Fear and frustration

 I have watched the events of the last week/month/four years/forty years closely. I've seen it all unfurl like a big rancid picnic. I am embarrassed by the small corner I helped spread years ago.

And while I see where we are going, and have a general notion how this will all play out, I am simultaneously enough of a sociopath to be frustrated that the Fascists Are Doing It Stupidly.

The Republicans are too old for the most part to learn the "Learn the language of your enemy and turn it against him" technique that is becoming popular in Pick-up artist circles.

Let's take the big ones:

Climate change.
A republican candidate comes out saying "Climate changer is real. It is happening. I have answers!" These answers are of course structured to increase profits for solar and certain auto makers. Cities are redlined and solar comes with subsidies and assistance in certain neighborhoods (read that white and middle class or higher), while older generating plants are put on austerity measures, and only deliver electricity 4-5 days a week.
The electric cars and hybrids are given subsidies and made popular, while older gas-burning cars are taxed more heavily, as is gasoline. "After all, transportation is one of our largest polluters." Public transportation is not improved, and may in fact be eliminated. Work will become an impossibility for millions of people, freeing up jobs.

 Nothing is ever done about the companies who cause infinitely more waste than individuals, deforestation continues, the oceans keep heating up and the growing zones keep moving. And the poor people who can't afford solar or an electric car are shamed and blamed. 

Water starts to come under austerity measures. There's plenty for fountains and golf courses but city water is limited to a trickle. Lawns are ticketed for being brown when people have barely enough to drink and wash with. Bottled water companies make record profits. Since not having water and electricity is considered environmental neglect, children can be removed from homes and quietly distributed to work as domestics to wealthy households.

Profit all around, and a reduction in poor people, especially people of color.

Abortion:

"I can reduce abortion by 40%! Let's not ban it, women will always need it for emergency situations. But I can reduce the unwed pregnancy by 50% and abortions by 40% It's been tested and proven."

Long term contraceptives: implants and IUDs, even sterilization are made easier to get, free of charge on the state's dime. IUDs are especially encouraged.

Since work is becoming impossible and water and electric are unpredictable, many people opt for the IUD. Many opt for tubals, since they are no longer forced to be 30+ and have spousal permission.
The abortion rate drops as promised.

But, while there is money for inserting IUDs, there was never money allocated for removal 5 years down the road...

Fewer abortions. And a reduction in poor people especially people of color.

There are other social issues where a republican could stand up and say "Hey, let's BE fiscally conservative, try this in a way that has been shown to save money, and oh yeah, we can make it hurt the right people too."

My theories on the Capitol

 On January 6, armed protestors stormed the US capitol. There is some evidence they were let in deliberately. And more that they had maps (see visiting hard to find private offices instead of labeled public offices)

And I am with Slate on the idea that there are three groups of people in this scenario.
1) The ones on a data mission who stole laptops
2) The ones on a tactical mission to take (and possibly execute) hostages https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/was-there-a-plan-for-hostages-or-killings-at-the-capitol.html 
3) The cosplatriot/Weekend warriors trying to bring down The Storm, the day Trump would rise up and execute all the traitors. https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-trump-capitol-attack-belief-precursor-the-storm-2021-1 They are probably the ones who erected the gallows, but whether for the mannequins or actual people is hard to say

Let's talk about 3, because these are the ones getting all the press time.

It's easy to laugh at them in their special T shirts, and their lack of masking and their general clumsiness. After all, don't these idiots know that feces contains DNA? And tracking it leaves shoe prints? Both of these are evidence as any even casual watcher of police procedurals knows.
Don't they know about surveillance and covering their faces?

So here are these barefaced people, some in highly identifiable clothing. How do they think they will get away with this?

The answer of course is that they thought they were going to win. Like their predecessors, they thought they could "lick the yankees with corn stalks." And just like the old confederates, these new one found that the yankees didn't fight that way.

But they were never the real operation.

Two laptops,  those of Pelosi and Merkley, and Clyburn's Ipad were all stolen. Many of the senators had electronics stolen and much concern has been raised about data security.

That may have been the real operation.

But these guys, once you start seeing them,. you can't stop. These are the pros.

compare him to the guy behind him. He's fitter. He's climbing that rail like it's nothing. The zipties in his hands are handcuff style. He's armed, and knows to keep his face down and covered. He's got a bulletproof vest on.

This is not a weekend warrior. He knows what he is doing.
They all came armed. One guy had 11 molotov cocktails on him. They were the first ones in. They went straight for the offices. https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1347350333819912192 has more

.

Compare here to the other guy trying to get over the rail.

These came to take hostages. Whether to negotiate or execute, we may not know.

But there are handcuffs, a pro to use them and a gallows outside.

Q Shaman and the Civil War 2 guys were the distraction. The laptops and the hostages were the objectives. Only one was successful. But I suspect we'll see fallout from it.