Bruce Gilley: "What Do Democrats Mean By 'Democracy'?"

This is absolutely right on target.

My only disagreement is this: I do not think you can reasonably say that the January 2021 Capitol riot was the "most awful [of the attacks] on democratic government" we have recently experienced. Gilly rightly notes that all the other worst examples come from the left--including the BLM/Antifa riots of 2020, and the ongoing anti-ICE riots. The Capitol riot was godawful. But IMO it can't really compete with the other two, as it was fleeting and ineffective. Counterproductive, in fact. The wingnuts only harmed their own side. The BLM/Antifa riots and the current anti-ICE riots were/are both surprisingly effective in achieving their ends. The Capitol riot was, in some (but not all) respects uglier. But it wasn't worse.