This moment in America’s story feels like your phone’s low-battery warning. You don’t want to panic because it’s still functioning, but without a fresh charge, it risks going dark.
As the specter of political violence rears its head, we’ve felt our national blood pressure rising. And you’ve probably witnessed friends or family demonizing others over politics – usually on social media.
Responsible citizens of every political stripe should fight these dark urges of human nature. Instead, they can give American democracy a charge by embracing the things that have made our country exceptional. That includes a courageous commitment to pluralism that unapologetically defends American freedoms for everyone – especially political opponents.
Violence and tyranny are unacceptable alternatives to our democracy. It’s the duty of responsible citizens to counter them with courageous pluralism. This doesn’t mean sugar coating arguments against views you find objectionable. But it absolutely requires recognizing the human dignity of fellow Americans, regardless of their views, and rejecting political violence in defense of American liberties. It also means refraining from partisan saber-rattling on social media or elsewhere that intentionally fuels contempt.
There’s reason for optimism. Nearly three quarters of Americans say political violence is never justified, according to a 2025 YouGov poll. And 77% say it’s unacceptable to be happy about a public figure’s death – though 14% aren’t sure and 8% say it’s acceptable.
We are a country of 340 million people with profound differences. And through this great experiment in liberal democracy we have remedied injustice, expanded access to opportunity, and coexisted in relative peace. A commitment to pluralism – when people, of varying beliefs and backgrounds, respect each other as equal citizens in a democracy – is essential to that experiment’s success.
The temptation to point fingers or deflect responsibility for political violence, though, can be overpowering. “It’s those people who are the real problem,” we might say. “You think that person on my team is bad, well what about their side?”
Vast majorities of Democrats and Republicans, according to the same YouGov poll, say the other side bears greater responsibility. Also, nearly 20% of America’s next generation, people aged 18 to 29, believe that political violence can sometimes be justified. That’s a significant minority. At worst, these attitudes may become powder kegs where the right spark ignites broader support for political violence.
Political violence, though, isn’t a left or right problem. It’s an American problem and condemning it is the unequivocal responsibility of every citizen. It’s not a matter of kumbaya togetherness, but of consistently championing the freedoms – expression, association, worship, and others – that are the bedrock foundation of the United States.
Within a democracy, conflict is waged through words, ideas, institutions, elections, due process, and the rule of law. This is how citizens of a free country resolve disputes. The alternatives are violence or the potential suppression of liberties like free expression.
We can glimpse the latter of those two alternatives playing out in the United Kingdom. Just over the past weeks, people have been arrested because of posts on X critical of the transgender movement or for holding signs supportive of a Palestinian group that the British government designated terrorists. While one may passionately disagree with or disapprove of the specific causes supported in each case, both demonstrate how government restriction of speech can be abused to the point of absurdity.
Meanwhile, the destructive path of political violence is still fresh in our national consciousness. It’s been on full display with the murders of influencer Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
Political leadership that models pluralism, though, may offer one way for diffusing tension.
“Many Democratic and Republican leaders have condemned political violence – that is good. But they have almost always done so in separate statements,” University of Chicago professor Robert Pape writes. “My research suggests that to deescalate the political environment and reduce the risk of violence, America’s political leaders need to cross their political divides and make joint statements (and ideally joint appearances) that denounce all political violence.…”
And if you doubt that such a thing is possible in today’s toxic political climate, consider that Republican and Democratic state governors like Utah’s Spencer Cox, Maryland’s Wes Moore, Kansas’ Laura Kelly, Wyoming’s Mark Gordon, and others have already laid a foundation for doing so in joint videos produced by the Disagree Better Initiative. They appear together despite stark political differences and engage respectfully while proclaiming mutual love of country.
If they can embrace courageous pluralism, so can other responsible citizens who love America and its freedoms.
Be the charge that American democracy needs.
