Washington Post: “Over a span of 14 days this month, our nation’s capital will bear witness to three events that will tell us much about the state of American democracy: a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, where electoral votes cast in December will be read and counted aloud; protests in downtown Washington scheduled for the same day; and the Jan. 20 inauguration of the president of the United States. How will our country look after all this is over?”
“Under normal times, Wednesday would be just another day. Congressional certification of the electoral college winner is nothing new. Neither is a presidential oath-taking. Both are ceremonial formalities that memorialize politically settled events. Likewise, political protests on any given day and time are hardly novel in Washington. This year, however, all three are fraught with uncertainty because President Trump, a buffoonish one-term wannabe autocrat, will not accept his election loss. Weeks after his rejection at the polls, Trump continues to falsely portray the outcome as fraudulent. And in the waning days of his presidency, when he should have one foot out the door, Trump is desperately scheming to find new ways to alter the outcome.”