First Read: “In one of the most revealing 24 hours of the general election and the sprint to Election Day, one presidential nominee condemned violence and destruction from all sides of the political spectrum… The other presidential nominee seemed to defend violence from the right.” “One nominee has spoken with the family of Jacob Blake, the Kenosha, Wis., man shot in the back by police. The other one hasn’t.” “One nominee has demanded better policing practices…. The other compared Blake’s shooting to a golfer missing a putt.” “And one presidential candidate decided to stay away from Kenosha — at least for the time being. The other is headed there today, despite the city’s mayor and state’s governor asking him not to come.”
A new Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race, 52% to 44% among likely voters. Said pollster Mary Snow: “The economy is key in Pennsylvania and a majority of likely voters approve of the way President Trump is handling it, but it’s overshadowed by Trump’s handling of the coronavirus and his overall job approval. Both are registering double digit deficits.”
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds a significant majority of Americans believe President Trump’s rhetoric on the unrest in parts of the country is making matters worse — with even members of his own party divided on his approach. “Over half of the country — 55% — in the new poll said they think Trump is aggravating the situation, while just over one in 10 Americans, 13%, said they think he is making it better.” “Among his base, 30% of Republicans say the president is improving the situation, compared to 26% who say he’s having an adverse impact. Only 18% of white, non-college educated Americans, another core constituency for the president, believe he is having a positive effect on the protests, while 41% view his comments on the demonstrations amid the debate over racial equality as having a negative influence.”
Trump believes that every night of rioting serves to improve his re-election chances... he has no intent of toning down his rhetoric which is making matters worse (in my opinion). This aligns with all the commercials that are showing up on TV supporting the re-election of Trump -- they all focus on the message that only Trump can make your family safe from the rioting.
Seems both sides believe the riots are helping their election chances. What about the local people and businesses? Or are they just "acceptable collateral damage" for the political objective??