For the last few years, the Democrats have been using the events of January 6th to wield as both shield and sword against Republicans, and specifically against Donald Trump.

Now, I’m going to say this again for the people in the back. January 6th was a riot. It was awful. It was not a good day for this country by any stretch of the imagination. But it was not an “insurrection” or an “attack on democracy.” It was a riot that was under control within a few hours – unlike, say, Minneapolis or Kenosha – and while police were assaulted, there were no deaths from those assaults, despite the media’s narrative.

But between prosecutions and internal investigations and committees and an admission by Nancy Pelosi that there had not been the appropriate security measures taken, the Democrats have seized upon the narrative that they have carried onward for years at this point. The first narrative is that Donald Trump “incited” the riot on January 6th, and then didn’t do enough to stop it. Second, that Trump is a distinctly unique “threat to democracy” because January 6th happened. That is why they have continued to go back to the January 6th well, even though it has long run dry in the imagination of the American public. To most people, it was a riot that was badly handled. There have been prosecutions, but some have had excessive punishments. There was a committee, but they destroyed or withheld evidence. The American people have moved on. Democrats need January 6th to stay fresh, because they need to justify their own exercise of power in order to “save democracy.”