It was most interesting to see how University of Chicago professor Robert Pape, speaking on CNN, tried to make the case that conservatives are just as likely to support political violence as is the left.
It was astonishing to hear him try to make this case by citing conservatives’ support for the use of the National Guard to quell riots. This, according to this professor, was the equivalent of 39% of Democrats polled claiming that “the use of force is justified to remove Donald Trump from office.” This was on top of another poll that showed 55% of self-described leftists believed the assassination of President Trump could be justified under some circumstances. Almost half said that Elon Musk’s assassination could be justified.
Pape asked those surveyed to respond to the following loaded statement: “Donald Trump was justified in using the U.S. military to suppress Democratic protesters.”
It’s loaded because, unlike the first question about using force against Trump, this was not a prospective hypothetical. It was stated as though this actually happened. Trump used the Guard to suppress Democratic protestors. Except it’s not true. Trump didn’t target Democrats. He used the Guard to protect federal agents and properties that were being violently attacked.
How remarkable that this professor claims that supporting the use of the National Guard to quell riots is somehow equivalent to supporting the assassination of a political figure with whom you disagree.
By making this lame connection, the liberal professor is trying to deflect attention from the real issue here, which is that the left is being indoctrinated to believe political violence has a place in our society.
This is what happens when Marxists and the legacy media continually try to classify those who voted for Trump as being fascist and Nazis. Who wouldn’t want Hitler assassinated before he came to power? So, if your opponent is the next Hitler, everything is on the table.
Nice try, Professor, but the right’s support of using the National Guard to stop rioting is not in the same universe as 55% of Democrats believing that Trump’s assassination could be justified.