Both Parties are to Blame for Political Violence

From the Center

I want you to imagine a country where politicians are targets. Imagine someone being attacked in an act of violence due to a difference of opinion. Which countries come to mind? Putin's Russia, Myanmar, North Korea, and Belarus are easy answers. Understandably, our minds would immediately wander there.

Unfortunately, this also applies to the United States in 2025. 

In fact, our country is so polarized that these horrendous acts of violence are often quickly forgotten as the news cycle continues to move at a breakneck pace in a seemingly shameless manner. Remember 2022 when Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the target of a planned assassination attempt? Or when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband was viciously attacked by a deranged man in his home that same year? 

Flashback to this past July and the near assassination of President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. The fact that we were only a few millimeters from the bullet of one man vetoing the vote of millions of Americans underscores just how tense our politics are today. 

This past weekend in Minnesota, an unspeakable tragedy occurred when a man posing as a police officer murdered two legislators in an act described as “targeted political violence.”

So how did we get here? How can it be that in the country which prides itself on being the shining example of democracy to the world, we now imitate the charged discourse of authoritarian regimes in Africa and the Middle East?

There are many potential reasons, but the most compelling one is that both parties are to blame. For years, Republicans and Democrats have engaged in increasingly divisive rhetoric. Instead of seeing our political opponents as those with differing opinions, we now treat them as mortal enemies.

Consider that in 2024, Democrats were eager to compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, with these comparisons only increasing in recent months. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has been quick to claim that Democrat legislators are “enemies from within” and has suggested that government workers are “Marxists” and “Socialists.” 

Meanwhile, cable news feeds off this negativity like a parasite infecting its host. Why do they do this? To generate ratings, energize the partisan bases, and boost their profits. Sensationalism activates the human psyche profoundly. When this is paired with an appeal to our tribal instincts, we end up with a highly divided electorate that results in the type of violence we unfortunately witnessed this past weekend.

Politics shouldn’t be this way. Almost all Americans agree. Recent polling by the Independent Center found that nearly 50% of Democrats and 60% of independents want Donald Trump to succeed. However, there’s an important caveat: they want him to work across the aisle to enact bipartisan policies, not to push a purely MAGA-driven agenda.

But in the partisan world, every contemporary issue is framed as an “all-or-nothing" struggle for the future of our nation. This is why every election is labeled as “the most important election of our lifetime.” If Republicans and Democrats are pitted against one another in an apocalyptic battle for our nation’s soul, is it really any surprise that we’re seeing a reaction from the general electorate that matches this intensity?

Politics shouldn’t be like this. Call me crazy, but the public debate in Congress over the federal tax code and appropriations shouldn’t be a page-turner or a significant ratings generator for cable news outlets. Politics used to be mundane, and that’s how it should be today.

Life isn’t zero-sum. In fact, the best outcomes often emerge from collaboration and cooperation. However, because the Republican and Democratic parties have discovered that inflammatory rhetoric raises funds and generates engagement, politics is now treated as such.

Enough is enough. Our country deserves better, and our electorate is demanding more. Independent voters who don’t affiliate with either party see through the partisan grift. They demand common sense and rationality. And above all? Decency from our officials whom we elect to represent us. This is what our country was founded on, and this is how we can rediscover our shared connection.

Political violence has no place in America. It never has, and it never will. However, if the two parties keep promoting hyperbole and dramatic rhetoric, this trend will only persist.

America deserves better.

Adam Brandon is a senior advisor to The Independent Center.