President Barack Obama got called some very impolite things at congressional forums around here. That went on for eight years.
Before then, I heard President George W. Bush matter-of-factly called a war criminal a few times at other meetings.
A more polite, productive public discourse would be nice. I hear more pleas for that than I used to. Recent well-attended town halls hosted by our members of Congress seem to have something to do with this renewed interest in civility.
I do not put much stock in those pleas. I have not yet heard enough people objecting to rude remarks when they agree with them. Every one of the Arkansas congressmen getting a face full of rage at these town halls was helped into office by the same kind of emotion. Every one of them ran more against Obama than they ever did against a direct Democratic opponent. They know where the most votes are.
As for everyone else, no one has the right to watch the delegates at the convention of one of our two major parties chant "Lock her up," then wonder where decorum went. Nor should anyone watch the ultra-liberal wing of the other party accuse moderates of every foul thing, then wonder how things got so bad.
Our president is a man whose Twitter account is a quiver of poison arrows. He rose to the top in the current political environment for good reason.
Back at home, a lady argued that the president is seriously mentally ill at a congressman's town hall in Bentonville last week. Many will find that appalling. Yet she was no more strident than the woman who stood before the same congressman six months before. Trump's "grab them" audio had just come out. It looked like Hillary Clinton could not lose. Was there any way to impeach Clinton before she even took office since she was a crook and a traitor, the congressman was asked in all seriousness. I do not recall anyone objecting that maybe that was going too far.
Most people do not go to forums like these. Generally, only the most passionate show up. That is something to always bear in mind. I go because it is my job. But when I am off work, I sometimes attend charitable community events that are totally nonpartisan. Some are very popular. For years I have noticed how at least some of the volunteers helping at some of these local events wore T-shirts that said, for instance, something nasty about Benghazi. Many more of the attendees did.
Venom spreads everywhere.
There is an interesting thing about venom. It often causes paralysis. Sometimes, just the threat of it is enough. That is what Congress suffers from right now. Members are so scared of doing something -- anything -- that will get them bitten by the snake, they will not make any of the compromises -- the deals -- necessary for a democratic political process to function.
Oh, there is one thing Congress can do. They can confirm a Supreme Court justice who will stop things they do not want done. First the Senate refused to even consider Obama's U.S. Supreme Court pick, stalling almost a year. Then they nominated a conservative justice and broke Senate tradition to do it. They were applauded for it. A conservative court will hold the line.
So there. Congress will not do anything themselves except emplace a court majority that will stop the other side from doing anything for a generation. They moved heaven and earth to do that.
On the principle of saying something constructive, here is my only suggestion. Anyone who wants to protest the lack of a civil discourse needs to start by admitting his or her own side went too far. Anyone on either side would be right.
On a related note, I hear some complaints about "fake news." The best defense against fake news is simple. Do not hate anyone so much that you will fall for anything so long as it is bad.
Commentary on 04/22/2017