The Republican Party's Continuing Racism

A new CBS News poll finds that 75% of Americans agree with the jury verdict in which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd.  The exception?  Republicans, 46% of whom disagreed with the verdict notwithstanding that the trial proceedings were televised, ample video evidence showed Chauvin's actions through the entire time he restricted Floyd's breathing, numerous police official testified for the prosecution and against Chauvin, and ample medical evidence tied Chauvin as a cause of Floyd's death.  It is difficult to come up with any basis for such disapproval other than racism and a tribal mindset where one stands up for a fellow white against those who are different.  Here are highlights from the poll findings:

Three in four Americans think the jury reached the right verdict in which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, a majority view that spans across all racial, age and partisan groups.

Most White and Black Americans share the view that the jury reached the right verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer found guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd. Americans — both young and old —— within these racial groups agree with the verdict.  

Reaction to the verdict among White Americans is largely related to partisanship. White Democrats overwhelmingly think the jury reached the right verdict, while White Republicans, like Republicans overall, are more divided. 

The smaller portion of Americans — 25% —  who believe the jury reached the wrong verdict strongly disagree with the ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement. This group is composed of more men than women, is disproportionately White and they mostly identify as conservative. 

President Biden, who has called the verdict a step forward, gets a 60% approval rating for his general handling of matters surrounding George Floyd's death and Chauvin's trial. This is similar to his overall job rating as he closes in on 100 days in office.