"We remember the heroes who ran into the burning buildings to rescue those trapped inside, and the dauntless passengers on Flight 93 who laid down their lives to save others, including almost certainly those of us in the U.S. Capitol"
About this Quote
Memory is doing political work here. By stitching together burning buildings and Flight 93, Todd Tiahrt taps the emotional canon of 9/11: the firefighter as secular saint, the passenger as citizen-soldier. The phrasing is calibrated to trigger reverence before anyone has time to ask what comes next. "We remember" isn’t nostalgia; it’s a loyalty test, a cue that there is a correct posture in public.
The most strategic clause is the long tail: "including almost certainly those of us in the U.S. Capitol". It’s a quiet pivot from national mourning to institutional self-preservation. He converts a collective trauma into a protective aura around lawmakers, positioning Congress not as a target of criticism but as a site of potential martyrdom. The hedge "almost certainly" functions like legal insulation: confident enough to sound true, cautious enough to evade factual dispute.
Subtextually, this is about legitimacy. By implying that Flight 93’s resistance was, in part, for the benefit of elected officials, the quote elevates the Capitol from a building into a symbol of the people’s survival, and it flatters its occupants as worthy recipients of sacrifice. The intent is less to honor the dead than to enlist them.
Context matters: this kind of language typically surfaces when politicians seek unity, expanded security powers, or deference to government institutions. The moral capital of 9/11 heroism gets spent to pre-empt skepticism, making disagreement feel like disrespect.
The most strategic clause is the long tail: "including almost certainly those of us in the U.S. Capitol". It’s a quiet pivot from national mourning to institutional self-preservation. He converts a collective trauma into a protective aura around lawmakers, positioning Congress not as a target of criticism but as a site of potential martyrdom. The hedge "almost certainly" functions like legal insulation: confident enough to sound true, cautious enough to evade factual dispute.
Subtextually, this is about legitimacy. By implying that Flight 93’s resistance was, in part, for the benefit of elected officials, the quote elevates the Capitol from a building into a symbol of the people’s survival, and it flatters its occupants as worthy recipients of sacrifice. The intent is less to honor the dead than to enlist them.
Context matters: this kind of language typically surfaces when politicians seek unity, expanded security powers, or deference to government institutions. The moral capital of 9/11 heroism gets spent to pre-empt skepticism, making disagreement feel like disrespect.
Quote Details
| Topic | Legacy & Remembrance |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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