Recent surveys indicate that an increasing number of Americans view political violence as acceptable. Just last week, the husband of the third-most senior politician in the United States, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was assaulted at their house. According to police, she was the intended victim.
Zach Scherer informed me, “I think it’s a civil war.”
We were sitting in the back of his Trump-branded pickup truck when he made the forecast earlier last week.
“I believe that is the only thing that will bring America back together if we lose this election,”
Civil conflict? Before I arrived in the United States a year ago, I recall others expressing this anxiety. I recall thinking they were insane. How could anyone possibly believe that the “greatest democracy in the world,” as it is sometimes affectionately referred to, is on the verge of civil war?
Over the years, I have reported various failed or failing states. It seemed absurd to imply that the United States might be included.
A year later, my perspective changed, and I am concerned.
The armies and frontlines are not organized conventionally. There are, however, both armies and frontlines. The depth of the fault lines is worrying. It would be erroneous to believe that the United States can simply stumble through this historical turning moment.
Recent surveys indicate that an increasing proportion of Americans view political violence as acceptable. Just last week, the husband of the third-most senior politician in the United States, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was assaulted at their house. According to police, she was the intended victim.
On the same day as the incident, authorities issued a dire warning that threats of violence against politicians around the nation had escalated dramatically.
About one-third of those of voting age in the United States believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, contributing to the nation’s deep polarisation. They think that Donald Trump won.
Woven into the fabric of US civilization
If you’ve been under the impression for the previous two years that this is a fringe viewpoint propagated by a former president that can now be disregarded as background noise, you’re mistaken.
Doubt has been woven into the American social fabric. The public has been deceived. They disregard the structures upon which the American democracy was constructed. They have been warned against having faith in their electoral process.
Back in the pickup, Mr. Scherer’s pal Corey Check was furious. These two teenage Trump followers are certain that Joe Biden and the “awake extreme left” stole the election.
Mr. Check stated, “Everything is at risk, especially America. If we lose, our country will go to hell.”
Still, loyalists feel Trump won
In search of a more calm and nuanced perspective, I sought out a different generation of Republicans in response to their dire forecasts.
Cindy Hilderbrand, a local campaigner, invited me to meet a group of six friends and activists at the headquarters of the local Republican party.
My first inquiry is how many of them believed Mr. Trump was the deserved 2020 winner. All hands were raised.
Paul Garcia, a former U.S. Marine who is now retired, stated, “We won.”
He was interrupted by another member of the group, Cheryl Guenther: “… and it wasn’t just election day shenanigans. It was everything leading up to that. The suppression of the news, the suppression of everything that occurred, brought on by media. The media is nothing more than a Democrat arm that is helping to suppress all of this information.”
To clarify, there is no evidence that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Audits recounts and legal actions in all fifty states decided that nothing transpired that would have altered the election’s outcome. Mr. Biden won overwhelmingly.
Even Mr. Trump’s closest associates and family have conceded that he lost. However, he persists, and his supporters believe him.
conspiracy beliefs spread more rapidly than the truth
Our discussion shifts to policy problems. Regarding abortion, crime, drugs, firearms, and the economy, they all hold completely valid conservative viewpoints. In general, abortion is bad, crime and drugs are out of control, gun regulation is unconstitutional, and Mr. Biden is to blame for the faltering economy.
However, there is a problem. They feel that they are unable to achieve their desired policy outcomes not because the majority disagrees with them, but because a minority stole the last election from them.
American society is compartmentalized by echo chambers. They consume outrageously political television news, believe garbage on social media, and disregard fact-based reporting. Conspiracy theories spread more rapidly than the truth.
The danger to democracy is “understated”
A short distance away, at a rally for the local democratic party candidate, I spoke with a young democratic party voter, who shared the same age as Mr. Scherer and Mr. Check but had a vastly different worldview.
I asked if this notion of a threat to democracy was exaggerated.
Ryan told me, “I believe it may be understated; there is a genuine threat to democracy in this nation, and that terrifies me beyond belief.”
I am concerned
As Americans travel to the polls to determine the country’s destiny in the midterm elections, anger and divisiveness cannot be exaggerated.
It is jarring and perplexing to consider all of the talks I have had.
So much is occurring; there are so many concerns, and there is zero trust for the opposing side. I felt indignation and a sense of betrayal, but also fear. Americans on all sides have the impression that they do not know what will happen next or how they will react.
