In our current-day “everything is politics” times, it seems a larger number of people are willing to use violence to gain political advantage than there have been for some time; Issues & Insights has some thoughts.

The University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats’ June survey of 3,543 adults has produced a lot of data noise but it also includes some useful information. Of course the media want to ring the bells over one finding in particular: an increase in the percentage those who agree that “the use of force is justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency.” According to the project, in early April only 4.5% of those polled agreed with that statement. By late June, though, it had risen to (a rounded-up) 7%, “the equivalent of an estimated shift from 12 million to 18 million American adults.”

The media-wide implication is that the growing support for using force to put Trump back in the White House is fueled by the extremism (and dare we say “semi-fascism”?) of Republicans and MAGA followers. A prime example of this bias is found in the headline over a story in The Hill. It reads “More say violence could be necessary to restore Trump to White House.”

But as always, there’s more to the story, and there’s much more than The Hill’s implication, which should come as a surprise to no one.

Democrats’ inclination to use violence to achieve their goals was also seen in the results of other questions:

• More than 16% of Democrats think force is justified to restore the federal right to abortion.
• More than 22% Democrats agree that “the use of force against the police is justified to prevent police brutality against black Americans and other minorities.”
• More than a quarter of Democrats would approve of the use of force “to protect the voting rights of Black Americans and other minorities.”

The gist of it?  The Left is more willing to engage in violence to further political goals than the Right.

That anyone would have to do a “study” to determine this is just a bit ridiculous.  Remember the summer of 2020, when COVID lockdowns went out the window so people could riot, loot and burn to protest the death of a misogynistic drug addict?  Over a billion, maybe close to two billion, in property damage due to vandalism, arson, rioting and looting.  Oh, the Left will say “but it was insured,” as thought that justifies burning people’s small businesses that they spent lifetimes building.  Oh, and at least twenty-five people were killed, and around sixty thousand police officers were assaulted.

Now the Left points at the January 6th, 2021 event, which caused at most a tad under two million dollars, and the only fatality was an unarmed Air Force veteran shot in the neck by a panicked Capitol Police officer, who never faced any consequences for the act.

There’s just no comparison.

The AntiProfa and Black Lives Matter groups have been responsible for most of the violence.  Oh, yes, there have been some arrests.  But if you think it’s over, wait until next year, and watch the reaction if a Republican wins the Presidential election.

Especially if that Republican is Donald Trump.

We have some interesting times ahead.

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