It would be amusing if it weren’t so serious. Last weekend’s expressions of “free speech” were almost universally called demonstrations by the media and “mostly peaceful” by some. In contrast, the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol was labeled an “insurrection” and “riot” by the media.
As with so much else, pollsters are now looking at the political effect and who benefits most from scenes that included looting, attacks on police cars and burning Waymo vehicles.
According to a YouGov poll, the demonstrations were unpopular with the public. More than 4,000 adults were questioned; 36% approved of the protests. Forty-five percent disapproved, and then we have the usual category of people who find it difficult to make up their minds about anything – 19% were “unsure” about how to react.
Now to the big, and to some, cynical question: who benefits?
It should not come as a surprise that most Americans respect law and order, regardless of party. That issue usually favors Republicans and according to an InsiderAdvantage poll taken June 9-10, 59% said they agreed with Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and federal military to downtown Los Angeles. This included 89% of Republicans, 56% of independents, and 37% of Democrats.