This article explores the similarities between Senator Josh Hawley’s actions leading up to the January 6th insurrection and Aaron Burr’s actions during the 1804 duel with Alexander Hamilton. It examines the consequences of political ambition and the impact it can have on democracy.
In the 2015 hit musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda re-introduced the country not only to Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, but also to his lesser-known contemporary (and eventual killer) Aaron Burr. In the play—and also in real life—Aaron Burr was known as the consummate political animal; someone who was willing to do anything he believed would advance his political interests.
At one point in the musical, Hamilton asks Burr in frustration, “Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” Burr’s responds with, “No. I’m chasing what I want…” Eventually, Hamilton chooses to support his own arch-nemesis Thomas Jefferson over Burr in the Election of 1800. Hamilton succinctly explains his reasoning: “[W]hen all is said and all is done, Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none.”
These Hamilton/Burr exchanges came to mind this week as I pondered the three-year anniversary of the events of January 6th, 2021, and Senator Josh Hawley’s role in them.
Senator Hawley has taken a lot of flak for his actions on January 6th. Opponents gleefully replay photos of Hawley raising his fist to the assembled mob preparing to storm the Capitol, followed by clips of Hawley running to safety after the mob has infiltrated the building. Conservatives and Liberals alike have criticized him for giving a sense of legitimacy to Donald Trump’s stolen election claims by being the first sitting senator to object to the certification of the election.
But I think these criticisms, while valid, are not the biggest reasons we should be ashamed of Hawley’s January 6th behavior. Yes, his raised fist looks awfully silly now. But I doubt he had any idea what that mob was about to do. And yes, he was in a hurry to get out of the building once the mob attacked. But I probably would be anxious to leave too if a violent mob was overrunning my place of work. I’m even willing to cut him a tiny bit of slack on his role in legitimizing stolen election claims—Hawley at least came to the Capitol that day armed with legal arguments (although they were highly questionable). Many other Trump minions (e.g. Rudy Giuliani) were simply peddling outright lies in the weeks leading up to January 6th.
To someone like me who voted for Josh Hawley in 2018, it is his actions in the weeks following January 6th that demonstrate he is completely unfit for his office. For most Americans, January 6th was a shocking and disturbing day. It was the first time in any of our lifetimes (and arguably in the history of the country) that a group of citizens had used violence to try to thwart the peaceful transfer of power. It was a clear sign that something is seriously wrong with our politics. It should have been the ultimate wake-up call for anyone who played even a small role in causing the events of that day.
But it wasn’t a wake-up call for Senator Hawley. And here is where the Aaron Burr comparison comes in. Everyone makes mistakes. And for me, Hawley’s actions would have been largely forgivable if he had said something like this the day after the Capitol riots: “I condemn in the strongest terms possible the actions of the protestors at the Capitol yesterday, and I deeply regret and apologize for anything I said or did that helped lead to that outcome. That sort of behavior has no place in our democracy.”
That is not what we heard from our Senator. Instead, he doubled down and leaned into his role in the events of that day, believing it would endear him to the Republican primary voters he hopes will one day choose him as their presidential nominee. Today, you can buy coffee mugs and t-shirts on his website that glorify and celebrate his January 6th role. In true Burr-ian fashion, he is “chasing what [he] want[s]”, the stability of our democracy be damned.
Jared Young is a former CEO and attorney who is currently an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri.
