LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — What happened on Saturday in Pennsylvania wasn’t overly shocking to some, and that in and of itself speaks volumes.
“American politics have become so poisonous, so polarizing that it was only a matter of time,” said Dr. Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky.
“When so many people are convinced that the very future of the country hangs on a single election, they often do desperate things,” Dr. Voss said while discussing the possibility of more violence between now and November’s Election Day.
The real question is what might happen on Election Day now that we’ve had this incident play out on national television for all to see.
“This really throws a new element into the election,” he stated. “Seeing Trump with his fist up, the way the blood was streaked, that’s just such great imagery for Trump. Such a boost, or reinforcement of the image he’s tried to present,” Dr. Voss continued.
Dr. Voss discussed social media’s role in creating such a polarized political landscape. As he noted, we’re often times only seeing the point of view from the extremists for both sides, and that tends to get everyone’s blood boiling.
Voss thinks what happened over the weekend, combined with President Biden’s performance during the debate in Atlanta two and a half weeks ago, could impact how some vote, but the overall impact might not be as seismic as some believe it might be.
“The number of voters who can swing is both small and very likely to move multiple times between now and November,” he said.
