I'm sure the majority of seditionists aren't the brightest bulbs and probably had no idea they were

[captain queeg]

being manipulated. But, I wonder what they thought they'd accomplish if they had been successful. Or how they defined success? I can only think that they had really been convinced the election was stolen by wide spread voter fraud. So what did they think they'd accomplish? The election results would be thrown out, and then...? New elections? The crowning of King Trump? Whatabout all the senators and congressman who won? I guess only select election results would be overturned. Its pretty obvious no one was thinking this thru, including trump.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Do mobs think?

[elleng]

4. I don't know, but I'm sure there are 'students' of the subject.

[Pantagruel]

2. Manipulated "tools"

rarely have long term goals, they just want to strike the "enemy".
Think about the 9/11 perpetrators , their little $500,000 operation resulted in global turmoil, untold deaths , ruined lives and the wasting of $TRILLIONS in response.

[marylandblue]

3. I think they expected to force Congressmembers to vote their way.

There is precedent for this. When the German Parliament passed the Enabling Act for Hitler, the building was surrounded by Brownshirts.

[Atticus]

5. The simple question "And then what?" Is seldom asked. nt

[abqtommy]

6. A lot of seditionists are going to end up doing hard time. As long as they keep thinning their own

herd then we can focus on more productive things...

[Skittles]

7. these same idiots were offended by kneeling football players

fucking MORONS

[IsItJustMe]

11. I call them MORANS.

[Maraya1969]

8. I think they have been brainwashed. here is a little information from Wikipedia

Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subjects' ability to think critically or independently,[1] to allow the introduction of new, unwanted thoughts and ideas into their minds,[2] as well as to change their attitudes, values and beliefs.[3][4]

The term "brainwashing" was first used in English by Edward Hunter in 1950 to describe how the Chinese government appeared to make people cooperate with them. Research into the concept also looked at Nazi Germany, at some criminal cases in the United States, and at the actions of human traffickers. In the 1970s there was considerable scientific and legal debate, as well as media attention, about the possibility of brainwashing being a factor in the conversion of young people to some new religious movements, which were often referred to as cults at the time.[5][6] The concept of brainwashing is sometimes involved in lawsuits, especially regarding child custody. It can also be a theme in science fiction and in political and corporate culture, but is not generally accepted as a scientific term.[7][8]

[Cracklin Charlie]

9. They were human shields.

A distraction device to hide the actions of folks that were there to do real damage. Their lives and livelihoods were, and still are, placed in grave danger by those they decided to follow.

Some of them really did just get swept along in something they didn’t understand. And their lack of understanding, despicably, was also part of the plan.

It really makes me sick to think that someone like Flynn, or Alex Jones knowingly led their carefully mis-informed followers, some of them grandmas, old guys, veterans, that woman from Texas, into a potentially deadly situation.

Disgusting.

[IsItJustMe]

10. Looked to me like a bunch of inbreeds, perverts, mental patients, misfits and degenerates.

Apologize in advance for the people mentioned above for bunching them together with
this group of insurrectionist miscreants.

But some seemed to know what they were doing and seemed to be there with a purpose.
Withholding judgement until more is know.

[Hekate]

12. What I think is really worth considering is how many were white collar workers & professionals...

The guy up the hill from me is a Trumpista so sad he still has his US flag flying upside down — and he’s a medical doctor.

There were 3 people from Beverley Hills who went to the insurrection, and one was a doctor. People arrested and/or spotted in DC run the gamut from real estate agent to school teacher and on in that vein. One in 5 are veterans.

This really worries me. Between the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 and 1933 Hitler co-opted enough of all classes of society and was invited right in.

Yeah, a lot of the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists look dumb as a sack of hammers — but a lot of them are not dumb at all. And some of them are in Congress.

ETA link to op-ed I originally read in the LA Times, but this will do
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/jan/22/insurrection-was-americas-beer-hall-putsch/