NPR Reports: “A ‘Scary’ Survey Finding: 4 In 10 Republicans Say Political Violence May Be Necessary”

Robert Reich comments on a late-January 2021 survey of 2016 American adults as follows:

A new survey reveals disturbing beliefs in major portions of the electorate, particularly Republican voters:

— Over 60 percent of Republicans do not believe Joe Biden was legitimately elected.

— 39 percent of Republicans agreed that “If elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves, even if it requires violent actions.”

— 27 percent of white evangelicals said it was mostly or completely accurate to say Trump “has been secretly fighting a group of child sex traffickers that include prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites” (i.e. the QAnon conspiracy).

To be clear, a belief that political violence is necessary doesn’t automatically translate to actually committing political violence. But the fact that nearly 40 percent of Republicans are even open or supportive of it is a dangerous sign for the future of our democracy. Coupled with the finding that a staggering majority believe Joe Biden’s presidency is illegitimate, it’s a recipe for violence to take center stage in our political system for years to come. We must remain vigilant.

A friend had a chat with a business contact in Armenia who said, “It’s so nice you guys have a real president again.” I’ve had similar conversations myself.

That’s nice, but that same survey found stark divisions between Republicans and Democrats on the 2020 presidential election, with two out of three Republicans saying President Biden was not legitimately elected, while 98% of Democrats and 73% of independents acknowledged Biden’s victory.

So what good is having a “real president” when we live among people with viewpoints like these?