Republicans are increasingly ready for violence: We look away at our peril

[marmar]

Republicans are increasingly ready for violence: We look away at our peril
In the wake of Jan. 6, public opinion surveys suggest the threat is real — and the time for blithe denial is over

By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
PUBLISHED AUGUST 3, 2021 9:36AM


(Salon) Today's Republicans appear to have a bottomless appetite for violence and destruction. It's important to understand that Donald Trump did not create that appetite — although he fed it, encouraged it and shares it.

In his capacity as political cult leader, Trump exemplifies what psychologists describe as "the dark triad" of human behavior: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. His followers idolize and worship him, and all too often seek to imitate his antisocial and pathological behavior.

Ultimately, the relationship between Trumpism, the Republican Party and the American body politic as a whole is akin to a parasitic infection. The infection feeds off the host. The host spreads the infection. Other organisms are infected. The cycle continues, and the parasite lives on. In that sense, today's Republican Party, with its embrace of neofascism, constitutes a public health emergency.

A new nationwide public opinion survey shows just how deeply Republican voters now accept political violence as a legitimate option. Business Insider offers these details:

Less than a year after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, nearly half of Republican voters (47%) say that "a time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands," per a new nationwide survey by George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.

Only about 29% of Americans agreed with this statement on some level, the poll found, including just 9% of Democrats. And 49% said they disagree or strongly disagree.

The poll also found that a majority of Republicans (55%) say "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast we may have to use force to save it." About 15% of Democrats agreed with this statement, but more Americans disagreed (46%) than agreed (34%).

More Republicans (27%) than Democrats (18%) said that "strong leaders sometimes have to bend the rules in order to get things done."

....(snip)....

These findings about Republicans and political violence are consistent with the warnings of many leading mental health experts, who have said since Donald Trump first emerged as a presidential candidate that he and his movement represent a dire threat to American democracy. This is true both because of Trump's obvious mental pathologies — in this case the repeated encouragement of violence — and because of his proven ability to sway members of the public to share his worldview. ...........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/08/03/republicans-are-increasingly-ready-for-violence-we-look-away-at-our-peril/

[sanatanadharma]

1. Always amazing to see the cronically-wrong, not really 'right' embrace situational ethics

I suppose I ought to be happy considering the conservative default position of evaporating-ethics.

BTW, "...the traditional American way of life is disappearing..." because their team's point-of-view has informed the Nation's governance since Reagan.

Not to suggest that nothing was wrong before Reagan.
The ignorance of destroyed education
The stupidity of the theft of the commons
The immorality of capitalism
The demonic acceptance of systematic homelessness, poverty, racism, sadism, sickness, and gun-death

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Demographics will be our savior

It's an older, reactionary group

[quakerboy]

9. they are more than willing to embrace any change

that allows them to not worry about that.

Be it a dictatorship, a fascist dictatorship, a coup and dictatorship, a violent overthrow of government followed by a dictatorship., what have you

Really, anything that ends in a dictatorship is good with them.

[hibbing]

3. "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast we may have to use force to save it."

Uh...you mean white, right?

Peace

[Canoe52]

13. With that be equivalent to bombing Iraq into a democracy?

[DownriverDem]

4. Okay

What exactly do you want us to do?

[topcelts]

5. Half of Republicans %

This report as it is written is very misleading. Half of all republicans comprises of less than 25% of the voting population. Keep that in mind when you read this crap. Half of either party is 25% or less of the voting or polled populace. BTW our media is shit. The questions asked during press conferences are at a less than campus newspaper level and quality.

[yaesu]

6. fascists are dangerous, just like the nazis of the past, modern storm troopers, brown shirts

are a danger that must be stopped.

[hadEnuf]

7. We need to be able to protect ourselves and democracy from these fascists.

I'm no gun advocate but I can say that the only thing these violent, viscous seditionist bastards understand is an equal balance of force and power. Anything less is just prey to them.

[2Gingersnaps]

11. Sadly, what happened to the Capitol Police proves that point.

And I do try to minimize my FB time, but I am seeing the same smug cryptic/not cryptic comments concerning TFG's return. I am far less concerned about that than the 2022 elections. We have a special election in Ohio to replace Steve Stivers, and it is a Republican primary. Have mercy watching the campaign commercials during morning news is a race to the bottom of trumphumping reactionaries.

[IronLionZion]

8. They don't have a political agenda so they can't be terrorists

We ignore conservative terrorism, rage, resentment, entitlement, violence, etc. at our own peril. These people are proven to be dangerous and have turned against American institutions and the rule of law too many times.

[KS Toronado]

10. "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast "

because of republicans insistence on tax breaks for the wealthy while ignoring the poor and middle class.
Bring back the tax schedule under Ike and we'll see our standard of living go up.

[tinrobot]

12. 98% of them are paper tigers.

They're nothing but talk and will fold the second someone hits back. The remaining 2% can be handled.

[quakerboy]

16. how?

The problem is that remaining 2% are elected republicans or members of law enforcement. Or "lone wolf".

How do we handle them when they are busily making sure votes dont count, they control the SCOTUS, and Manchin gives them control of the senate, and they control a majority of state houses, state legislatures, and have unaccountable control of most of local law enforcement around the country?

[tinrobot]

17. I was talking about Republicans and violence

Most of the issues you brought up are valid and scary in their own right, but more political in nature.

Not sure what the answer is to the political component. Nuking the filibuster is what we need, but how we do that is beyond me.

[quakerboy]

18. They are happy to do violence and they control a significant portion

of the states ability to commit violence. Those two percent are ready to see civil war or worse, and they have the levers of power as well as the will.

Frankly, they have enough power to embolden the paper tigers to think they are safe to join in the violence their greedy mean little hearts desire.

[Aristus]

14. Politics for the irony-challenged.

“Taking the law into your own hands” is against the law…

[quakerboy]

15. theyve been "ready" for ages. Now they are eager

because they are growingly aware that they are a shrinking minority and willing, often eager, to pay any cost in others blood, rights or freedoms to maintain control.