It’s not difficult to imagine a scenario in which Wednesday’s riot turned into a serious threat to our political system. The rioters, with extensive inside help, take complete control of the Capitol, seize the evidence of the vote, and hold all of the members of Congress prisoner; Trump immediately declares himself re-elected and calls out carefully selected members of the military to restore order; other units shut down unfriendly media outlets in New York and D.C.; right-wing militia members rise at Trump’s direction and take control of state governments and local TV stations throughout the country; the bulk of the military refuses to take sides, thereby effectively helping the insurgents; and the left has to choose between fighting a guerrilla war against the new regime or sullen acquiescence.
All of that would have required careful and extensive preparation and communication which was far beyond the ability of the man on golf cart, let alone the furry Viking and Mr. Zip-Tie. Trump didn’t have any notion of what would happen next; he was just blowing off steam in his usual thoughtless way. The rioters didn’t think through the consequences of their actions, either. Just storming the Capitol and threatening Mitch and Nancy wasn’t going to make Trump president without a whole lot more coordinated action.
If there is a next time, you had better assume it will be different, and far more dangerous.