American putsch

The inaugural as Rorschach test

"So many people are blind partisans, struggling through life and with each other with no imaginable end in view, victims of momentary slogans and ancient prejudices. Behind them are men with clear ideas and well-defined aims." – Kenneth Rexroth

Photo by Koshu Kunii at unsplash.com, Instagram: @koshuphotography

Based on concerns about an “insider attack” during the Biden inauguration, the Associated Press reports that the FBI is vetting all 25,000 US military personnel mustered in Washington, DC for security during the event.

The enormous military presence for a US inauguration was already without historical precedent. The revelation that the assigned troops cannot necessarily be trusted to follow orders throws the anarchic state of the nation into even sharper relief.

Additionally, a January 11, 2021, headline at the New York Times reported that “The F.B.I. this week sent a warning to local law enforcement agencies about the potential for armed protests in all 50 states.”

This extraordinary tableau is playing out on the heels of the most expensive election in US history, a $14 billion virtual spectacle conducted throughout 2020 almost entirely via television, Zoom calls and social media. The $14 billion total is twice that of previous record spending in the 2016 election, yet still excludes huge amounts of uncountable dark money.

Civil stability appears to be in inverse proportion to the exponentially increasing cost and stage managed nature of Hollywood style US election blockbusters funded primarily by the wealthy. Morning Consult reports that while more than 50% of Republican voters accept the results, just 22% believe the 2020 election was “free and fair” and only 27% trust US elections in general. Among Democratic voters, 90% believe the election was free and fair and 79% trust US elections overall.