeing northern and western states where government oppression is stronger than in others. Guns and ammunition are being purchased by the public at extremely high levels. Demand for new fossil fuel vehicles is extremely high as people buy in anticipation of government mandates to end sales of fossil fueled vehicles. People are quitting jobs in record numbers. People are also buying recreational vehicles in record numbers to escape the decaying urban environments where they work for a few days or weeks. Home schooling is on the rise and more parents of children in public schools are showing up a school board meetings and complaining to administrators. More emails describing problems or containing humorous criticisms of government are being quietly passed around the internet between friends.

While history doesn’t repeat itself it does rhyme. After the Seven Years War (French and Indian War) ended in 1763 the British government began administering the North American colonies with an increasingly heavy hand. By 1773 there was overt resistance (Boston Tea Party) which only accelerated the application of heavy force by British authorities. Boston was occupied by British troops in response to protests there, while many ordinary people in the remaining colonies went about their business as usual because the tyranny in Boston did not impact their lives. It took another three years for the supporters of liberty to organize and rally enough supporters throughout the 13 colonies for independence to be declared and the American Revolution to formally begin. Even then, historians believe only 1/3 of the population supported the break. Another 1/3 were loyalists who were content with British rule. Another 1/3 were indifferent and simply adapted to whatever the circumstances were at the time.

Where are we today? A large minority, possibly 40-45% are supporters of big government and want more intervention by government in daily life. They would applaud the government going door to door vaccinating people. They support government forced transfers of property and wealth form one citizen to another. They support silencing opposing voices and destroying the lives of those who will not conform.

Of the remaining 55-60% in the majority, probably half have great concern about the direction of the country and are beginning to perceive elections will not preserve liberty because leftists are determined and the politicians of the opposition party are weak administrators, not committed defenders of freedom. They also see the courts have been coopted and no longer make a pretense of judging within the parameters of the law or judging equitably. They are aware the mainstream media is at best a propaganda organ for the big government statists. They are rapidly losing trust in any government or private institution - media, academia, religion, private industry, military, and law enforcement.

The remaining people are content or adapting.

People care when their own lives or the lives of family members are in jeopardy. They care when there is no food in the grocery store. They care when a government ordered shutdown of months causes the family business to fail. They care when electrical brownouts are a daily experience or gasoline isn’t available for their automobiles, or when they lose their jobs and ability to make a living. They care when their children become addicted to drugs or join a gang. They care when their home or business is burned by a mob. Most importantly people care when they lose hope for the future. When the future looks worse than the present, people lose hope and take action out of desperation to make a better future.

The heavy hand of government is slowly pressing down on the American people to the point where many are beginning to be uncomfortable. As discomfort shifts to pain, people will begin to care. Perhaps 5-10% of the population feels pain today and is taking action, but most action is individuals doing something to change their own situation (looking for a new job, moving from California to Texas, speaking out at a school board meeting).

There are a few people who care today. There just aren’t enough yet to realize the plight of the January 6 protestors can happen to them.

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Indeed, but most of it will NOT be 'news'!!!