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Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo | It was violent but farcical. Planned but chaotic. An effort to overturn a democratic election but lacking in military muscle. So what do we call it? A political attack? An insurrection? A failed self-coup? Was it a pathetic show of white power cosplay? Or the portent of something darker and more dangerous in our nation's not-distant future? What really happened on January 6? To find out, POLITICO Magazine assembled a roundtable of distinguished scholars and writers who specialize in the study of political instability and polarization. Their conversation goes to the very foundations of American democracy: How should we think about January 6 compared to coups in Latin America, or fascist takeovers in European history? What is the relationship between the media and our democratic institutions? Why did democratically elected lawmakers, who worried about impending violence that day, fail to stop it? And what do the shocking events of January 6 portend for the future of our shaken democracy? Ultimately, our group of "coupologists" couldn't agree on the name to use for what happened that day, but one thing is clear: We need to use a wider lens on January 6 if we have any hope of understanding it. We can't just pretend that "this is not who we are." Our system of government is no more unique or less fragile than that of other countries, at other moments in time, writes historian Josh Zeitz , who moderated the discussion. To arrive at the right lexicon, we need to take the blinders off. Read the roundtable.
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| "... that pot-bellied, mutton-headed, cucumber-soled Cass." Can you guess what newspaperman wrote this about Lewis Cass, who lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Zachary Taylor in 1848? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**
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POLITICO illustration/Photos: Getty Images, iStock | Hiding the Paper Trail … When Stephen Breyer stepped down from the Supreme Court in June, he was obliged to pack up 28 years worth of memos, draft opinions, correspondence, notes and other real-time documentation of his tenure. What will he do with them? The court won't say — and that's a scandal, writes Michael Schaffer in this week's Capital City column.
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| 51 percent … of evangelicals have a "very" or "somewhat favorable" opinion of the FBI.
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Illustration by Antonio Sortino | Podcast Me to Hell … Derek Robertson has performed an unthinkable feat : He spent an entire day listening to podcasts by politicians. Ted Cruz, Pete Buttigieg, Al Franken, Matt Gaetz — let's just say they should keep their day jobs. But there's more than boredom to be found in these audio trenches.
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| As of this week, the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in the United States has climbed to over 14,000. Earlier this month — and three months into the outbreak — President Biden declared the virus a public health emergency. So, just what should you know? Read on to get up to speed. - The majority of cases are affecting men who have sex with men. This has kindled concerns about how to communicate effectively without stigmatizing MSM — and some critics say health officials are missing the mark. - Monkeypox, which is rarely fatal but is painful, was discovered in populations of research monkeys in 1958, though its precise origins are unknown. The first human case was recorded in 1970, and a prior outbreak hit the U.S. in 2003. (It involved pet prairie dogs.) - No, you are not likely to catch monkeypox from a swimming pool. No, you can't get monkeypox as a result of Covid vaccination. No, monkeypox was not invented in a lab. No, that woman on the subway did not have monkeypox. - The U.S. once had an enormous stockpile of vaccines — and let some 20 million doses expire. President Biden has allowed the administration of fractions of typical vaccine doses, stretching the nation's short supply based on limited data supporting the method's efficacy. - Apparently you can give it to your dog.
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A vintage campaign button for Wyoming Democrat Joseph O'Mahoney is available for sale. | via eBay | Decades before Wyoming was a reliable bastion of Trump support, before it ousted Liz Cheney from her Senate seat, the state was home to a surprising number of prominent Democrats and progressive Republicans. In 1869, 11 years before gaining statehood, Wyoming offered the vote to women, becoming the first state or territory to do so. Wyoming voted for Woodrow Wilson twice, and FDR three times. Thomas Dewey won in 1944, but Harry Truman fought back and took Wyoming in 1948. Then, the scales tilted toward Republicans, perhaps forever. Today, the memory of a different, more progressive Wyoming can only be detected in the places where old political artifacts are sold. On eBay , you can get a button for a long-term Democratic Senator from Wyoming, Joseph O'Mahoney, for 11.98. (From historian Ted Widmer.)
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Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels won't say if he's running again. | Michael Hickey/Getty Images | Rip van Mitch … When former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels became president of Purdue University in 2013, he left behind a world of politics that seems quaint by today's standards. Now, as old allies push him to run for governor again — he hasn't said yes, but he won't say no — the Republican who proposed a truce on social issues in 2010 is faced with a party that has embraced the Trumpian culture wars. He talked to POLITICO's Adam Wren about coming back to a very different GOP.
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Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum | On August 3, 1969, President Richard Nixon joined in with traditional Romanian "hora" dancing in Bucharest in the company of Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu. The two leaders danced in hot sunshine for about two minutes. Nixon "tried to suit his steps to the rhythm," but ultimately "skipped around in a kind of Scots reel," according to a Reuters report. The surrounding crowd cheered nonetheless. Part of a larger world tour, Nixon's trip to Romania was significant given that it was the first visit of an American president to a socialist country. In his departure speech at Otopeni Airport, Nixon said, "Of all the countries I have visited, there has been none that has been more memorable than the visit to Romania."
| | | **Who Dissed? answer: It was Horace Greeley, the founding editor of the New York Tribune, who was known for his anti-slavery stances in the 1850s. Please write in if you have any clue what "cucumber-soled" means: politicoweekend@email.politico.com.
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