Political civility since the Kavanaugh hearings has fractured even further with Republicans nationwide predicting Democratic “mob rule” in the near future as a critical messaging strategy heading into the midterm elections. The narrative drive from Republicans is building on the animus from enraged protesters opposing President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, adding to the dangerously divisive atmosphere.
In the past few months, instances of anti-GOP violence have risen. Just some over the course President Trump’s first term in office include the incident at The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders months ago, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) shouted out of a Washington restaurant in early October, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) yelled at and harassed at an airport one week ago, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) injured after being attacked while mowing his grass earlier this year, and even a Republican House of Representatives candidate in Northern California recently survived a stabbing attempt.
Of course, no one can forget when conservative lawmakers practicing for the “Congressional Baseball Game” were shot at last year by a violent progressive activist. The assassination attempt was luckily thwarted by the Capitol Police protection unit of Republican Majority Whip Steve Scalise (LA-1), who was hit by one of the 50 bullets fired and was hospitalized for six weeks.
The midterm message to Republican voters across the country is that Democrats are employing radical, abusive tactics to win elections and overthrow the Trump Administration, which are growing worse by the day.
Although things in Washington have been extraordinarily sour since the beginning of 2017, its influence on voter engagement can not be overlooked. Republicans and Democrats alike have seen surges in enthusiasm and political engagement. Voters felt strongly on the situation surrounding the newly-installed Justice Kavanaugh, but it was just the next step in the Democrats’ agenda to somehow bring forth impeachment articles to stop President Trump.
Conservative campaign ads have been exploiting the common images of protesters berating lawmakers and interrupting Senate during the confirmation hearings to help them gain favorability against the aggressive progressive wave consuming the Democratic Party. Even former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has come back into the spotlight recently, said this week that “civility can start again” after Democrats retake the majority in either House or Senate in next month’s elections.
Presumably, when the Democrats do not win as many seats in Congress as they like come November 6 they will call it a “male-lash” against women, considering Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Tom Perez is now fundraising using sexual assault victims and saying that Republicans must be punished for Kavanaugh.
Regardless, it will be interesting in last the last few weeks of the election cycle. In a new poll from Rasmussen, Republicans have pulled even with Democrats in the generic ballot, coming off being five points down last week.