WE NEVER GAVE THE RIOT ITS PROPER NAME

I had a thought this morning:

Here's a phrase I haven't read or heard anywhere: "Republican riot." That's what January 6 was. Why don't Democrats call it that? Republican link all Antifa violence to Democrats, even though Antifa hates Democrats too. Why don't Democrats link a GOP riot to the GOP?

— Steve M. (@nomoremister) March 4, 2021

It's not an original thought -- I found a letter to a local newspaper in California also calling for the use of the phrase, and I now see that in the immediate aftermath of January 6, HuffPost called the event "A Very Republican Riot." A couple of weeks later, in National Review of all places, "Republican Riot" was the title of an opinion piece by Ramesh Ponnuru.

I wrote the tweet after reading an NBC News story.

Extremists discussed plans to 'remove Democratic lawmakers': FBI-Homeland Security bulletin

The bulletin said "domestic violent extremists" or "militia violent extremists" were emboldened by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a joint intelligence bulletin to state and local law enforcement agencies late Tuesday warning that some domestic groups have "discussed plans to take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about" March 4, according to a senior law enforcement official who described the document to NBC News.

The bulletin, titled "National Capital Region Remains Attractive Target for Domestic Violent Extremists," warned that "Domestic Violent Extremists" or "Militia Violent Extremists" were emboldened by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and therefore pose a higher overall threat.

The story goes on for fourteen more paragraphs. The word "Republican" never appears.

I understand that -- the rioters didn't say they were rioting on behalf of the Republican Party. The riot wasn't sponsored by the GOP, although GOP-affiliated groups sponsored the rally, GOP elected officials were in attendance, and the whole thing was done on behalf of a GOP president who recently told a gathering of mostly GOP attendees that he will remain a member of the GOP. And we have a two-party system, and one of the plotters' plans was to "remove Democratic lawmakers."

The word used throughout this articles is "extremists." Most of America incorrectly puts "Republicans" and "extremists" in two separate categories. (Another phrase I rarely encounter is "Republican extremists.")

Republicans consider themselves in a state of permanent warfare with politcal opponents -- all of whom they characterize as part of the same enemy force. Liberals, left-centrists, Marxists, anarchists, elitists, Hollywood stars -- all the same, all conspiring together to harm America. Antifa, in the Republicans' telling, is an integral part of the Democratic coalition, even though much of Antifa despises Democrats as well as Republicans and is happy to target Democratic cities.

But Middle America links Antifa more closely to the average Democratic officeholder than it links the Capitol rioters to the average Republican officeholder. The GOP is a far more radical party than the Democratic Party, and it's seen as a far less radical one. That's what has to change.