Charlottesville, VA. October 2023. Now that “the left” (code for government and pro-government forces) is in control of all American institutions, the electorate has become more divided than ever.
A recent University of Virginia Center for Politics survey finds that “Partisan Desires Override Support for Constitutional Freedoms and American Values.” “Roughly half (52% Biden voters, 47% Trump voters) viewed those who supported the other party as threats to the American way of life.”
“About 40% of both groups (41% Biden voters, 38% Trump voters) at least somewhat believed that the other side had become so extreme that it is acceptable to use violence to prevent them from achieving their goals.”
There is some good news in the survey: “Roughly two in five (41%) of respondents leaning towards Donald Trump in 2024 at least somewhat agreed with the idea of red states seceding from the Union to form their own separate country, while 30% of Biden supporters expressed a similar sentiment, but for blue states.
“31% of Biden supporters, in contrast to 25% of Trump supporters, at least somewhat agreed with limiting certain rights, including freedom of speech, to safeguard the feelings and safety of marginalized groups.”
“A significant 47% of Biden voters, as opposed to 35% of Trump voters, believed the government should regulate or restrict the expression of views deemed discriminatory or offensive.”
“74% of Biden supporters favoring restrictions on the quantity and types of firearms, irrespective of constitutional interpretations.” “In contrast, only 35% of Trump supporters felt the same.”
“redistributing all wealth over a certain limit to address income inequality garnered support from 56% of Biden voters, compared to 39% from Trump voters.”
Disturbingly, “50% of Trump voters, compared to 32% of Biden voters, at least somewhat agreed that laws should be enacted to require citizens to show respect for national symbols and leaders.” And “37% of Trump voters, versus 24% of Biden voters, believed in enacting laws to restrict the expression of views deemed unpatriotic or disloyal.”
Additionally, “45% of Trump supporters, against 30% of Biden supporters, felt that laws should be enacted that limit demonstrations and protests that the government deems potentially disruptive to public order.”
“An almost identical number of Biden (37%) and Trump (36%) voters at least somewhat agreed on the need for certain religious groups to be subjected to government monitoring and limitations to ensure national security.”
“We stand on the precipice of a developing emergency,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics. “Dislike of the other side combined with a pervasive disregard for the fundamental freedoms contained in the U.S. Constitution poses a grave threat. If these sentiments go unchecked and grow, our nation could face disastrous division.”
Divergent views on past elections and key issues
2020 election perspectives: Looking back on the 2020 election, 56% of those who intend to vote for Trump in 2024 at least somewhat agreed that Trump actually won the 2020 election, but that it was stolen from him through election fraud and voting manipulation (only 9% of Biden voters felt similarly). Meanwhile, 88% of Biden’s prospective 2024 voters at least somewhat agreed that the 2020 election was secure and free of fraud and that Biden won fair and square, while just 25% of Trump voters felt similarly.
