The Big Picture of January 6

As we reflect on the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, let us not forget the big picture of what led to the attack.

The insurrectionists attacked the Capitol because they believed the election had been stolen. They believed it because they had been fed this disinformation by President Donald Trump, other Republican officials, conservative organizations, right-wing media and alternative media, and a massive social media campaign. A ProPublica and Washington Post investigation found at least 650,000 Facebook posts between Election Day and January 6, 2021 that were part of this disinformation campaign. Many of them called for violence as a response. This was all happening as White House insiders were attempting a coup. There was even a slide deck.

Trump was setting up the "Big Lie" that the election was stolen even before Election Day. He told his supporters the only way he could lose would be a stolen election. He discouraged his supporters from early voting, thus setting up the situation where early tallies would show him in the lead and he could declare the mail-in ballots fraudulent.

This disinformation campaign is what led to January 6. The most important fact to understand as we reflect on the events of that day is this: The disinformation campaign hasn't stopped. Trump and his allies continue to push this lie, and many believe it.

While recent polls have been inconsistent, possibly due to question wording, they all show a majority of Republicans believe the Big Lie. A Washington Post-ABC poll put the number at 58 percent. University of Massachusetts has it at 71 percent. And a separate ABC poll found 71 percent of Republicans believe Trump won the election.

This disinformation campaign is being used to further undermine our elections: Republican state legislatures are attempting to gain more control over elections, which could enable them to overturn the results of future elections. Republicans willing to stand up to the Big Lie are being challenged in elections by Republicans willing to promote the Big Lie. And Trump and his allies continue to undermine confidence in our elections, which could be used to justify a future coup or insurrection.

The spirit of January 6 is still with us and will remain with us until we get to the root of the problem by defanging the deceivers.