The rhetoric has certainly intensified as we approach the presidential election. Many Americans don't think well of their fellow citizens on the other side of the political spectrum. A recent Heartland Institute/Rasmussen Reports poll found that “one in five Democrats want Donald Trump to be imprisoned forever, expelled, or given the death penalty if he is convicted of election fraud.” Further evidence is provided under the heading “Desiring Execution.''

But that's not all. Nearly four out of five Democrats think Trump should be barred from running for public office if convicted. Almost half of Democrats want media members who make claims of voter fraud to be “banned from public speaking, sentenced to prison, or both.”

The attitude towards the media is shocking. The president's statements are inherently newsworthy. Today, many people support silencing dissenting voices, perhaps to suppress political opposition.

I think public figures should think twice before calling their fellow Americans stupid or evil. Can anyone truly accept as equal citizens those whom they consider evil and stupid? Or do you agree to be ruled by evil fools?

Painting President Trump as an existential threat to democracy reduces confidence in elections. If the end justifies the means to stop Trump, it would not be surprising if conservatives believe that liberals have stuffed the ballot box to accomplish this. A coordinated effort to influence voting took place in 2020, as documented by Molly Ball. time. Supporters described it as a “hardening” of the election, but some may see it as fraud.

Perhaps this vitriol can be dismissed as cheap trash talk. Athletes and children on the playground used words with murderous intent, such as “killing” their opponents. MSNBC hosts' and guests' admonitions can be metaphorical as well. Today's partisan news media celebrates extreme language. But even unserious rhetoric can be taken seriously by an audience.

Unprecedented action also comes with rhetoric. Two states have excluded Donald Trump from their primaries, and he faces multiple criminal charges. One can't help but wonder if the political left envisions disenfranchising half of America.

Economists would say that it is not balanced for half the country to accept exclusion from elections. This means that some people may not be doing what is in their own best interest, taking into account the actions of others. Red America will respond in some way to being prohibited from electing its next president.

The rhetoric against Trump may not portend a bleak future, as liberals see him as uniquely vile and intolerable. Liberals may be suffering from Trump derangement syndrome rather than an authoritarian will to power. However, I am not convinced that Donald Trump's withdrawal from politics will result in détente. Some Democrats are trying to bar some House Republicans from running for office.

I believe that not only personality but also policies cause Trump Derangement Syndrome. and especially his populism, which means a rejection of control by elites. Laughter and ridicule can sometimes make a point more effectively than big words, and I think the elites realize that President Trump's contempt for their project is deadly. It's funny to agree to be ruled by people like Elizabeth Warren, and Trump is making people get the joke.

Other evidence shows that populism is a problem. Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi's report links populism to the emergence of a tangled web of governments, corporations, foundations, and university centers that they call the “censorship-industrial complex.” Brexit and the election of President Trump have threatened the dominance of an educated and qualified managerial elite.

However, things may not be as bleak as they seem. Partisans often portray every election as an existential exercise to raise money and increase turnout. Many polls have found that it's less divisive than MSNBC and Fox News hosts suggest.

But words matter. Future political operatives will be faced with allegations that the election was stolen from their party's presidential candidate during their impressionable teenage years. This will exacerbate partisan rivalry. A country whose citizens hate each other seems doomed to political conflict and an inability to defend its interests against foreign enemies.

America will not remain one country. Domestic divorce or peaceful separation is possible, but it seems to me that it is much preferable to descending into civil war. Those who believe in hatred against the other should prepare to end America's political union.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics at Troy University's Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy and host of the TrojanVision Conversation. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.