Overseas online review: The United States is under the guise of "political violence, the United States". Violence | Politics | Titles
The issue of political violence in the United States is escalating. The Guardian cited the latest poll on July 25th, stating that an increasing number of Americans support the use of violence to resolve political differences. The escalating threat of violence is another testament to the dysfunctional functioning of American democracy and the increasing polarization and fragmentation of American society.
More and more voters are becoming more supportive of political violence, which is undermining the foundation of American democracy. This June poll shows that an increasing number of supporters from both parties have expressed that it is reasonable to resort to violent means in order to achieve the political issues they support. A survey shows that 16% of Democrats support the use of violent means to restore federal abortion rights, which is about twice the rate from six months ago; Meanwhile, 18 million people support using violent means to bring former President Trump back to the White House, a 50% increase from the same poll released in April and the largest increase in a year. Meanwhile, an increasing number of supporters from both parties agree that force can be used to "force members of Congress to do the right thing," with the relevant rate increasing from 9% in January to 17%. Among them, Democrats seem to be more aggressive, with the proportion of Democrats supporting violence against members of Congress increasing from 7% in January to 16% in this survey.
Robert Pepper, a professor at the University of Chicago who was responsible for this survey, said that the survey results showed that "the American people are more radical than in April" and "things are definitely moving in the wrong direction.". On October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi, the husband of then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Pelosi, was attacked at her residence. This attack is seen as a landmark event in the escalating political violence in the United States. The US political news website Politico wrote at the time, "The darkest forces in America are being released."
The radical evolution of American society is closely related to the political fragmentation and intensified social opposition in the United States. This survey shows that a key factor contributing to the surge in the number of Republicans who support the use of violence is the announcement by the US Department of Justice on June 9th this year to prosecute Trump. In the eyes of many Republican supporters, the lawsuit is direct evidence that the Democratic Party is attempting to use judicial power to prevent Trump from participating in the 2024 presidential election. The Guardian analyzed that Trump will once again incite supporters to take violent actions through speeches and rallies, as he did on January 6, 2021.
The increased support for political violence reflects the disappointment of the American people towards American style democracy. Under the manipulation of politicians from both parties, the political map of the United States is becoming increasingly rigid, and election results from federal to local levels are increasingly deviating from the true expression of public opinion. Due to the inability of voters to change this situation, the willingness of voters, especially independent voters, to vote is hindered. This political indifference in turn further amplifies the voices of extremist voters who are more easily mobilized, leading to further imbalanced election results. In this vicious cycle, the trust of the people in the election itself is gradually being eroded.
The chaotic practice of American style democracy has also intensified the public's distrust of elections. Under the influence of politicians constantly inciting and political groups spreading various conspiracy theories, nearly 60% of Republican supporters still believe in claims such as "the Democratic Party stealing the election results", and among those who support violent means to bring Trump back to the White House, nearly 70% believe in these conspiracy theories. The US News&World Report website published an article in October 2022 stating that a series of survey results have proven a lack of trust in America's democratic system after decades of deepening partisan struggles. "Fear and hatred are dividing us, making us stand against each other in this country, which is a reality and current danger to American democracy," said Democratic Representative Debbie Dingle of Michigan in the United States
Ultimately, the escalating democratic chaos represented by political violence is the inevitable result of American democracy evolving from "checks and balances politics" to "veto politics" and then alienating into "retaliatory politics". In recent years, American politics has been increasingly dominated by conflicting thinking of zero sum games, with intensified political conflicts between and within the two parties, and stigmatized practices in election politics. In this environment, politicians are unable to win through rational means such as solving major issues faced by the United States in domestic and foreign affairs, providing better internal and external governance, and reform plans, and can only choose to seek electoral advantages through a "comparison of bad" approach. This in turn further stimulates the extreme expression of public opinion, where normal political compromises and demands are replaced by extreme behaviors represented by political violence, because only in this way can more attention be attracted and the realization of one's own interests and demands be promoted.
In the November 2022 midterm elections in the United States, Time magazine referred to the escalating political violence in the United States as the "United States of Political Violence.". The Australian Dialogue website analyzed that the 2024 election cycle may pose more threats to American style democracy. Whether in the United States or abroad, no matter how big the beauty filter of American democracy is, it can no longer deceive the world and steal its reputation.
