Given all the political drama that has saturated the nation the last few years, it should hardly come as a revelation the heated rhetoric dominating the public discourse has alarmed many Americans.

A Gallup poll released December 3 revealed a majority of voters of the nation’s two major political parties believe acerbic, inflammatory criticism and vile, cruel political language has gone too far.

Not surprisingly, voters on either side of the political spectrum are more inclined to believe the opposing party has been more extreme in spouting such rhetoric. There is also widespread consensus this rhetoric and the growing hostility that accompanies it is dramatically augmenting political violence. The poll was conducted between October 1 and 16, a few weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University.

Jeffrey Jones, a Gallup employee, wrote in an analysis of the poll, “Gallup said it used questions similar to what it asked in a poll 14 years ago, after former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot during a 2011 political event. A larger majority of Americans than in the past believe that both the Democratic and Republican parties and their supporters have gone too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents.”

69% say this about the Republican Party and Republicans, while 60% say it about the Democratic Party and Democrats, a 16- and nine-percentage-point increase from 2011, respectively.

Partisans are generally in agreement about the major causes of political violence:

– Two-thirds or more of Republicans, Democrats, and independents say the spread of extremist views on the internet deserves a great deal of blame for political violence, with Democrats most likely to say so (79%).

– Democrats (72%) are also more likely than Republicans (58%) and independents (63%) to see provocative oratory from political leaders as a major cause of political violence.

– Slim majorities of the three party groups (between 51% and 54%) blame the mental health system’s failure to identify dangerous individuals as a major reason for political violence.

Democrats and Republicans demonstrate stark differences in their perceptions of whether easy gun access is a primary factor for the recent spate of political violence (74% of Democrats vs. 14% of Republicans). Republicans are more prone than Democrats and independents to consider drug use, inadequate public security, and media violence as the primary factors.

Predictably, a segment of Americans feel they have been granted permission to engage in unhinged behavior, thanks to a commander-in chief who excuses excessive and incendiary remarks from supporters. Trump has himself done things, like singling out a young female reporter by attacking her appearance. Meanwhile, his vice president has described a group of Republican operatives using scurrilous, racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic idioms as “young people doing stupid things.” These operatives ranged from 30 to 42 years old.

A great deal of people tend to take their cues from those at the top of the political hierarchy. Left-wing bombast can be inappropriate, vile, callous, and unacceptable, including comparing all Republicans to Nazis and labelling all Trump supporters as “garbage.” Neither side has a monopoly on crass verbiage that is worthy of denunciation.

Astringent political hyperbole has been a part of the fabric of this nation since its inception. Nevertheless, we are at an inflection point. Sober adults must make a good-faith effort to temper their comments by using more diplomacy and less hyperbole. They must remember that future generations in America and the rest of the world are watching and learning from them.

–

Copyright 2025 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate

Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.