James Buchanan was widely regarded as the worst President in American history until January 6, 2020. Buchanan presided over the slide to Civil War. The last month of the Buchanan administration saw the rebellious states prepare for war. On February 8, 1861, the first seven of the traitorous states formed the Confederate States of America. Buchanan was President until Abraham Lincoln's inauguration on March 4.
The war did not begin until the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12. For 39 days, President Lincoln, one of the greatest Presidents who ever lived, tried to re-unite the country and then defend the United States.
In the 157-day period between election day November 6, 1860, and April 12, 1861, many families split, many friendships ended, many comrades took opposite sides in the coming war.
The terrorist attack on the Capitol on January 6 began with an hour of incitement by Trump based on his endless lies about the election. After the attack that left five dead, 139 members of Congress and 8 senators voted not to accept the election results: AFTER the Capitol was attacked. They are still seated in Congress. They should not be.
Eight of those traitorous Republicans are Pennsylvania representatives including my former commander in Iraq, Scott Perry. President Joe Biden has been sworn into office, but Perry and the rest of the insurrection caucus stand by Trump's lies. They have broken their oath to uphold the Constitution.
Every day since January 6, I have wondered if this is what it felt like to live in 1861 and watch the country fall apart. For the first time in 240 years, the United States of America did not have a peaceful transfer of power. The President told his followers to attack the Capitol, then he refused to attend the inauguration of the new President.
Buchanan went to Lincoln's inauguration.
