The opinions expressed below are those of Jon Keller, not of WBZ, CBS News, or Paramount Global.
BOSTON – “Let us not forget who attacked democracy on January 6 – [Trump] “That’s true,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi said in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.
New Pelosi Footage Released
But as part of its ongoing effort to shift blame for the Capitol riots away from Donald Trump, a Republican-led oversight committee has released previously unaired video footage of the then-House speaker, turned over to Congress by HBO and obtained by CBS News. It shows an irate Pelosi citing her “responsibility” to protect the House and lamenting the absence of National Guard troops that could have prevented Capitol police from being overwhelmed by the mob.
Republicans claim this proves Pelosi was negligent, not Trump. But former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a member of the bipartisan commission that investigated the day’s events, said that’s not true: “The DC National Guard is controlled by one person — the president of the United States.”
Will January 6 be a success for the GOP in New Hampshire?
Is January 6 an issue that can work for Republicans this fall?
During their convention, Democrats gave multiple speeches about the riots, including ones from Capitol Police officers who tried to stop the rioters. And in the days and weeks that followed, top Republicans in Congress took turns blaming and condemning Trump for inciting the siege.
But instead of changing the subject, Trump has made supporting the rioters part of his campaign, promising to pardon them if elected.
And a New Hampshire politics expert said making Jan. 6 the focus won’t help win over Trump’s uncertain voters.
“That’s not their politics, the politics of grievances,” said UNH law professor Dante Scala. “Their politics, I think, is much more about the politics of normalcy. People who normally vote Republican don’t necessarily want to rehash January 6, they want to memorize January 6. The point is, the best way to do that is to vote for Harris. The best way to do that is to turn the page.”
If she takes on Pelosi, it will undoubtedly appeal to Trump’s core base, for whom she is a satanic figure.
But Trump already has those voters in his power.
Harris’s campaign is using the word “forward,” asking voters to move beyond the Trump era (and perhaps the Biden era, too). But while Trump is urging voters to remember the “good old days” when he was president, Harris also wants swing voters in swing states like New Hampshire to remember days like Jan. 6, when Trump lived up to Niki Haley’s nickname for him during the primaries — “chaos agent.”
