Analysis: The first words Republicans think of when you say ‘January 6’
“Way overblown,” said one man.
“Misrepresented,” said another.
“Blowing out of proportion,” offered a woman.
(The focus groups that these comments came out of were conducted for the Times by Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster, and Margie Omero, a Democratic pollster.)
So, yeah.
Before I go any further, let me remind you of what happened on January 6:
A large group of people — many of whom had come to Washington to attend the “Stop the Steal” gathering — stormed the US Capitol. To do so, they broke through a variety of barricades, brutalized multiple police officers, vandalized the Capitol and generally caused chaos.
They did so in hopes of stopping the formal counting of the Electoral College votes because they believed (contra facts) that Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
That these Republicans felt comfortable telling pollsters that January 6 was “overblown” or “misrepresented” speaks to the efficacy of the misinformation that former President Trump and his loyal allies have been pushing about what really happened that day.
The Point: We are increasingly living in two Americas — one that believes facts and truth are inarguable, the other that views them as negotiable.
