Pelosi attack shocks country on edge about democracy threats
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The assessment, dated Friday, said the greatest danger was “posed by lone offenders who leverage election-related issues to justify violence.” “It is worse than it’s ever been,” said Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster. Less than two years later, only 9% of U.S. adults think democracy is working “extremely” or “very well,” according to this month’s poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said on Monday that he is patrolling around drop boxes and devoting unprecedented manpower to election security after two people armed with pistols and wearing tactical gear were seen keeping watch on a ballot drop box outside Phoenix. Penzone, a Democrat, said there's “a growing toxic problem where individuals feel that it is appropriate to use forms of intimidation and threats to try to influence political outcomes.” Left-leaning groups have filed two lawsuits against groups organizing watch parties, including one with ties to the Oath Keepers militia.