Go back a few years to the Obama years and the budget freeze that closed down about 15% of the federal government. Some veterans were pissed that a parking lot was closed off so they carried the barriers to the White House and threw them over the fence.
Erick, last night on Tucker Carlson, Chansley’s lawyer was emphatic that he was never given access to see the tapes Tucker showed and that this was the first time he’d seen them. Do you stand by your comment?
Ashli Babbitt wasn't A threat and she could’ve been stopped w/o being shot. She was unarmed breaking a window. Had she known the police were opening the doors snd ushering people in and providing tours she probably wouldn’t have bothered.
Tucker at least accomplished one thing: providing compelling evidence that this was not an insurrection- just like you said. It was a bunch of loons with largely no strategy, doing reckless things. That does little to change their personal responsibility. But it does change the larger conversation about that day.
Don't like the word "insurrection?" I'm comfortable calling it a riot, this being the term adopted by Erick in his post.
Now, if both an insurrection and a riot are violent and unlawful breaches of the peace, how exactly does that "change the larger conversation about that day." I mean, when one considers that this was the occasion of the only instance in the more than 230-year history of this republic when power did not change hands peacefully, that seems really bad to me, whether we call it an insurrection, a riot, or Aunt Martha's book club.
When you find yourself asking "am I the last sane person?" that's usually a sign that you should pause briefly and re-assess. Yes, hypocrisy exists on both sides, because both sides have imperfect humans. January 6th will be an emotional hot button for years to come and will be the source of dissent and dispute because it was chaotic, dynamic and large scale. Truth will continue to be elusive, even in the best of circumstances. It would have been far better for all if the J6 Committee had done a more thorough, even handed investigation that did not rely on clever editing tricks such as the Josh Hawley sprint and the omission of seeking answers to many questions. As I was listening to your show today, the woman who asked 'when are we going to demand that the elected officials start doing their jobs for all of us?' and your answer to that was well done. The J6 committee largely failed in that duty. That should be our focus, not whether or not a televlsion personality is being hypocritical. We should all demand more polity and truth and far less politics if we want to see things change.
Being altogether disdainful of Tucker Carlson and Fox News, I wish I could poke holes in Erick's analysis. But I can't. It's spot on.
Nevertheless, my reading of American history is that our politics have almost always featured a healthy dose of hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum, both among politicians and in the press. Such may well be the nature of this beast that we call democracy, but be that as it may, we can survive mere hypocrisy.
What is unique in our time is the normalization of outright lying that would seem to be occurring on just one side of the political spectrum. Were any mainstream media figures caught basically admitting that their reporting (or commentary) was knowingly false or misleading, their careers would be in serious jeopardy. Not so at Fox News. And while most successful politicians have likely been less than truthful on occasion, be they Democrat or Republican, Democrats have yet to show a tolerance for the every-time-he-opens-his-mouth sort of lying that most Republicans have come to simply accept from Donald Trump. Even Republicans who don't accept it show a surprising level of tolerance for those who do.
In sum, to actually be caught lying still has consequences on the left that it no longer seems to have on the right.
You’re not the only one Erick. Tucker selectively chose the video of the shaman and didn’t show the rest. Shameful. I’ve been permabanned from every gop Reddit sub for trying to speak truth to my brethren.
NO, He did NOT show what Erick showed. Tucker only showed selective clips of the shaman being escorted around “peacefully” inside the Capitol, ‘see there was no insurrection, they lied to you!’ but he didn’t show what Erick cited to - the rest - the shaman outside barging in, or what he did inside the well of the Senate. There is also no way Tucker reviewed all the footage - 16000 hours worth? Cmon. Stop being a trumpite apologist.
Yes, he showed the "shaman" coming through the door right beside a group who had broken a window and were climbing through. Shaman guy came in the door, walking with a bunch of other people. Maybe instead, you should ask why people were climbing through a broken window instead of walking through the door. You can deny that all you want but it is clearly part of what Carlson showed.
I have not watched Tucker Carlson so I cannot comment on the video and his rendition. But from the beginning it was easy to understand that this was not insurrection, but a riot that got out of control. Some of the rioters are guilty of what they were charged with, and some were just dumbfounded tourists - like the dog that finally caught the car was chasing - now what?
But the provocative thing I'm going to say is that this was good for the country. Those here in Washington (where I live) need to have some fear of the people. I'm glad this was traumatic for them. It may help wake them up that the bubble they live in could burst at any moment. I'm not sure if it was Thomas Jefferson who said it, but it holds true. "When people fear the government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty."
"Carlson is selectively editing videos to suggest the braying bison-helmeted jackass did nothing wrong."
No he is not doing this. Not at all. He is showing the Dem media produced video and the raw footage he was given access to. He is delivering contrast and the alternative narrative. Since you jumped on the insurrection track, it bothers you.
My problem Erick is I don’t trust the media the government or pundits Politicians are even worse . So how can we as a Nation move on from this not knowing what’s true or half true or completely false. The speaker of the house hand picked the J6 committee since she didn’t like the choice of the Republicans. So how can we trust the outcome of a investigation none of this would hold up in a court of law They were wrong to break in to the Capitol the Authorities in charge were derelict in not having security in place they knew this was going to happen a riot is a riot left or right prosecute them all
Your picture showing a masked man dressed patriotically trying to break into a window does not prove he was a patriot. There were instigators mingled in the crowd . The difference between the protests are that the January 6 protesters who didn’t kill or destroy property have been in prison for two years, some not being charged, and some still waiting for trial. While the violent protesters such as antifa have not even been arrested and those protestors damaged property and people were killed so you trying to claim these two groups protesting as equal is false and disingenuous. I am shocked that you can’t or won’t recognize the growing two justice systems in our country one for leniency for violent and deadly actions, and one for punitive action for honest nonviolent protests. This disheartens me that someone of your caliber can’t see the difference.
While I would not deny the inconsistent treatment of violent protests in the mainstream media, depending upon the ideology of the perpetrator, I find no equivalence between what happened on January 6th and any other mere protest, on either the left or right. The occasional destruction of private property by protesters, and even their assaulting of police officers are nothing new. But only once in our entire history has there been any attempt to prevent the transfer of power from one administration to the next. The latter is a far more serious matter.
And by the way, what "honest nonviolent protest" are you talking about? I won't defend the non-prosecution of violent protesters on the left, but surely you realize that what happened on January 6th was neither honest nor nonviolent.
“Prevent the transfer of power”? And just how was that being done? No weapons just lots and lots of people marching in protest. Jan 6 was NOT an insurrection as the Democrats snd their media would like you to believe. And, what Antifa protestors who have damaged property and killed people have been charged with a crime, and been tried? None.
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution provides that "The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates [transmitted from the members of the Electoral College], and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority . . . ." Under the Constitution, the Vice President of the United States is President of the Senate.
Now, do you remember Vice President Pence being hustled out of that joint session of Congress by the Secret Service on January 6th? Just before then, he was in the process of opening those certificates. And why was Mr. Pence being hustled out? Erick's post provides the answer: "Ashley Babbit was . . . a rioter attempting to break through a window to open a door for the other rioters SO THEY COULD CAPTURE THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS." [emphasis added]
Technically, though President of the Senate, the Vice President is not a member of Congress. However, given the RIOTERS' (as distinguished from mere protesters) chants of "Hang Mike Pence," their intent of capturing him as well would seem pretty clear. Had he in fact been captured (and most definitely had he been hung), Pence would not have been able to complete the process mandated by Article II for Joe Biden to be officially elected President.
That's how . . . . No, wait. You're kidding, right?
Go back a few years to the Obama years and the budget freeze that closed down about 15% of the federal government. Some veterans were pissed that a parking lot was closed off so they carried the barriers to the White House and threw them over the fence.
Erick, last night on Tucker Carlson, Chansley’s lawyer was emphatic that he was never given access to see the tapes Tucker showed and that this was the first time he’d seen them. Do you stand by your comment?
Ashli Babbitt wasn't A threat and she could’ve been stopped w/o being shot. She was unarmed breaking a window. Had she known the police were opening the doors snd ushering people in and providing tours she probably wouldn’t have bothered.
Tucker at least accomplished one thing: providing compelling evidence that this was not an insurrection- just like you said. It was a bunch of loons with largely no strategy, doing reckless things. That does little to change their personal responsibility. But it does change the larger conversation about that day.
Don't like the word "insurrection?" I'm comfortable calling it a riot, this being the term adopted by Erick in his post.
Now, if both an insurrection and a riot are violent and unlawful breaches of the peace, how exactly does that "change the larger conversation about that day." I mean, when one considers that this was the occasion of the only instance in the more than 230-year history of this republic when power did not change hands peacefully, that seems really bad to me, whether we call it an insurrection, a riot, or Aunt Martha's book club.
Stay sane, Erick, and keep telling the truth.
When you find yourself asking "am I the last sane person?" that's usually a sign that you should pause briefly and re-assess. Yes, hypocrisy exists on both sides, because both sides have imperfect humans. January 6th will be an emotional hot button for years to come and will be the source of dissent and dispute because it was chaotic, dynamic and large scale. Truth will continue to be elusive, even in the best of circumstances. It would have been far better for all if the J6 Committee had done a more thorough, even handed investigation that did not rely on clever editing tricks such as the Josh Hawley sprint and the omission of seeking answers to many questions. As I was listening to your show today, the woman who asked 'when are we going to demand that the elected officials start doing their jobs for all of us?' and your answer to that was well done. The J6 committee largely failed in that duty. That should be our focus, not whether or not a televlsion personality is being hypocritical. We should all demand more polity and truth and far less politics if we want to see things change.
Being altogether disdainful of Tucker Carlson and Fox News, I wish I could poke holes in Erick's analysis. But I can't. It's spot on.
Nevertheless, my reading of American history is that our politics have almost always featured a healthy dose of hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum, both among politicians and in the press. Such may well be the nature of this beast that we call democracy, but be that as it may, we can survive mere hypocrisy.
What is unique in our time is the normalization of outright lying that would seem to be occurring on just one side of the political spectrum. Were any mainstream media figures caught basically admitting that their reporting (or commentary) was knowingly false or misleading, their careers would be in serious jeopardy. Not so at Fox News. And while most successful politicians have likely been less than truthful on occasion, be they Democrat or Republican, Democrats have yet to show a tolerance for the every-time-he-opens-his-mouth sort of lying that most Republicans have come to simply accept from Donald Trump. Even Republicans who don't accept it show a surprising level of tolerance for those who do.
In sum, to actually be caught lying still has consequences on the left that it no longer seems to have on the right.
Thank you Erick for your insight. This country is in distress.
Give the Jan 6th info to everyone, left and right. No cherry picking of scenes for an agenda.
Declassify everything from the Kennedy assassination and let the blame fall where it belongs.
You stay you Erick - there are other sane folks out here that appreciate your candor
You’re not the only one Erick. Tucker selectively chose the video of the shaman and didn’t show the rest. Shameful. I’ve been permabanned from every gop Reddit sub for trying to speak truth to my brethren.
I’m a person without a party.
Keep doing what you do.
You weren't watching, he did show the rest and besides "the rest" aka a few edited shots, have been shown hundreds of times in the last two years.
NO, He did NOT show what Erick showed. Tucker only showed selective clips of the shaman being escorted around “peacefully” inside the Capitol, ‘see there was no insurrection, they lied to you!’ but he didn’t show what Erick cited to - the rest - the shaman outside barging in, or what he did inside the well of the Senate. There is also no way Tucker reviewed all the footage - 16000 hours worth? Cmon. Stop being a trumpite apologist.
Yes, he showed the "shaman" coming through the door right beside a group who had broken a window and were climbing through. Shaman guy came in the door, walking with a bunch of other people. Maybe instead, you should ask why people were climbing through a broken window instead of walking through the door. You can deny that all you want but it is clearly part of what Carlson showed.
I have not watched Tucker Carlson so I cannot comment on the video and his rendition. But from the beginning it was easy to understand that this was not insurrection, but a riot that got out of control. Some of the rioters are guilty of what they were charged with, and some were just dumbfounded tourists - like the dog that finally caught the car was chasing - now what?
But the provocative thing I'm going to say is that this was good for the country. Those here in Washington (where I live) need to have some fear of the people. I'm glad this was traumatic for them. It may help wake them up that the bubble they live in could burst at any moment. I'm not sure if it was Thomas Jefferson who said it, but it holds true. "When people fear the government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have liberty."
You are right on point Erick. The truth matters and both sides need to get back to that simple principle.
"Carlson is selectively editing videos to suggest the braying bison-helmeted jackass did nothing wrong."
No he is not doing this. Not at all. He is showing the Dem media produced video and the raw footage he was given access to. He is delivering contrast and the alternative narrative. Since you jumped on the insurrection track, it bothers you.
My problem Erick is I don’t trust the media the government or pundits Politicians are even worse . So how can we as a Nation move on from this not knowing what’s true or half true or completely false. The speaker of the house hand picked the J6 committee since she didn’t like the choice of the Republicans. So how can we trust the outcome of a investigation none of this would hold up in a court of law They were wrong to break in to the Capitol the Authorities in charge were derelict in not having security in place they knew this was going to happen a riot is a riot left or right prosecute them all
And speaking of the house, why did she hold off the suggested extra police force that was suggested?????
Your picture showing a masked man dressed patriotically trying to break into a window does not prove he was a patriot. There were instigators mingled in the crowd . The difference between the protests are that the January 6 protesters who didn’t kill or destroy property have been in prison for two years, some not being charged, and some still waiting for trial. While the violent protesters such as antifa have not even been arrested and those protestors damaged property and people were killed so you trying to claim these two groups protesting as equal is false and disingenuous. I am shocked that you can’t or won’t recognize the growing two justice systems in our country one for leniency for violent and deadly actions, and one for punitive action for honest nonviolent protests. This disheartens me that someone of your caliber can’t see the difference.
While I would not deny the inconsistent treatment of violent protests in the mainstream media, depending upon the ideology of the perpetrator, I find no equivalence between what happened on January 6th and any other mere protest, on either the left or right. The occasional destruction of private property by protesters, and even their assaulting of police officers are nothing new. But only once in our entire history has there been any attempt to prevent the transfer of power from one administration to the next. The latter is a far more serious matter.
And by the way, what "honest nonviolent protest" are you talking about? I won't defend the non-prosecution of violent protesters on the left, but surely you realize that what happened on January 6th was neither honest nor nonviolent.
“Prevent the transfer of power”? And just how was that being done? No weapons just lots and lots of people marching in protest. Jan 6 was NOT an insurrection as the Democrats snd their media would like you to believe. And, what Antifa protestors who have damaged property and killed people have been charged with a crime, and been tried? None.
Just how was that being done?
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution provides that "The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates [transmitted from the members of the Electoral College], and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority . . . ." Under the Constitution, the Vice President of the United States is President of the Senate.
Now, do you remember Vice President Pence being hustled out of that joint session of Congress by the Secret Service on January 6th? Just before then, he was in the process of opening those certificates. And why was Mr. Pence being hustled out? Erick's post provides the answer: "Ashley Babbit was . . . a rioter attempting to break through a window to open a door for the other rioters SO THEY COULD CAPTURE THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS." [emphasis added]
Technically, though President of the Senate, the Vice President is not a member of Congress. However, given the RIOTERS' (as distinguished from mere protesters) chants of "Hang Mike Pence," their intent of capturing him as well would seem pretty clear. Had he in fact been captured (and most definitely had he been hung), Pence would not have been able to complete the process mandated by Article II for Joe Biden to be officially elected President.
That's how . . . . No, wait. You're kidding, right?