I've been trying to find the words to address yesterday. In the moment, all I could muster publicly was this one terrible pun (of which I'm exceptionally proud...not knocking the pun game).

Obviously, yesterday was awful. And it was predictable. Many foresaw it: @sarahkendzior has been sounding this alarm for years. It was the logical conclusion of years of non-stop, vicious parades of lies coming from the President, Republicans in Congress, and right-wing "media".

Yes, for the moment, we have walked back from the brink of destruction of democracy in America. The fragility of that possibility has been clear for some time, but never as obvious to everyone as yesterday.

I'm glad Republican leaders stood up for democracy and made strong speeches yesterday. It's not enough. They could have done that at any point, since November or in the past four years, but they chose greed every time. Many stoked the flames of the rhetoric that led to yesterday.

Walking it back for a day at the precipice is just a start. For one day, they saw the light.

It was the latest example of Republicans not caring about anything until it affects them directly (they think same-sex marriage is evil until they have a gay daughter who wants to get married, etc.). You could see it in their eyes yesterday.

Suddenly, they realized they could be in danger, and suddenly, it's, "This has to stop."

This behavior comes from one of several places: willful ignorance ("ends justify the means"), poor critical thinking ability, or, selfishness - a contempt for anyone other than themselves.

These share common themes: an utter lack of empathy and blatant pursuit of self-interest, i.e. they're either unwilling to recognize or incapable of understanding the impact of their actions unless there are first-hand consequences.

Sure, some are true-believer, conspiracy-theory nuts. I think many of them don't believe most of what they say, but operate under the now-ingrained American principle that "winning isn't everything - it's the only thing."

This is a profoundly damaging excuse for terrible behavior. Mitch McConnell has built his career around this win-at-all-costs concept, and it's what Ted Cruz is pathetically trying now.

Yes, media outlets are stepping up today, calling lies lies and calling the insurrection what it was. I'm glad they have backbones today...now that they aren't worried about losing their White House credentials or thinking about the Trump administration as a ratings boon.

They've spent four years normalizing his behavior, softening language about him and his radicalized supporters, and "both sidesing" everything. Some are worse than others. @soledadobrien and @EricBoehlert, among others, call this out daily.

I wish we had reliable journalism at our disposal and not profit-driven sensationalism. Be more than the anti-Fox. We need truth-seeking journalism if we are to avoid a repeat of the last four years. Next time will be worse. Today is good. It's not enough. What happens tomorrow?

I have many friends from my years in public service who have been publicly reaffirming their oaths today. I appreciate that and know you love your country. It's not enough. This administration was an unprecedented assault on norms.

It didn't fit into your framework of what it meant to be in government service. That's understandable. I hate to say it, but you will likely be faced with this again someday. What could you do differently next time?

Too much of our population has become radicalized. I don't know the way back from this. Psychologists and sociologists have studied radicalization, and there have been effective de-radicalization efforts at the individual level.

How do you de-radicalize at scale, especially considering the deluge of sensationalist, conspiracy-theorist content out there, hammering on their emotional buttons every day?

Seeing some of the attackers' interviews afterward re-emphasized for me how utterly brainwashed some of the radicalized are. It reminded me of the guy who shot up @cometpingpong, who was legitimately shocked and confused when his fabricated reality crumbled around him.

It's depressing and I don't know how it is repaired.

There must be consequences - for yesterday and for everything that led to it. My sincere hope is that the justice system still contains enough of the boyscout/girlscout types, who have firm grasps of right and wrong. There was obviously little they could accomplish under Barr.

Maybe it happens in the state-level systems. However it happens, it must happen. People with no moral qualms with their own bad behavior will never stop - unless there are consequences.

No matter how bad things get, I somehow still have hope for the future. It's my nature as a @Mets fan: expect the worst, hope for the best. I see a way back from the brink. Our democracy held this time. Barely. We won't be as lucky next time. Let's get to work fixing it. /endrant