Political Violence Rising in America
Summary of the Provided Text: Rising Political Violence in the US
This text details a concerning rise in political violence in the United States, focusing on threats against members of Congress and broader trends of escalating rhetoric and support for violence. Here’s a breakdown of the key points:
1.A New Approach to Measuring Political Violence:
* The authors advocate for using data from Department of Justice prosecutions of threats against members of Congress as a reliable and objective measure of political violence. This approach avoids biases inherent in other data sources and provides a clear focus on identifiable targets.
* CPOST‘s research shows 377 prosecuted threats against US legislators between 2001-2024.
2. A Significant Turning Point (2017):
* There was a dramatic increase in prosecuted threats starting in 2017 – a more than fivefold rise compared to previous years.
* Before 2017, Democrats were generally more frequently threatened. Since 2016, threats have been roughly equal for both parties.
* This aligns with data from other sources (Cato and CSIS) showing a general increase in political violence across the political spectrum.
3. Escalation and a “Death Spiral”:
* The assassination mentioned (likely of a judge, referred to as “Kirk”) is presented as a symptom of this accelerating trend.
* The text highlights a perilous cycle of escalating rhetoric from both sides of the political spectrum. Examples include trump’s calls for aggressive action against “the enemy within” and Kamala Harris’s statement about “fighting fire with fire.”
* This rhetoric is contributing to a polarization where Americans are increasingly viewing each other as opponents and even supporting political violence.
4.Growing Support for Political Violence:
* CPOST surveys reveal that tens of millions of Americans now support political violence.
* Examples of this violence are cited: attacks on Tesla dealerships and assaults on ICE officers.
Overall Message: The text argues that political violence is on the rise in the US,affecting both sides of the political spectrum. It warns against focusing on minor differences in the balance of violence, as this fuels a “blame game” that exacerbates the problem. The authors emphasize the dangerous escalation of rhetoric and the growing acceptance of violence as a legitimate political tool.