Recent poll conducted by The Washington Post-University of Maryland reveals a starkly divided sentiment among Americans regarding the events of January 6, 2021, at the Capitol. The findings, reported by The Hill on January 2, 2024, depict a nation sharply split on whether the incident constitutes an “attack on democracy” or if it’s time to move forward.
A notable 55 percent of respondents perceive the riot as an “attack on democracy that should never be forgotten.” However, a considerable 43 percent expressed the view that excessive attention has been devoted to the riot, signaling that it’s time to look beyond the event.
The survey underscores a deep-seated schism within the collective memory of the nation, emphasizing a substantial portion of the populace eager to relegate the events of January 6 to history.
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According to the poll, 37 percent of participants attribute a significant portion of responsibility for the Capitol riot to former President Donald Trump, while 16 percent believe he bears a moderate amount of responsibility.
The reverberations of January 6 continue to echo through the political landscape, as Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) took a decisive action by excluding Trump from the state’s ballot. Citing the 14th Amendment, Bellows argued that Trump’s actions leading up to the Capitol riot justified his removal from the electoral process.
Bellows’s move follows a similar decision by the Colorado Supreme Court, which narrowly voted 4-3 to exclude Trump from their state’s ballot under the 14th Amendment.
These decisions are anticipated to reach the U.S. Supreme Court as Trump prepares to challenge the rulings, setting the stage for a consequential legal battle.
Bellows defended her decision by asserting that Trump’s prolonged dissemination of false narratives about election fraud had incited his supporters, prompting them to storm the Capitol and disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results.
“Mr. Trump’s sporadic calls for rioters to remain peaceful and support law enforcement do not absolve his actions,” Bellows argued. “A brief plea to uphold the law does not erase months of behavior, culminating in his speech on the Ellipse. The evidence overwhelmingly indicates that Mr. Trump was aware of the potential consequences of his months-long campaign to delegitimize a democratic election and chose to spark the ensuing chaos.”
In response, Trump’s campaign vehemently criticized Bellows, labeling her as a “radical leftist and a highly partisan Democrat supporting Biden.” Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the campaign, condemned the actions as a threat to American democracy, asserting, “These partisan interferences in elections are an attack on American democracy, aiming to steal an election and disenfranchise American voters.
