Now and then, conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh discusses a phenomenon during his program that he says he hears and sees a lot.

Namely, he references the fact that many supporters of Republicans and President Donald Trump often keep their views to themselves so they can avoid having to deal with the anticipated fall-out from the unhinged extremists on the Left.

What’s more, as we’ve seen with our own eyes, conservatives don’t show up at Democratic Marxist events with angry anarchists who ridicule, threaten, and beat attendees. That’s because conservatives really do believe in the First Amendment’s protections of speech and expression. 

***FIGHT BACK Against Liberal Censorship. Download Our Free Trump News App***

Now, a new study appears to vindicate Limbaugh (not that we ever doubted him, mind you).

"Strong liberals are 'the only political group who feels they can express themselves' without fear of repercussions, a new Cato Institute survey finds," CNS News reports.

The site adds:

In a national survey of 2,000 Americans at least 18 years old, conducted July 1-6, 2020, Cato asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following statement:

“The political climate these days prevents me from saying things I believe because others might find them offensive.”

In all, a whopping 62 percent said that, which was up from 58 percent in 2017, leading the libertarian think tank to note that “self-censorship is on the rise in the United States.”

GOP voters and supporters were less likely to share their viewpoints (77 percent), following by 59 percent of self-described Independents. Meanwhile, just over half – 53 percent – of Democrats expressed a similar fear of speaking up about their views.

In terms of ideology, only a majority of the staunchest Leftists felt unencumbered enough to voice their opinions. Interestingly, however, most centrist liberals were afraid to speak up, which means, according to CATO, that there really is a civil war going on for control of the Democrat Party.

"Strong liberals stand out, however, as the only political group who feel they can express themselves. Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of staunch liberals feel they can say what they believe. However, centrist liberals feel differently," CATO said. 

"A slim majority (52%) of liberals feel they have to self??censor, as do 64% of moderates, and 77% of conservatives. This demonstrates that political expression is an issue that divides the Democratic coalition between centrist Democrats and their left flank."

***Get your Patriotic face masks with FREE SHIPPING today***

Along those self-censorship lines, nearly one-third (32 percent) said they feared they’d lose their jobs and/or their careers if they made their political views known. That includes about one in three libs (31 percent), moderates (30 percent) and conservatives (34 percent).

"Fears of professional retribution may well be justified, as the survey found that 31% of Americans said they would support firing a business executive who donates to Pres. Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and 22% would back firing one who personally donates to Joe Biden’s campaign,” CNS News adds, citing the survey.

“Support for firing Trump supporters rises to 50% among strong liberals, while 36% of strong conservatives support firing Biden supporters,” the site notes further.