Today, our nation marks the first anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, one of the darkest days in American history. And, sadly, we do not mark the occasion with a new national perspective. We do not mark it with a renewed faith in and fierce defense of our great American experiment. A year ago today, we watched as our democracy, one of the greatest achievements in human history, came within a literal shouting distance of destruction. Having come so close to losing something so dear, we might have taken a step back from the brink, realized that our commonalities far outweigh our differences, and made our peace in defense of our great nation.
Instead, we persist in our division. Instead, we maintain our ruinous fictions at the expense of our righteous facts. Instead, the big lie that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021 assault against our democracy burns like wildfire, given oxygen in the very halls of that democracy, both in Washington, D.C., and in Jefferson City, which it threatens to raze to the ground.
Before we move on, let me say it here and clearly: The 2020 election was free, fair, and unequivocally secure. Anyone who says differently is lying and has decided to put their own ambition, self-interest, and infatuation for power above the well-being and preservation of the United States of America.
Sen. Steven Roberts is a Democrat who represents SD 5 in St. Louis. He is the minority caucus whip.
