We have seen a rise in both rage rhetoric and political violence. New polling shows a shocking level of support for political violence, even after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. A new poll shows roughly a quarter of voters believe political violence is justified with the highest percentage among younger voters.
The poll shows that 55 percent of Americans expect political violence to increase with the highest percentage among Harris voters at 61 percent.
Younger Americans are the most supportive of political violence. The poll shows that one in three Americans under 45 years old believes that political violence is justified.
This tracks with other polling that shows that roughly thirty percent of both Democrats and Republicans felt that political violence might be necessary.
The rise in support for political violence comes at a time when politicians are increasingly engaging in violent or rage rhetoric.
DNC Chair Ken Martin just told MSNBC’s “The Beat” that “we may be nearing” the moment when “elections don’t matter and then the resistance looks completely different.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on people to “forcefully rise up.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who pictures himself brandishing a baseball bat has previously called upon people to “fight in the streets.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom previously declared, “I’m going to punch these sons of bitches in the mouth.”
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger called upon her supporters to “Let your rage fuel you.” She then refused to withdraw her support for the Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Jay Jones, who once expressed his desire to kill his political opponents and his children.
In his podcast with co-host Al Hunt, James Carville was again spewing unhinged hate. He returned to treating Trump and others as Nazis and their supporters as “collaborators.” I previously criticized Carville for that analogy. He later attacked me.
Doubling down, Carville declared
“You know what we do with collaborators? I think these corporations, my fantasy dream is that this nightmare ends in 2029 and I think we ought to have radical things. I think they all ought to have their heads shaven, they should be put in orange pajamas and they should be marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and the public should be invited to spit on them.”
To be sure that his menacing words were not lost, he then added “The universities, the corporations, the law firms, all of these collaborators should be shaved, pajamaed and spit on.”
There was no later pushback by his co-host, Hunt, or anyone else associated with the podcast.
Notably, going into today’s election, Jay Jones was still leading in the polls despite saying that he wanted to kill political opponents and their children. Democratic voters were clearly not deterred by such rage rhetoric.
Strangely the comments on this blog sound eerily like the Black Panthers 70’s rhetoric. Lots of violence against white people.
That is just you reading into something that is not there. Or you are projecting again.
The honorable Elijah Mohammed…
It’s a little depressing that the human species has now almost come full circle/full Monte, -coming from the ape-like primal emotions and behaviors of our ancestors, through centuries of developed civilizations’ religious fears and governmental (penal) sanctions/controls, -to more lax/laissez-faire polite silence (live and let live), -to increasingly-resigned acceptance and lack of constraint or resistance, —-to a return to expressive primal anger/rage/violence and destruction like our ape-like ancestors tearing up the forest in a rampage.
How did we go from the Age of Enlightenment back to Lights Out, Folks?
(When I cracked a molar tooth that split vertically along the line of an old filling (eating ice cream with frozen almonds), my dentist was surprised at the length of the tooth root. I asked him if ancestry.com would tell me that I was % Neanderthal? He laughed and said, “better that than adding pre-historic ape DNA to the gene pool” (Uncle Bonobo or Auntie GIbbon.)
Can we meet somewhere in the middle?
I agree with Ollie in calling out and challenging others’ words or actions. But there is a civil way of doing it without reducing ourselves to the lowest common denominator, changing the gene pool for our progeny.
Lin,
That is a very thoughtful comment. Ten or so years ago, I would say we could have debates on a given topic in a civil setting to discuss our points of view, common ground and differing ground. Seems that went away with the hecklers veto the leftists employ to silence anyone with whom they disagree. It is also why they assassinated Charlie Kirk. When they tried to debate him, he used facts to dismantle their positions as they were flimsy in the first place. I think that is why we are seeing them use the hate and rage rhetoric to justify their actions, as the good professor pointed out the other day. When their hate and rage is just, they can commit heinous acts without feeling remorse or guilt.
I do agree with both you and OLLY, to challenge others words or actions. Unfortunately these days you are just as likely to get physically attacked by the black bloc terrorists for your efforts to engage in civil debate.
full Monty.
Drive by in jeeps loaded with huge chunks of meat. We don’t need no stinkin snaps.
Carville is expressing a desire for the type of response people had to the fall of the Third Reich, an apt comparison to MAGA. Same sort of response. Trump followers are seditionists and treasonists.
A plurality of Americans disagree with you and Carville.
And you and Carville are idiots.
The colonies decided to leave the British empire, which was having none of it, so the colonists
had to use violence to enforce their decision.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hz1JWzyvv8A
It’s not much of a free speech blog really, is it?
It appears younger voters are too easily influenced by this negative rhetoric.
How can we turn around things to have a positive influence?
Where do children learn how to respond to people and ideas with whom they disagree? It would appear that our communication skills and values begin in the home (hello, parents) and are refined in our schools (hello teachers). If young adults lack the confidence and competence to carry on a cogent discussion, their parents and their teachers have failed them. And, unfortunately, these young adults cannot teach their own children what they themselves do not know.
Took me a bit of time to find this in the report.
_________________________
Democrats, for example, are more likely than Republicans to say that violence will increase.
So where is it. No source. More lies?
You fool. It’s from the what Turley posted. Try reading it.
Jezzzzzzzz.
DustOff,
That would require effort. Like a child, annony moron wants everything spoon fed to her. And if she does not get her way, she goes into a screaming tantrum. Just like a child.
Our activist Media shapes public perception. It is driving division within our society. Closed loop. Report on division and violence. Comment on division and violence. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Free Speech at work or the Soros Effect?
So if a conservative website shapes media, its somehow not activist?
In the movie “Death on the Nile”, the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, tells the villain, “Don’t let hate into your heart, or it will make a home there.” This is what’s happened in America. All the hate speech acts like a parasite on the sensibilities of many younger people, who off and on, feel despair about the future. Hate is the companion of violence, and moreover is the ultimate expression of hate. So, when one party uses hate at their only tool to win elections, they do so at the risk of creating an atmosphere of violence. Therefore… If you want less violence, tone down the hate.
Despite Professor Turley’s “chicken little” alarms, much of the violence is a passing fancy for those who engage in it. The solution is simple: arrest and prosecute the main troublemakers, and the problem will quickly come to a halt. These people are not hardened criminals but disillusioned wannabes consumed by self-loathing. They crave not the changes they demand, but instead the adulation of their co-rioters. For them, membership is therapeutic. They are fans, all together and in every way, rooting lively for the same team. Have a Nice Day is replaced by Have a Nice War!
The rioters offer nothing but violence and disrespect for the norms of society, of which they no longer feel a part. Their “philosophy” is a deadly mix of nihilism and anarchy, a self-assisted suicide cocktail that intoxicates whatever remaining rational thoughts they have. Their form of elitism will fail quickly when the system they so despise takes physical control of them. As they bargain for their freedom, they will be forced to face and relinquish the baseless beliefs that brought them to this point. When they realize that their false gods cannot protect them, they will rush to abandon them. Some no doubt will take a darker path, but many, hopefully most, will recant their foolishness and recover.
JJC,
“. . . disillusioned wannabes consumed by self-loathing.”
Great comment, great line!
I think one or a few FBI busts of domestic terrorist antifa groups would bring some of them around to the FAFO thinking. But there would be some of the true believer terrorists who would attempt to carry on the fight . . . against nothing.
The modern libs shed some light on how normally sane individuals can be incited to arrest, convict and hang innocent women accused of witchcraft. Basic human behavior really hasn’t progressed very much.
“Basic human behavior really hasn’t progressed very much.”
As demonstrated by the Jan 06, 2021 insurrectionists, who wanted to “Hang Mike Pence” and went looking for Nancy Pelosi, seeking to do her harm. And the Orangutan-in-Chief pardoned the lot of them.
BillyG: Your allusion to the 1692 Salem witch trials, however inadvertent, may not be relevant in the current context.
A women was murdered by a Capital officer for NO -reason.
She was illegally in the Capitol (not capital) was stormed through a door. That’s not a threat? BTW, did you in fact talk to the officer about any reasons?
That does NOT give the officer the right to kill her.
Try reading the law.
Home invasion and she got smoked for it. Even more should’ve gotten lit up.
I blame the Commies and Socialists who have permeated our education system and fast-tracked to teaching positions dimwit libs who think just like them, i.e., ‘Might makes right.’
Mamdani is a perfect example. Who could vote for such a person who has never done one meaningful thing in his entire life but now promises New Yorkers a Communist Utopia? This won’t end well.
Can you prove that they are commies and socialists?
25%+- young people believe that violence…. It’s not so much a belief but an indoctrination that is serving the purpose of a belief system since the majority of them are either atheists or agnostics. They find community with like minded, brainwashed members of the cult and it feeds their need to belong. Similar to the numbers that “believed” in transgenderism and we see that that particular community is shrinking and the cult has moved on to the “No Kings”, palestine, and the violence is political speech movements.
Throughout history and even before, we find mankind creating belief systems as a comfort in this vast universe. It is a need in humans to try and comprehend what is around us. By removing established religions from public education and other public functions, we have provided little to no alternatives to which young people can cling so they find community in small groups that rely on ideology rather than faith.
I do think that some are beginning to comprehend just what damage has been done to our culture/society by the insertion of unproven/questionable concepts through our progressive-controlled media/education industry. Whether we, demographically, can overcome this damage is a question that may be presaged by today’s elections.
Quite a violent rant you have going on there.
Just the young? So all adults are civil and levelheaded?
These poll findings are now very old news, Professor Turley. What is NEW grist for your constitutional mill are the previously concealed and but now released documents showing how your fellow Democrat lawyers and members of your bar association got together to target and deprive over 430 Republicans of their FIRST AMENDMENT rights – as well as their Fourth Amendment rights.
It has been days now – and you’re still silent! You don’t think this massive police state fascist Age Of Rage conspiracy by your fellow Democrats is worthy of you writing a column about? Scared?
Jack Smith and AG Merrick Garland Issued Subpoenas Targeting More Than 400 Republicans, Organizations and Lawyers In their Arctic Frost Case
Then-Special Counsel Jack Smith went through AG Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray in their sweeping Arctic Frost-linked case against President Donald Trump related to the 2020 election, seeking records on more than 400 Republican personalities and groups, according to declassified records found hidden at the Department Of Justice and released to the public today by the U.S. Senate Committee On The Judiciary.
Records of the subpoenas and other forms of legal demands used by Jack Smith were provided through legally protected whistleblower disclosures. Smith, Wray, and Garland targeted at least 430 named Republican individuals and entities. Some of the records Smith obtained from banks, individuals and businesses through the power of his appointment included:
– Communications with media companies such as CBS, Fox News, Fox Business, Newsmax, Sinclair and others.
– Communications with “any member, employee or agent of the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government.”
– Communications with all Executive Branch advisors.
– Statistical data and analysis relating to donors and fundraising efforts.
– Broad financial data relating to conservative individuals and entities.
“fellow Democrat lawyers and members of your bar association got together to target and deprive..” That’s quite a mouth full. You got facts to prove it?
Funny, that’s what Monica told Bill.
Come on Jon, you KNOW violence has been part of American politics since 1773. First it was against King George then it was against each other. There was violence all through the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century and it has continued ever since. Both parties are equally guilty of it. The difference now is we have the Internet to egg each other on.
semcgowanjr says: “Both parties are equally guilty of it. The difference now is we have the Internet to egg each other on.”
It’s the reliable old party trick that identifies Democrats: Nothing To See Here, Please Believe semcgowanjr, Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes™ The feeble and fraudulent attempts at claiming a moral equivalency.
Oh yes, we remember the old days before the Internet, when actors, entertainers, and other public figures would go on television or on stage holding up a model of the current president’s head covered in fake blood. Or muse on television how nice it would be if somebody murdered the president or blew up the White House with the president and his family in it. Or campaigning politicians would send text messages and leave voice mail to opposing party politicians telling them how they dreamed of murdering other politicians and their children!
We saw all that before the Internet changed us. And it wasn’t just Republicans doing that (as well as their spending an entire spring and fall rioting across the country, burning down black neighborhoods).
No, even some Democrats were doing what those Republicans were doing before the Internet. Clearly, both were equally guilty of it before the Internet – the purest form of Democrat moral equivalency!
If you are a dedicated student of history then you already know that violence is surely a part of human community but, and here in lies the distinction, successful cultures either deal with the violence or they succumb to it.
The British succumbed to our violence; they lost and the rebels won. In our mid 19th century violence/rebellion lost and the confederate states lost. It can go either way depending on the stamina of each side.
It is not inevitable that the rebels win, but it will be costly in many ways and I am afraid that we haven’t acted in ways to prevent this current and senseless rebellion of the ignorant. But if you observe the latent violence when snap was shut off, you can see what is coming should enough of the sane adults remaining decide to try and save our nation.
Does one have to be “dedicated student” of history to know history?
The British did not succumb to “our violence”. It was the French navy that ended the war. Think Yorktown.
Both parties are equally guilty of it.
Sam, as you appear to be a decent Democrat (like we were familiar with back in the days of JFK and even Jimmy Carter), don’t you feel at least some embarrassment at publicly attempting to deflect by claiming there is absolutely nothing new or different with the rage, hatred and lies of today’s most prominent Democrat figures? Attempting that by claiming there is a moral equivalency here: Republicans are doing exactly the same things as these Democrats?
What’s next Sam? Claiming the rest of us don’t see that Republicans do exactly the same thing because the Washington Post, New York Times, etc decide not to fully expose it – while doing their very best to minimize or not even mention what Democrats are doing?
Do you have any inner struggle sessions with yourself before posting schtick like this in hopes of deflecting from what has been the DNC since you voted for Obama to be “A President For All Americans”? And then promptly pronouncing white Americans to be “systemically racist” – right after white Democrats (joined by many white independents and Republicans) elected him?
Followed by eight years of Obama treating our military like a door mat at the entry to the house from the barn?
Sam, you should expect better from yourself.
“Sam . . .”
You have a knack for reading an “e” as an “a.”
Democrats are fascists. They are 1930’s styled German Fascists!
The Democrats have clearly been fighting a 2nd Civil War.
There needs to be 1000’s of Democrats jailed for their crimes!
Also a Dramatic reduction in the Federal Aid going to them!
End all Federal Aid to cities, states, non-profits and colleges
Outlaw Public Unions, the Political Army of the Democrats
Jail ANYONE giving taxpayer money, services to illegals…that is a CRIME
Also we need to JAIL these out of control judges. A judge BREAKING THE LAW…is a CRIMINAL!
Republicans have to stop being the bi-partisan nice guys!
This is a WAR!
Another example of conservatives screaming violence against Americans.
Say what?
“This is a WAR!”
Oh, blow it out your sophmoric arse. 🤪
Got proof that dems are fascists? Your speech has all the hallmarks of a violent fascist diatribe. Even a call to violence.
Political parties should be disbanded.
All I can say is God help us all! These are dark, scary times, and the longer we allow this, the worse things are going to get. How would all these people calling for political violence react if the tables were turned on them?
.
jeanne,
I mentioned yesterday, as in socialist societies, they rant and rave, call or demand action, but want someone else to do it. Ask them to do the fighting, and they come up with convenient excuses. Really think those black bloc pasty white soy boys are going to any real fighting when facing off with real men and women?
” socialist societies, they rant and rave, call or demand action, but want someone else to do it.” Um… where to begin. You’re ignorant, first off. And socialist do not demand action.
As far as I can see when I look at the comments on this blog, that you conservatives want a war; an overwhelming hate towards Americans who think differently than you.
Wrong. As usual.
You claim to see that us conservatives want war. The majority of our comments do not advocate war, or violence. Quite the opposite. Just yesterday I was commenting to S. Meyer about how civil war needs to be avoided at all costs. I know what that looks like. Unfortunately for us, by the polling the good professor provided and as DustOff points out, of those who support the use of political violence, the majority is Democrats. If leftists Democrats really want to go down that path, we shall let them start it. We shall finish it. Not with joy but sadness as it is what needs to be done if they want a war. I do not have a overwhelming hate towards Americans who think differently then me. That is you projecting.
Upstate, your point was proven. All we have to do is look at the attacks from the left on the right. It isolated the left into the crazy sphere, and all the battles like DEI, censorship are being won by the right. However, my warning remains that some elements on the right, along with youthful players trying to build numbers, will be troublesome.
Prof Turley, you made one misstatement: “…roughly thirty percent of both Democrats and Republicans felt that political violence might be necessary.” You Gov research https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/52960-charlie-kirk-americans-political-violence-poll shows that 5 times as many Liberals (42%) than Conservatives (9%) said YES when asked “Do you think it is ever justified for citizens to resort to violence in order to achieve political goals?” This has played out since 2016 with the Left acting on this far more than the Right. The most obvious are:
– 3 assassination attempts on Trump
– Assassination attempts on conservative SCOTUS (notice none on the Liberal justices)
– Assassination attempts on Republicans at a Congressional baseball game
– 70% of the violence in the abortion cases are by pro abortion factors
– Killing of insurance exec
– Shooting at ICE in TX,
– Assassination of Charlie Kirk (ON A CAMPUS!) following years of violence at multiple colleges against Conservative speakers like Riley Gaines,
– Murder of young Israeli diplomats in D.C by a Leftist
– Killing of Minnesota Dems who had both just voted with Republicans on limiting benefits to illegal aliens. The shooter was a Democrat who’d been appointed to multiple positions by Walz and Dayton.
– Gov Shapiro’s firebombed by a supporter of Hamas and Palestine who hated Israel.
– Paul Pelosi attacked by a Berkeley, “hemp jewelry maker”, nudist
We have to name the problem in order to solve it.
Name the problem: republicanism.
Maybe you can’t read or you would know that it’s Leftist ideology (though you might just be one of those uneducated Leftists)
highlyeducatedsuburbanwoman,
With respect, I disagree. Clearly the annony moron IS Educated. That is why she completely got the problem wrong. She may be educated, but she lacks intelligence, logic, reason and common sense as she could not pick up on the obvious commonalities of the list you provided. Even this un-educated farmer could see the obvious.
Read? Uneducated? Sure can, but the hate you spew is too filled with violence its impossible to understand.
You’re highly educated? You fooled me.
I wanted to say, go do a visit to the mall to cool down. But I won’t. Oh, you’re name Karen?
Hey Anonymous. Your writing is showing that you are either ignorant or not American for example, it’s “your name ” not “you’re name” … and it’s not Karen.
Point out the hate you claim highlyeducatedsuburbanwoman spews. She listed a list of actual facts. All those things actually happened. Yet you claim she is spewing hate? Where? Prove it.
Nope, try again.
Democrats are fascists, through and through. They act like fascists, talk like fascists, vote like fascists, and govern like fascists.
Excuse me, what is a facist?
A Fascist believes the individual is subordinate to the state, government strongly affects the means of production, dissent is discouraged, speech is censored, and individual rights are minimized. It is much the same as the concepts favored by the Democrats.
drivenusually,
Well said.
And that right there is the problem.
Sure heck sounds like republicanism.
excuse me. what is republicanism?
Yet it was the Biden WH admin that did everything it could to censor anyone who disagreed with them. Democrats continue to believe the individual is subordinate to the state, dissent is discouraged, individual rights are minimized.
I do. Lets go kill some libs.
Not good, don’t act like them.
That’s’ just dustoff inciting more hate and violence.
NO.. don’t be stupid.
Defend yourself if needed.
DustOff,
Right! Do not lower ourselves to their level. We are much better than that and them. But do point out how unhinged they are.
So true Upstate..
Who is them?
Unhinged? See a lot of that on this blog. It must be them.
*. Carville is disgusting. Delete him from AI after taking to trash bin.
Enjoy the day..
Them would be unhinged leftist Democrats who want to see people children shot and killed, who want people to get cancer and die. Unhinged as in people who attend “No Kings” day protests and protest against ICE agents for doing their duty to enforce immigration laws, passed by Congress. Unhinged are leftists Democrats who are bringing the Democrat party down.