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regnaD kciN

(27,565 posts)
10. I was almost certain that would be the next step...
Thu Feb 11, 2021, 01:47 AM
Feb 2021

...but the $64,000 question would then be "why didn't he?"

I can come up with several possible alternatives:

1) First, of course, that he never planned to do it in the first place.

2) That he was, for the sake of appearance, counting on the groups of resistance activists who had organized to fight a coup to be out in the streets as promised, and that the clashes between them would give him his excuse to declare a national emergency because of "violent disorder from both sides." I was reading a few days ago about the behind-the-scenes efforts to fight an attempt to overturn the election, and how the organizers worked with progressive groups to tamp down any attempts of a "street presence" among such organizations on 1/6, with everyone agreeing to put off any protests unless such attempts appeared to be succeeding. This, in itself, may have foiled Trump's plans.

3) That he was actually counting on something more brazen: that the insurrectionists would manage to capture and/or kill enough Democratic Congresspersons to give Republicans a majority in both houses; whereupon the new "leadership" could proceed to reject the Electoral College vote and pick the president themselves before states could appoint replacements. By the time it became clear that the mob, while successfully breaking into the Capitol, wasn't going to be able to get to the Representatives and Senators, it was too late for a convincing case to declare martial law.

4) The one option that few people seem to be considering: that, maybe, Trump did decide to declare martial law, notified the Joint Chiefs to send the troops in, and was told by them they would refuse to obey such an order. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there was more going on at the White House than just Trump enjoying television coverage of the attack, but no one in Trump's inner circle is ever going to admit if such a scenario played out, and the military brass probably considers it a point of honor to never reveal such a thing.

Of course, we may never know, but you have to think there was some payoff in mind when they were planning and organizing this insurrection, and it wasn't just to have a large mob vandalize the Capitol building and then go home.

Recommendations

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Too speculative. However, it does seem he was being counseled that way by some. Frasier Balzov Feb 2021 #1
Bannon for one, I suspect. n/t Whiskeytide Feb 2021 #12
And Flynn, according to recordings of the General from December. n/t Frasier Balzov Feb 2021 #16
You have My Pillow guys notes exboyfil Feb 2021 #2
That, IMO, was one of the alternative plans that seemed to have a good chance of being realized. Eyeball_Kid Feb 2021 #3
This is what I felt while watching the insurrection in real time. liberalmuse Feb 2021 #4
I was almost certain that would be the next step... regnaD kciN Feb 2021 #10
#4 would be my guess. liberalmuse Feb 2021 #11
He really screwed up, didn't he. C_U_L8R Feb 2021 #5
Martial law is irrelevant, wouldn't affect the transfer of power- overturning the EC would. Nt Fiendish Thingy Feb 2021 #6
Let's say anti-tRump protesters showed up in the tens of thousands Wednesdays Feb 2021 #7
There is no mechanism to suspend the Constitution, not even using the Emergency Powers Act. Nt Fiendish Thingy Feb 2021 #14
It certainly would affect the transfer of power... regnaD kciN Feb 2021 #8
Martial law doesn't suspend the Constitution, which stipulates presidential term ends January 20. Fiendish Thingy Feb 2021 #13
Irrelevant to you and others who aren't Trump misanthrope Feb 2021 #9
If Michael Beschloss thinks it's a possibilty, or at least a question, that's good enough wiggs Feb 2021 #15
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