Thanks to Donald Trump the new normal in politics is fast approaching the level of civility one would expect of four-year olds, and badly behaved ones at that.
He has so shifted the tone of political discourse by calling his opponents / enemies things like “dummies” and “losers” and “idiots,” that we almost don’t notice anymore, and some of his targets have been goaded into responding in kind.
Scott Gilmore at McCleans magazine even took the time to compile a list of people Trump has publicly referred to at one time or another as a loser. It has well over 50 names on it.
Trump called Lindsey Graham a “stiff” and a “total lightweight” who “in the private sector couldn’t get a job.” Graham replied by calling Trump a jackass.
Trump said Rick Perry should have to take an I.Q. test before being allowed in the debates and he only got glasses to make himself look smart. Perry responded by calling Trump a cancer. According to Trump John McCain’s a dummy. John Kasich is “desperate.” Karl Rove is “a total loser.”
This is what it’s come to.
I’m oddly old fashioned about how we should address each other when discussing politics, especially when we disagree, specifically because people hold their political views so personally. The rise of Trump clearly suggests a new low in decorum, and I’m saddened to see it.
The American political scene is far from perfect, but Donald Trump’s arrival has made it so much worse. Are we actually going to see presidential debates in which this man calls his opponents the most vile names on national television?
It’s almost unimaginable.
(Cross-posted at Phantom Public.)