AP Photo/J. David Ake On Tuesday, the chairman of the Capitol riot committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), claimed that “the rioters came dangerously close to succeeding” in their effort to “upend American democracy.” That statement is, quite frankly, ludicrous, but there are serious threats to American representative democracy at work today, and we need to fight against them. While the Capitol riot was a national disgrace, it did not represent a serious threat to America’s constitutional system of government. Rioters broke through the strangely weak police lines and breached the Capitol, but the senators and congressmen evacuated safely. Vice President Mike Pence did not bow to pressure, Congress resumed a few hours after the violence, and both chambers certified the Electoral College results, declaring that Joe Biden would be the next president.