Predictions on election day related violence?

Politics & Elections
#1

Articles over the last few days have turned substantially more dire with regard to predictions of outright violence. You can chalk this up to posturing by a small minority, but it has had some support from people who should know better, including, obviously, the nominee himself.

Every election has some threat of violence during the transition of power, but I think it’s unquestionable that this election has more reason for concern than any in recent memory.

Anyone want to make any predictions with how smoothly this transition of power (assuming a Clinton win within the range that polls currently predict, which is to say solid, though not a landslide)?

#2

Well, what’s the historical norm for the past 40 years? How much violence? Do we ever hear about the people who voted for the winner acting out (as with sporting events) because I don’t recall hearing that.

I do not expect riots - even if there was that kind of rage, GOP skews more rural and I think violence would express itself differently. I do not expect any really big events. There will be a few lone nuts (like the woman who ran over her husband for not voting Romney when Romney won her state anyway). There may be an increase in Bundy/militia type activity, but probably by people who were already into that before Trump even won the nomination and it won’t be in November. More guns and more ammo will be bought by the same people who bought them when Obama won.

A few acts of vandalism against political offices (I’m talking graffiti and window-breaking, not firebombing) would not be surprising. Small MAGA rallies that are just bellicose shouting and no action might occur, but little-to-nothing will come of it.

Hope I’m not being too optimistic. You can never say what one or three extremist or mentally ill people might do. But I don’t expect anything widespread in the immediate aftermath.

#3

Can you give examples? The only thing I can think of is each side fretting about their bogeyman groups intimidating voters at the polls, e.g. white militias/blank panthers.

#4

I just meant that we take the transition of power for granted because it happens so smoothly in our memory, but this is by no means assured, and the possibility of one side refusing to accept the results and initiating violence has always been there. This year, it is considerably more vocalized and considerably more likely.

#5

ISTM that there’s been a lot more violence directed at Trump supporters than from Trump supporters. So I find this whole discussion strange.

#6

Care to substantiate that claim:dubious:

#7

Ha! I’ve seen far too much footage of Trump supporters assaulting protesters at his rallies, egged on by the Orange Beast himself.

Any violence on election day will come from Trumpians who will refuse to believe that their Messiah got trounced. How much will depend on whether their evil leader can bring himself to admit that he got whipped by a girl.

#8

Yep, every day we hear from people that plan to take up arms and take back the White House if Trump steals the election. :rolleyes:

#9

Here’s one from 2012. Racially charged protest of Obama’s reelection at Hampden-Sydney College.

#10

Here’s some from 2008.

#11

I wrote ISTM because it’s based on my perception of events, including incidents like this one. Or this. Or this. And so on.

I’m not going to look up every incident and compare to every incident of violence from the other direction (I’m not aware of any pro-Trump violence outside of his own events). But that’s my perception.

YMMV. But if it does it might be worth considering whether it’s based on actual incidents or preconceived ideas about Trump and his supporters.

#12

OK, so you’re predicting no violence. That’s fine.

#13

Pennsylvania is could be the state with the highest risk. There’s no early voting and Roger Stone seems to be directing his goons there. Also, a major lawsuit now underway challenging the state’s authority to restrict observers to residents of the county in which the vote ‘observing’ takes place. I expect the challenge to be tossed but you never know.

#14

I think your second use of “considerably” is not warranted. I would use “slightly” there. While there may be isolated cases of violence, the Trump movement doesn’t seem to have legs. It will fizzle.

#15

Been hearing this for the last year or so.

#16

The first link in the OP from the “respectable” NY Times, is complete and total bullshit!
It’s worse than Fox news. A front page article, full of bias designed to appeal to the emotions of the audience.In this case, the audience is liberals, who have a deep-seated need to hate conservatives…just like Fox news appeals to an audience who have a deep-seated need to hate Muslims…

Not only is it sensationalist and emotional reporting, —but worse:the basic facts are wrong!
This isn’t reporting, it’s pure propaganda.

The title of the article is “Some Trump voters warn of revolution if Clinton wins”.
That’s right, it says “revolution”!!! Ooooh,scary!!! Let’s demonize Trump and all his voters!!!

But the rest of the article reports exactly the OPPOSITE.
Click on the link and read it carefully:
Nine or ten Trump voters are interviewed, and each and every one of them says “I’m not going to protest the election results”.
But the NY Times can’t handle that concept, because Trump voters must be eeeevil. So the editors created a totally misleading title for the news article.

The people interviewed in the article ALL say that they will respect the vote results (although , yes, they vaguely hint that maybe, just maybe, but they aren’t sure— somebody, somewhere, won’t be so complacent. But they have no idea who or where.)

There are ZERO facts offered as evidence that there will be any type of violence whatsoever.
ZERO evidence.
And nothing that hints of the “Revolution” which the NY Times so desperately wants to invent for its readers.

This is not just a terrible piece of journalism…it reveals a lot about the liberal mindset, which so desperately needs to set up a boogeyman to be afraid of,so that they can feel smug about their own superiority.
There will be no more violence on Nov 8 than on any other election day in recent history.

But the Times will report it all , in vivid detail, on the front page.
Hide under you bed!

#17

Perhaps, but what cannot be denied is that the legitimacy of democratic institutions and the machinery of our political system are faced with a clear and present danger. Trump himself isn’t necessarily that danger but the republican party is assaulting the legitimacy of elections in ways certainly not seen in decades, if ever.

#18

Drumpfelstiltskin will be told he lost… and that his buildings in NY, Chicago, LA, Oahu, Kobe, Madripoor, St Petersburg, Paris, London, and Bueno Aires are in flames…

In shock, he will collapse his flabby ass back into his chair to proclaim just Two Words…

“…The Olives…!”

#19

A predict a “prediction : violence” ratio of about 100:1.

#20

I predict zero violence and a media continuing to thrash the political violence narrative like a red-headed step child.