Let’s all just shut up about politics and eat before a brawl breaks out! American voters hope by 61 percent to 28 percent they can…
Let’s all just shut up about politics and eat before a brawl breaks out!
American voters hope by 61 percent to 28 percent they can avoid talking about politics with family and friends over Thanksgiving dinner, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
“The way people talk about politics these days is contributing to violence in the US,” voters say in the survey by 65 percent to 28 percent.
Fifty-nine percent agree with the statement that since President Trump was elected, “the level of hatred and prejudice in the US has increased,” while 32 percent say it has not changed and 5 percent say it has decreased.
“Pass the cranberries and dressing, but hold the political vitriol, say voters who foresee a looming Thanksgiving dinner donnybrook,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the poll.
Prejudice against minority groups is a “very serious” problem, 47 percent of voters say, while 31 percent say it is a “somewhat serious” problem.
Twenty-nine percent say prejudice against Jewish people in the US is a “very serious” problem while 40 percent say it is “somewhat serious.”
Trump has “deliberately encouraged” white supremacist groups, 35 percent of American voters say, while 18 percent say he has “accidentally encouraged” these groups through his decisions and behavior, according to the poll.
But 36 percent say the president has had no impact on white supremacist groups and 3 percent say he has discouraged these groups.
“An impossible-to-digest smorgasbord of prejudice and division is served up on a day Americans hope to give thanks for all they have,” Malloy said.
The poll also says that 69 percent of Americans say the news media is an important part of democracy, while 21 percent say the news media is the enemy of the people.
Among Republicans, 44 percent say the media is the enemy of the people and 42 percent say it is an important part of democracy.
American voters also trust the news media more than they trust Trump — by 54 percent to 34 percent — to tell the truth about important issues.
“Note to journalists: You are not the enemy. The people — and the Constitution — have your back,” Malloy said.
It was not necessary for Trump to send 5,900 troops to the US-Mexico border, voters say by 55 percent to 38 percent.
Only 26 percent of voters say undocumented immigrants are more likely than American citizens to commit crimes, while 65 percent of voters do not believe that.
