Opinion Polls and Political Violence

Slim majorities of the three party groups (between 51% and 54%) blame the mental health system’s failure to identify dangerous individuals as a major reason for political violence.

Democrats and Republicans demonstrate stark differences in their perceptions of whether easy gun access is a primary factor for the recent spate of political violence (74% of Democrats vs. 14% of Republicans). Republicans are more prone than Democrats and independents to consider drug use, inadequate public security, and media violence as the primary factors.

Predictably, a segment of Americans feel they have been granted permission to engage in unhinged behavior thanks to a commander-in chief who marginalizes, if not outright excuses, excessive and incendiary remarks from supporters. Trump has himself done things like singling out a young female reporter by attacking her appearance. Meanwhile, his vice president has described a group of Republican operatives using scurrilous, racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic idiom as “young people doing stupid things” These operatives ranged from 30 to 42 years old.

A great deal of people tend to take their cues from those at the top of the political hierarchy. Left-wing bombast can be inappropriate, vile, callous, and unacceptable, including comparing all Republicans to Nazis and labeling all Trump supporters as “garbage.” Neither side has a monopoly on crass verbiage that is worthy of denunciation.

Astringent political hyperbole has been a part of the fabric of this nation since its inception. Nevertheless, we are at an inflection point. Sober adults must make a good-faith effort to temper their comments by using more diplomacy and less hyperbole. They must remember that future generations in America and the rest of the world are watching and learning from them.