An increasing number of Americans are okay with resorting to violence when it comes to expressing their political beliefs. Data from a new poll conducted by the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), showed that calls to “lower the temperature” might be falling on deaf ears.
University of Chicago Professor Robert Pape’s research found that 10% of American adults, about 26 million people, agree that “the use of force is justified to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president.”
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On the other side of the political spectrum, the research showed 7% of Americans, about 18 million people, agreed that using force “is justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency.”
Instead of settling differences with conversations or at the ballot box, some people opted for violence in an attempt to get their point across.
Shortly after a man attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office.
“A former president was shot,” Biden said. “An American citizen killed while simply exercising his freedom to support the candidate of his choosing. We cannot, we must not go down this road in America. We’ve traveled it before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer.”
Then, 10 days later, a man on an ATV ran over an 80-year-old putting pro-Trump signs on his lawn. Police said a 22-year-old man carried out that politically-motivated attack and two others before killing himself.
The attacks happened in Michigan, a swing state. Before the 2020 election, federal officials arrested several men who said they were plotting to kidnap and possibly kill Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In recent years, several high-profile examples of escalating political violence and threats made headlines.
In June 2022, police arrested a man armed with a gun and a knife. They said he attempted to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Supreme Court police warned there was a significant increase in violent threats as protesters showed up at justices’ homes after someone leaked the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
A man attacked Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their home in October 2022. The man smashed Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer. Paul Pelosi survived what could have been a fatal attack.
The largest instance of violence occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
In 2021, the National League of Cities conducted a poll of 112 public officials. It found 4 in 5 officials experienced harassment and threats of violence.
Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told NPR that two strategies are shown to work to reduce political violence.
First, politicians on both sides of the aisle have to down down political rhetoric. They also needed to make it clear that “violence has no place within their side.”
Second, Kleinfeld said, correcting “misconceptions” makes a big difference. It allows every day Americans to “understand the the difference between their neighbors and the leaders.”
With less than 100 days to go until the 2024 general election, CPOST research showed more than half of Americans disagree with any form of political violence.
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
AN INCREASING NUMBER OF AMERICANS ARE OKAY WITH RESORTING TO VIOLENCE WHEN IT COMES TO EXPRESSING THEIR POLITICAL BELIEFS.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO RECENT RESEARCH AND NEW POLLING.
IT COULD BE A SIGN THAT CALLS TO ‘LOWER THE TEMPERATURE’ MAY BE FALLING ON DEAF EARS.
PROFESSOR ROBERT PAPE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO FOUND THAT 10% OF AMERICAN ADULTS – NEARLY 26 MILLION PEOPLE – AGREE THAT “THE USE OF FORCE IS JUSTIFIED TO PREVENT DONALD TRUMP FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT.”
HIS RESEARCH ALSO FOUND – ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM NEARLY 7-PERCENT OF AMERICANS — 18 MILLION – AGREE THAT USING FORCE “IS JUSTIFIED TO RESTORE DONALD TRUMP TO THE PRESIDENCY.”
INSTEAD OF SETTLING DIFFERENCES WITH EITHER A CONVERSATION OR AT THE BALLOT BOX – SOME HAVE OPTED FOR VIOLENCE TO ATTEMPT TO GET THEIR POINT ACROSS.
SHORTLY AFTER THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP – PRESIDENT BIDEN ADDRESSED THE NATION –
[PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN]
“TURN DOWN THE TEMPERATURE.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
THEN – TEN DAYS AFTER TRUMP’S NEAR-ASSASSINATION – A MANON AN ATV RAN OVER AN 80-YEAR-OLD PUTTING UP PRO-TRUMP SIGNS ON HIS LAWN. POLICE SAID IT WAS ONE OF THREE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED ATTACKS BY THE SAME 22-YEAR-OLD SUSPECT – WHO LATER KILLED HIMSELF.
IT HAPPENED IN MICHIGAN – THE SAME SWING STATE WHERE, IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE 20-20 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FEDERAL OFFICIALS ARRESTED SEVERAL MEN WHO SAID THEY WERE PLOTTING TO KIDNAP AND POSSIBLY KILL GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER, A DEMOCRAT.
IN RECENT YEARS – THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL HIGH PROFILE EXAMPLES OF ESCALATING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THREATS:
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI’S HUSBAND WAS ATTACKED INSIDE HIS HOME IN OCTOBER 2022. A MAN WITH A HAMMER SMASHED HIM IN THE HEAD AND LUCKILY, HE SURVIVED WHAT COULD’VE BEEN A FATAL ATTACK.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2022, POLICE ARRESTED A MAN ARMED WITH A GUN AND A KNIFE, ACCUSING HIM OF ATTEMPTING TO MURDER SUPREME JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH. SUPREME COURT POLICE HAD WARNED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN VIOLENT THREATS AS PROTESTERS SHOWED UP AT JUSTICES’ HOMES FOLLOWING THE LEAK OF THE DOBBS DECISION.
THERE’S ALSO JANUARY 6, 2021 – WHEN TRUMP SUPPORTERS STORMED THE U-S CAPITOL, ATTEMPTING TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION OF PRESIDENT BIDEN.
THAT SAME YEAR – THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CONDUCTED A POLL OF 112 PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND FOUND THAT 4 IN 5 SAID THEY EXPERIENCED HARASSMENT, AND THREATS OF VIOLENCE.
WITH AN EXTREMELY DIVISIVE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE DURING THIS ELECTION CYCLE –IS IT POSSIBLE TO TURN DOWN THE TEMPERATURE?
NPR INTERVIEWED RACHEL KLEINFELD, A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE – SHE SAID TWO THINGS ARE SHOWN TO WORK: FIRST, POLITICIANS ON BOTH SIDES NEED TO TONE DOWN THEIR RHETORIC AND MAKE IT CLEAR THAT “VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE WITHIN THEIR SIDE.
AND TWO – SHE SAYS CORRECTING “MISPERCEPTIONS” MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE BECAUSE IT ALLOWS EVERYDAY AMERICANS TO “UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THE LEADERS”
WITH LESS THAN 100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE GENERAL ELECTION –
PROFESSOR PAPE’S RESEARCH SHOWS – MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS DISAGREE WITH ANY FORMS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT ONLY TAKES ONE BAD ACTOR TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY – WHICH AMERICANS WITNESSED ON JULY 13TH.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.
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