Friday marked the 2nd anniversary of the Capitol riot on January 6th. It was a horrific day for our nation and those who attacked Capitol Police and other law enforcement should be punished. But was it the darkest day in American history?
Soon after the attack on the Capitol, many politicians and political commentators wanted us to believe that January 6th was the greatest, single threat to American democracy in history and should be “burned into the American mind as firmly as 9/11”. For two years now, the events of January 6th have become political rhetoric—a tool to widen the political divide in this country.
Many of our nation’s leaders made statements last week. These speeches were fiercely worded, using phrases such as: “the darkest day in American history”, “the deadliest and most destructive day at the Capitol”, and “violent mob…in an armed and deadly effort”
I especially took note of a comment made by Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, a politician who wasn’t at the Capitol two years ago. He said, “[t]wo years ago, the very heart of our democracy was viciously attacked. The images of the January 6th insurrection are seared into our minds”.
Let’s contrast Governor Murphy’s comments yesterday to his remarks on the 20th Anniversary of September 11th. On that day he mentions a renewed commitment to the ideals upon which this country was founded upon yet there is no reference to the vicious attacks that day or the images seared into the minds on Americans as they watched airplanes live on television fly into New York City skyscrapers.
750 New Jerseyans lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Zero New Jerseyans lost their lives in the riot on the Capitol.
One cannot compare the enduring power of the September 11th attacks—there just is no political spin when it comes to remembering the events of that day. Say what you will about the attacks on the Capitol on January 6th, but If you were old enough on September 11, 2021, you remember where you were and what you were doing at the exact moment you heard planes were flying into buildings.
2,977 lives were lost that day—mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, firefighters, police officers, secretaries, and CEOs. All of them left home that morning to never return. This shocked us as we watched the images of the attacks play out before us in real time and then on repeat for days after. My friends and colleagues all remember that day, yet many can’t recall what they were doing on January 6th. I don’t know what I was doing that day. I would need to check my calendar. It is not a moment seared into my memory.
But the tragedy on September 11th cracked our nation wide open. For the first time in years, Americans were all grieving —together. This was a collective experience.
For me, personally, that day will forever be on repeat. My father, Tom Duke, was a partner at the investment bank, Sandler O’Neill. Sandler O’Neill had offices on the 104th Floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
83 employees of Sandler O’Neill were at work that morning at the World Trade Center. 66 of them did not make it home that night. Among them were some of my Dad’s closest friends—golf buddies, fellow road warriors in business, close friends. The loss of them broke our hearts into a million pieces.
102 minutes elapsed from the moment the first plane flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center to the North Tower collapsing. It took 102 minutes to collapse the Towers, burn the Pentagon, kill 40 people on a plane in Pennsylvania, and send panic into every home in America. When I hear politicians speak of their experience on January 6th, I think of these 102 minutes. I think about how scared every American was during those moments. How can this even compare to January 6th?
After the September 11th attacks, stories began to emerge of the people who played a part in the drama of the day—the survivors, the dead, the firemen, the heroes on the plane and the families left behind. Americans were stronger than we realized—more heroic and courageous. We baked cookies for our local firemen, and we hoisted American flags in our front yards. We prayed more and we spent time with our families. I can’t recall anyone telling me that January 6th had completely changed their communities, their homes, and their way of life.
In 2001, we became better, more appreciative as a people. Peggy Noonan wrote in one of her columns during that time, “we have seen our national character in eloquent acts of sacrifice. In these acts, and in many others, Americans showed a deep commitment to one another, and an abiding love for our country.” I think this was true then, and that it is still true today.
The divide that many speak of now—it’s in the mind of our chattering class. They want Americans to believe that January 6th was the darkest day in American history. Most Americans do believe that the attacks on the Capitol were serious but don’t see this as a politically flammable issue anymore.
Jimmy Dunne, the managing partner of Sandler O’Neill in 2001, said that in that moment we all needed to stand up and define who we really are, and be an example of people who live and work with honor. It was our responsibility to those we lost to not fall apart but to survive. We didn't let the terrorist attacks destroy us—we persisted and out of that tragedy came so much good, the better angels of our nature prevailed.
The events on January 6th gave us an opportunity to course correct. The Capitol Police are now better prepared and election reforms are taking place. However, to have our nation’s leaders insisting that the events of the day be burned into our memories is simply insulting and it disgraces the memories we keep alive of those distinct moments in American history that united us and changed who we are as a country.
There is an entire generation now that didn’t experience September 11th first-hand. Many of us are telling our children the stories of the courage, the selflessness, the acts of love and the sacrifice. We are the ones reminding them of the commitment to a common purpose. This is what we want burned into the memories of every American.
Emily Duke Hargan is the Managing Principal of The Hargan Group, a healthcare consulting firm. She has 25 years of experience in government affairs, public policy, and political fundraising. She is married to Eric D. Hargan, former HHS Deputy Secretary, and the daughter of a 9/11 survivor. She is also the founder of the political and lifestyle blog Bourbon and Politics. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyHargan
