Due to the weird way our nation works, it was a minority of voters. (A plurality in this case, though our electoral system also doesn't require that.)
But yeah, the keys were handed over by the populace as much as was required by how our elections occur.
I keep wondering where the line is, for those on the right. It seems like wherever you would draw a line in the sand … we're past that point.
Been thinking about this for years. I've come to the conclusion that there might be two seperate groups.
1. People that have nothing left to lose. Their life is ruined due to their community falling on hard times and if they see the people they perceive at fault suffering then they are satisfied.
2. People who love to watch the other side suffer but have themselves not felt enough pain yet. It has to really hurt for them to stop. I think the economy crashing in 08 was a moment where many of them quieted down for a tiny bit until the pain stopped.
I also think there's a polarisation between people predisposed mentally for survival and others for thriving. Scott Alexander has a piece about this that I found very interesting: https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/03/04/a-thrivesurvive-theory...