The radical center

I don’t generally like The Atlantic, but I’m going to give credit where it’s due. They actually went out and did some journalism.

The article I refer to is dated February 2, by Robert A. Pape, political-science professor at the University of Chicago, who is director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats; and Keven Ruby a senior research associate of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago.

Pape and Ruby collected information on 193 people charged with being inside the Capitol building or with breaking through barriers to enter the Capitol grounds on January 6.

The authors have their biases, and it shows in using terms such as insurrectionists, and the assumption they were acting on Trump’s orders to try and overturn the election. They also assume the charges of electoral fraud are bogus without bothering to address them.

But what they did was examine the demographics of the group and reach a conclusion contrary to stereotypes promoted by news media.

Their conclusion, “a large majority of suspects in the Capitol riot have no connection to existing far-right militias, white-nationalist gangs, or other established violent organizations.”

Furthermore after admitting they “erred on the side of inclusion,” i.e. they took any indication of membership such as certain patches, symbols, or social media posts, they determined, “89 percent of the arrestees have no apparent affiliation with any known militant organization.”

Kudos to them, they were so obviously hoping to find a horde of White Supremacists. They do consistently refer to “right-wing extremists” but these days that’s anybody to the right of Leon Trotsky.

So who are they? Well, the average age of the arrestees, is 40. Two-thirds are over 35. Forty percent own businesses or have white-collar jobs. They found among them CEOs, shop owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants (!!!), and IT workers.

Only nine percent were unemployed. Compared to previous right-wing extremists the authors studied who were largely younger, more often unemployed, and none of whom had white collar jobs.

Furthermore, most are not from deep-red areas but places which went to Biden in the election or were seriously contested.

They concluded, “What’s clear is that the Capitol riot revealed a new force in American politics—not merely a mix of right-wing organizations, but a broader mass political movement that has violence at its core and draws strength even from places where Trump supporters are in the minority.”

I suggest they’re missing something. “Violence at the core” is an odd descriptor considering the summer of violence which caused billions in property damage and as many as 25 deaths, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project.

What we’re seeing is the radicalization of the middle class, and what us old hippies used to call The Establishment has every reason to be afraid.

They were quite comfortable when the spoiled children of privilege and affluence were rioting, burning, and looting. (And that’s what they were, not the poor and dispossessed.)

But these are men established in their communities, men who’ve built something for themselves and their children, whose interest is in stability and continuity. And they fear all they’ve built is endangered.

These are men you’d expect to be mortified to be arrested and have their pictures in the paper. But they’re not, they’re proud and defiant.

They are the radical center, and we’re going to be hearing more from them.