# I am SERIOUSLY WORRIED that these riots are going to get Trump re-elected **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 26, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092 "2020-08-26T20:53:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/81 "2020-08-27T16:10:08Z")
If the Kenosha riots persuade\* a few thousand Wisconsinites who might have been leaning toward Biden to simply not vote, it could swing the entire election to Trump. \*I’m not saying that this reaction makes any sense at all, but since when has that stopped people? ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/82 "2020-08-27T16:47:23Z")
Just to preface, I think people are getting way too jittery about some pretty minor polling shifts so far - we don’t really know how long these trends are going to last and what is causing them yet. However with regards to this: > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m wondering who the riots will persuade more. Hard to imagine the 30-40% who are Trumpists will change their minds, nor the 40+% who are strongly anti-Trump. So you’re talking about some 20-30% who are either undecided or persuadable. > > I can imagine someone who considers themself pretty much “in the middle” might decide that the riots suggest problems w/ excessive liberalism, and a need for continuance of a strong leader like Trump. > > But are there more of those sort of people, than folk who perceive the riots as resulting from the toxic environment Trump created/perpetuated, who become more convinced of the need to get rid of him and start making at least incremental progress on various fronts? IMO, people who think Trump created a toxic environment are also basically united around Biden at this point. It was already mind-boggling at least to me that this group wasn’t over 60% of the country, but we already know that this group is not enough on its own. Further solidifying this group around Biden is basically irrelevant. Trump’s presidency has already shown that his demagoguery has encouraged right-wing terrorism - anyone who still didn’t buy the premise when Heather Heyer was murdered isn’t going to now by a riot in the name of a left-wing cause. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/83 "2020-08-27T17:06:08Z")
> [@SpecialFormulaFood](#): > > I am scared. I am disgusted. I’m also considering a starting the immigration paperwork to Canada. Yeah, me too. Seriously. If we have to have four more years of Trump, I just don’t want to be here for it. It should be noted that SpecialFormulaFood is my mom. Yes, she registered to post here after I shared this thread with my family, who have the same concerns that I do. (Hi mom!) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/84 "2020-08-27T17:09:35Z")
So, if I point you to what he said, no matter what it is that he said, you will just rephrase as “violence is bad, m’kay?” I’m not sure what it is that you are looking for if a categorical repudiation of violence in protests is not enough. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/85 "2020-08-27T17:11:52Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > If the Kenosha riots persuade\* a few thousand Wisconsinites who might have been leaning toward Biden to simply not vote, it could swing the entire election to Trump. And if a demand for the protests to stop come from democrats, then that may mean the minoirites that were planning on voting for democrats may find that themselves less enthusiastic about supporting the party that tells them to shut up, and that could swing the election to Trump. Sometimes, you just have to do the right thing, and hope that things work out. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/86 "2020-08-27T17:13:17Z")
> To “crush it” would be to make the riots worse, barring actual mass murder (which probably wouldn’t be terribly politically advantageous). Which is probably what his base wants. I find it interesting that Trump ran on law-and-order in 2016, as the one guy who could compel law and order, and 4 years in people are in the streets rioting. Law enforcement supported Trump in 2016, and it’s purely coincidental that people in rioting because of the shit they’ve done. Moreover, the killing and looting is perpetrated by gun-toting white vigilantes, who also probably support Trump. It’s a case of a political faction that’s not looking to solve a problem but looking to create a problem that they can then claim to solve. > I don’t think the voting public is in favor of brutalizing mostly peaceful protesters, like Lafayette Square. \ Define “voting public.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/87 "2020-08-27T17:13:22Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > So, if I point you to what he said, no matter what it is that he said, you will just rephrase as “violence is bad, m’kay?” No. For one, I’d like to see what he’d actually do about it. Any plan of actual action is going to be controversial to a portion of the electorate. Not just saying things that are completely innoffensive, obvious, and that anybody could say without any blowback. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/88 "2020-08-27T17:14:19Z")
Probably not a bad move on your part. We’ve watched most of this shit show. Leave now before the exits and parking lots get jammed. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/89 "2020-08-27T17:18:46Z")
What office does he hold? I’m not sure what it is that you want him to “do” about “it”. There are two ways of dealing with protesters. One is to brutalize them until they stop protesting. That seems to be the tactic of the current administration. The other is to recognize what it is that they are protesting about, and work to alleviate their grievances, that is what Biden would “do” about “it” were he elected to office. If what you are wanting Biden to say is that he would call in the NG and start busting heads, then you know very well that what you want is not going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/90 "2020-08-27T17:25:36Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The other is to recognize what it is that they are protesting about, and work to alleviate their grievances, that is what Biden would “do” about “it” were he elected to office. What, specifically, has Biden said he will do to “alleviate their grievances”? Seriously, if he has a plan here, with specifics, I’d like to see it. Presumably he will have at least some power to address this in 70 some odd days if he wins. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/91 "2020-08-27T17:32:40Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Biden’s in a tough spot. He can’t be “law and order” when there’s so much anti-police sentiment, and he can’t be too soft either or he’ll alienate fearful suburbanites. Biden should stick to the truth. Trump caused these riots. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/92 "2020-08-27T17:38:28Z")
You could infer that by association I suppose. Trump supports cops. Cops killed black people. Ergo, Trump caused the riots. Only problem with that is vast swaths of people support cops too. And not just republicans. There is no direct tie to Trump, any more than than there is a direct tie between the democratic mayors/governors and the riots. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/93 "2020-08-27T17:56:02Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > _Guaranteed_ > _Gua-ran-teed: (noun): a promise or assurance, especially one in writing, that something is of specified quality, content, benefit, etc., or that it will perform satisfactorily for a given length of time._ Example: the result of a close election are not guaranteed, especially if the president is messing with balloting, intimidating voters at the polls, and so forth. In the meantime, I will look up some Wisconsin-specific polls. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/94 "2020-08-27T18:02:44Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > > [@Akaj](#): > > > > If the Kenosha riots persuade\* a few thousand Wisconsinites who might have been leaning toward Biden to simply not vote, it could swing the entire election to Trump. > > And if a demand for the protests to stop come from democrats, then that may mean the minoirites that were planning on voting for democrats may find that themselves less enthusiastic about supporting the party that tells them to shut up, and that could swing the election to Trump. > > Sometimes, you just have to do the right thing, and hope that things work out. I said “riots,” not “protests.” I know others have promoted the idea that Democrats should demand that the protests stop, but I’m not one of them. I agree with you – that would be a terrible message to send. But at the same time I worry that the visceral images of the riots that _infrequently_ arise from protests may have the effect I described. And I’m not sure there’s anything the Dems can do about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/95 "2020-08-27T18:08:04Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > And I’m not sure there’s anything the Dems can do about it. That’s the key point here. We’re looking at the 2020 version of James Comey’s eleventh-hour bullshit, except x100 because the feelings elicited by watching buildings burn is a lot more visceral than any abstraction of bureaucratic malfesance. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/96 "2020-08-27T18:11:01Z")
That said, I did propose this in [another thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-blow-a-very-winnable-election/919094/106): I wonder if this is the moment to leverage Harris’ background as a prosecutor. Make her the bad-ass. Have her deliver a message along the lines of … > When you throw the incompetent Trump administration out of office, we’ll make sure police know the difference between peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment rights, and violent rioters who are basically just criminals. We’ll crack down on vigilantes who create more chaos by taking the law into their own hands. And we’ll push cities to prosecute these criminals, be they Black or White, because looting and vandalism hurts everyone. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/97 "2020-08-27T18:11:35Z")
At this point, campaign promises of police reform and social programs to alleviate poverty. I’m not sure that he has gone into specific programs and nitty gritty with his public speeches, but then, going into details of programs and nitty gritty was one of the specific things that Clinton was criticized for. I don’t know what it is that you are trying to demand here. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/98 "2020-08-27T18:15:27Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > I know others have promoted the idea that Democrats should demand that the protests stop, but I’m not one of them. I agree with you – that would be a terrible message to send. But at the same time I worry that the visceral images of the riots that _infrequently_ arise from protests may have the effect I described. And I’m not sure there’s anything the Dems can do about it. The things are separable. They will get around to it. The problem is you don’t want to have to KEEP doing it. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/99 "2020-08-27T18:15:38Z")
The only thing that the Dems can do about it is to ask the people to stop protesting. They can’t ask people to stop rioting, they already have, and apparently the people who want to riot don’t listen to democrats. So, all that would be left would be to remove the cover that rioter’s use. Now, personally, were I in charge of any of the protests, I would try to get people to bring a pillow and a blanket, and do the protesting while laying down. That way, there is no confusion as to who is peacefully protesting, and who is there to cause trouble. But I don’t know if that is something that is truly viable, and it is also something that would be hard to get people to do from the outside. Maybe that’s something that Biden and the dems can do. Ask that the protests be sit/lay-ins. Maybe, maybe, maybe people would listen and it may make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092/100 "2020-08-27T18:32:13Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I’m not sure that he has gone into specific programs and nitty gritty with his public speeches, but then, going into details of programs and nitty gritty was one of the specific things that Clinton was criticized for. > > I don’t know what it is that you are trying to demand here. Something that isn’t nebulous and potentially years away? Right now all we have to go on is “elect Biden and maybe it will stop.” That’s what I think hopes are being pinned on anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-seriously-worried-that-these-riots-are-going-to-get-trump-re-elected/919092.md?page=6)