Do Many Americans Favor Violence against the Government?

 

You would think so given the high level of press coverage of a recent poll which was reported as finding that 37% of Americans favored violence against the government, including 41% Independents, 40% Republicans and 23% Democrats. 

Shocking!  (Is civil war really in the offing?)

But that report was false.

Here is the pollster’s question on violence

“Do you think it is ever justified for citizens to take violent action against the government”?

Notice the language “ever justified”.  This is a hypothetical question.  It is not asking about the respondent’s attitude on violence against our current government.

In fact, additional questions inquired as to what circumstances would justify violence.  Many said deprivation of liberty and/or imposition of a dictatorship.

If a government came to power in the United States of America which abolished our freedom, who among us wouldn’t use all means necessary to fight it?

The alarming answer, based upon the poll, is that a majority of citizens believe that violence would never be justified.  The Sensible Conservative prefers to believe that those so replying were ignoring the hypothetical and focusing on the present.

Yes, hyper-partisanship is of concern but it does not yet generate significant support for violence today against one’s political “enemies”, the January 6 riot in the Capitol notwithstanding.

This is another example of the need to look behind the headlines.  The media is not only liberal-oriented but often sloppy with the facts as well.  Biased and irresponsible – what a harmful combination.