The number jumps off the page like a shark out of still water, a missile plume off the horizon, an explosion before you can hear the sound – and it is scary. The latest Rassmussen poll reports that “more than a quarter of Democrats … said America would be better off if former President Donald Trump had been killed” in last week’s assassination attempt. Ominous.
This credible poll of 1000 registered voters says 28 percent of Democrats wanted the “man armed with an assault-style rifle and scope hiding in bushes near Trump’s … golf club” to succeed.
Stop everything. The horror in that number is palpable. It should be enough to make any serious, constitutionally respectful, peace-loving American – old, young, whatever their issues – shudder.
This is NOT the thinking of those schooled in American history, liberty, law, or political tolerance, who believe in non-violent representative democracy, in this constitutional republic.
This is, instead, the thinking of those who fall into other – scary – camps. This is the thinking of those brainwashed into believing anything is justified to stop a political opponent, and who have been convinced by Democrat leaders and the media that killing a presidential candidate is okay.
Historically, whether these respondents know it or not, they fit – in their blithe, hate-filled mindset – with those who passionately followed Marx, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler’s brownshirts.
This is exactly the mindset that justifies ending dissent – and stopping a candidate with whom they disagree – by any means. This is how a one-party state works, whether communist, fascist, autocratic, or just tyrannical.
This is how the Qing dynasty in China justified killing leaders and members of the Mongol community in the 1750s; how Jean-Jacquie Dessalines, Haiti’s black leader in 1804, ordered all whites killed; how the “trail of tears,” massacre of Native Americans, occurred 1830 to 1850.
This is how the Turks in the 1890s, under the Ottoman Empire, first demonized Orthodox Christians, allowing anti-Christian pogroms that killed 300,000; how the Ottomans watched Greeks and Armenians killed after WWI; how Hitler killed six million Jews in his “final solution,” and how communist leaders dispose of opponents – silencing 94 million in 100 years.
That is NOT how Americans think, or ever did, barbarically, in a conscience-deadening way, immoral, demonizing, violence-justifying way, imagining that the Republic is “better off” with political opponents conveniently killed by brainwashed, hate-filled assassins.
One is hard-pressed to place this horrifying number – 28 percent of Democrats – in proper context. Would 28 percent of conservatives – whatever their party – ever want Joe Biden, Kamilla Harris, or in yesteryear JFK, RFK, or Martin Luther King – assassinated?
Put aside how assassinations create political martyrs, sow tribal, personal, and intergenerational anger, and blood vendettas that grow from assassinating innocent leaders, Anwar Sadat, Mahatma, Indira, and Rajiv Gandhi to Yitzak Rabin – Just think just about our conscience, who we are.
Should any American wish any other American to die for holding different, albeit legitimate, and honestly grounded opinions? Should anyone want another killed for those opinions? Or for style, temperament, or approach to politics? Should any Democrat wish – even one, let alone 28 percent – a candidate killed? Is this in line with the idea of a peaceful republic’s survival?
Obviously not, yet here we are. That number gives a shudder and bodes ill for future political dialogue and our ability to “keep the republic,” as Franklin warned – never mind keep our minds, tempers, and peace in this blessed nation.
No, this is dead wrong. Yet no Democrat leaders – in government or the media – have condemned this group. Where are hundreds of peace-loving Democrats on congressional or state house steps saying they are against political violence? Crickets.
We had better stop this way of thinking, or unthinking – this sowing and fanning of political hate, explicit and implicit “threat to democracy” talk, and get our heads back in the right place, or what follows … may be a kind of history we should never want to repeat. Ominous.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
RBC, the assassination attempts and that there are people who desire a person to die IS INDEED OMINOUS. This is going to be the downfall of the nation as people continue to treat EVIL as GOOD and vice versa. I believe that the attempts on Pres. Trump will continue through to the election and if he wins, more during his term. Scary to think that if Congress gains a majority in both house under the Demos, that if the Trump- Vance team was somehow eliminated that the nation would fall back toward a Socialist type of government, and that would be the end for the nation. The Adversary is certainly planning for all contingencies and there is a GREAT NEED TO IMPROVE SECURITY FOR ALL OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
OMINOUS and SCARY, INDEED.
If that stat is accurate, I wouldn’t find it surprising. Their general intolerance of the very same people who help fund their existence is no less remarkable. The bottom line rests in ignorance, selfishness, and denial over who is at fault for their unhappiness that they blame republicans for.
Sobering article — and I do believe that using the word sobering is appropriate as being under the influence of hate has similarities with being drunk on alcohol. Those 28 percent in that Rasmussen poll represent people under the influence of hate and it is surely unfortunate . Just like someone who would be drunk would need to be dealt with accordingly so as to not be a threat to the public, by causing an accident or doing things with serious negative results , something should be done to at least keep a watch on those who favor assassination . Those who have that level of hate can be identified sort of like identifying someone who just downed a large quantity of whiskey, meaning it is going to be obvious something is not as it should be On the positive side of this issue is knowing about this poll and the number of people under the influence of hate. To politically isolate the element that favors assassination could be some possible strategy ,it would probably involve cooperation from the 72 percent ,who although Democrat are not inebriated on hate . Important article RBC , it should be appreciated by civilized people who value civilization. And appreciate the Benjamin Franklin warning about doing what is right in order ” keep the Republic ” .
Thank You Mr. Charles for the profound article on what we have come to in the beautiful country in which we live. It quite literally has been heartbreaking to be a witness to vitriol trumping common sense. There is a moral corruption has crept into the hearts and minds of a huge part of our population. Near all of common sense has been set back on it’s heels. It has leaked into all parts of our lives. Immorality is like a fungus that has invaded the minds of even the highest of our leaders. Dignity and honesty have been tossed aside for power and absolutely unheard of consequences. We have careened downward into populations of outright careless thinking. Outright foolish pleasures and greed. I believe our only help is putting the brakes on dishonesty, inhumanity, and all matters of the press. Make a clean sweep of government and all forms of highly powered influencers. Reinstate accountability in all matters concerning basic honesty. How can we possibly be a functioning republic without integrity, accountability, and basic human equality? Even the ads on television cater to asinine statements as to whom we are as a society. We need to clean house and go back to accountability for all people, businesses, officials, no matter how rich or poor they are. A good start would be reinstating and upholding the laws as well as the accountability for breaking them.
“STOP EVERYTHING” indeed! This is horrible, and “We the People” should never have sunk this low, or allowed this to happen. We are in the midst of a gigantic, nation-stealing coup, & it must be stopped. There is only one solution that will work at this point; and that’s if we all fall to the floor in repentance to Almighty God, as directed in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Father God is the ONLY one Who can get us out of this mess that we’re in…and we are certainly in a war – not Dems vs Republicans, but “good vs evil” – and this war we must fight on our knees. Thank you for this timely article, RBC. I haven’t even heard this from Christian news sources….God bless you, and keep sounding the alarm!
That figures coming from the “we’re a party that screams and promotes tolerance”. What a crock of hypocrisy crap. There’s another poll regarding percentages that is important too. It shows that 60+% of Americans want 100% of Left-wing Socialist/Commie/America-hating Damnocraps killed.
Killed or jailed. Bottom line goal
What if “we the people” want those 28% killed? Same difference.
Be careful what you wish for, Dem 28%… remember Archduke Ferdinand?
They’re democrats what do you expect! They want to do away with the Supreme Court, the electoral college, freedom of speech, and most of the constitution!. Truly frightening and disgusting!
That’s all they hear from kamala and her loyal minions so they have no fear the law would come after them . They her and h other super liberals saying this so they think its ok..
A radical Republican earned the hatred of Democrats when he vowed to end decades of illegal immigration and repatriate them. So was the fate of Abraham Lincoln.
What else would you expect from Fascist democrats who promote Hate Crimes all the time. They are constantly inciting riots, crime, and assassinations with the Fake news pushing it on a daily basis. They are the TRUE THREAT to the United States and American people.
Where are the immediate investigations against these Communist liberal Criminals?
Well, considering the percentage of Democrats who support euthanasia and the killing of babies up to (and beyond) the time of birth, this is not surprising at all!!!
Better be careful what you wish for because it comes back to you 10 times worse
It’s how you ask the questions in polls. it’s WHO you poll. How many Dems – how many GOP how many “other”. This tells the truth about Democrats ( ok.. so they are Liberal/Progressive, Leftist-Socialist/Communist ) they vote Democrat, so it is all the same.
In all fairness regarding the 28% of registered Democrats wishing Trump to be assassinated, personally I wish that 100% of Democrats would meet that fate and with the state of our nation being in total collapse because of their actions that 100% figure includes family members. Not friends of course as I have NO Democrat friends nor ever wished to.
So, a hearty FU to all the death wishing Demonrats out there
The fix is in. We are done as a free country. It is going to keep getting worse and worse until people finally get fed up, which will be in a hundred years or so.
What??Isnt today’s new and improved Democrat Party the party of love and acceptance? They are totally the party of Democracy and all those signs that say “Hate has no place here”! I find this hard to believe????????????????????
Just read most of the comments. We must remember that there are many democrats that don’t think like the 27%. JFKs Democratic Party is no more and many democrats keep voting party lines; not even knowing what they’re voting for. Ignorance is a huge problem. And most of it is caused by the fake news. ????
They are the non-thinking, fake news watching, totally brainwashed, leftists that are unable to see what is actually happening and blame the appropriate people for it. If it wasn’t so sadistic it could be hilarious.
Its so scary that there are actually people that would try to take out a president; living in this country Their sick establishment government has demonized over half of the country and they think it is a great government they will not listen to reason or facts ????????????
Sick sick people on the left with evil hatred for the conservatives. Demons at work!
As much as I despise what the Democrats have done so far and still want to do, I would never wish anyone dead like that! That is worrisome to know there is a mental disconnect like that. I have someone I have known for most of my life that when I said to him “What happened to – I disagree with what you say but I defend your right to say it?” He would not reply. I have heard a democrat commentator say on TV that it was fine with her if some unfair practices were done as long as it benefitted HER party! This is appalling!
We could reverse that toward the Democrats!
I hate to say this, but probably more than half of Republicans were hoping to see Biden fall flat on his face and not get up any time he was on a public stage spouting “his word salads” with a dressing of gobbledygook to top it off!
I would venture to say that the percentage of republicans who would like to see Harris offed is probably higher…