It’s not shocking, but the amount of support that liberals have for some of these crosstabs on freedom of speech is disturbing. It’s a trend that’s likely never to fade, as the younger generation, those under 30, seem to have zero qualms about the government censoring free speech. If I had to guess, the Left gets caught up in their shoddy arguments for policing so-called hate speech, leading them down a dark alley into authoritarianism.
RealClearPolitics’ survey confirms what we’ve known about these people for years. Still, the amount of support the Left gives to illiberal and wholly unconstitutional safeguards on freedom of speech and expression is creepy. There’s more than enough to form a base of support for Chinese-like censorship policies if we don’t remain vigilant and fight back when necessary.
The breakdowns and conclusions form quite the paradox for a party whose founder, Thomas Jefferson, once said he would choose the latter regarding “a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government.”
One-third of Democrats feel we have too much freedom as Americans. Since 2016 and the Left’s penchant for Russophobia, the initial debate about policing free speech from incendiary content has merged with supposed national security concerns. It shows that liberals still believe the Big Lie that Russia tilted the race for Trump, despite this being exposed multiple times as a hoax. And while it’s long been buried, most Democrats believed that voting machines were hacked in the days following the 2016 election (via RCP):
Stunning numbers among Dems in RCOR's new poll on free speech and censorship:
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) September 24, 2023
47% of Dems say free speech should be legal 'only under certain circumstances.
34% of Dems say Americans 'have too much freedom'
75% of Dems say government has a responsibility to censor 'hateful'…
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Painting with a broad brush, Democrats grant significantly more deference to government than do Republicans when it comes to regulating free speech. This wasn’t the only fault line revealed by the RCP survey.
Some of what is dividing these differences is generational, as Millennials and Gen-Z have come of age in a digital age environment in which reasonable expectations of privacy seem a relic of the past. “Those under 30 are most open to censorship by the government,” Kimball noted, adding that 42% of this cohort deem it “more important” to them that the government protect national security than guard the right to free expression. Among those over 65 years old, the corresponding percentage was 26%.
Also, a gender gap reveals itself, one that dovetails with the discrepancy in party registration between men and women — but which is more pronounced. Asked whether they support free speech even if it’s “deeply offensive,” 78% of men answered affirmatively, compared to 66% of women.
But the most glaring gap is between conservatives and liberals, i.e., between Republicans and Democrats. On the issue of free expression, at least, Republicans are not the authoritarian party. That distinction belongs to the Democrats
[…]
- Republican voters (74%) and independents (61%) believe speech should be legal “under any circumstances, while Democrats are almost evenly divided. A bare majority of Democrats (53%) say speech should be legal under any circumstances, while 47% say it should be legal “only under certain circumstances.”
- Nearly one-third of Democratic voters (34%) say Americans have “too much freedom.” This compared to 14.6% of Republicans. Republicans were most likely to say Americans have too little freedom (46%), while only 22% of Democrats feel that way. Independents were in the middle in both categories.
- Although majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree the news media should be able to report stories they believe are in the national interest, this consensus shifts when it comes to social media censorship. A majority of Democrats (52%) approve of the government censoring social media content under the rubric of protecting national security. Among Republicans and independents, this percentage is only one-third.
- Poll respondents were read this statement: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Only 31% of Democratic voters “strongly agreed” with that sentiment, compared to 51% of Republicans.
- Fully three-fourths of Democrats believe government has a responsibility to limit “hateful” social media posts, while Republicans are more split, with 50% believing the government has a responsibility to restrict hateful posts. (Independents, once again, are in the middle.)
- Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to favor stifling the free speech rights of political extremists. Also, Republicans don’t vary by the group: Only about half of GOP voters favor censorship — whether asked about the Ku Klux Klan, Nazis, or the Communist Party.
Liberals are soft. Remember, this is the party who thinks statements like “the person best qualified for the job” regarding job searches are problematic. Anything they don’t like is hate speech. That’s an unserious standard that’s not shockingly accepted as dogma from unserious people, but they also vote.
Unhinged and proud, this poll is a gentle reminder that the authoritarianism we see in China, Eastern Europe, and South America, a la Hugo Chavez, can arrive here since a significant chunk of the Democratic Party believes in rationing our freedom.
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