Politics and diplomacy are both vital institutions for a society to advance and thrive; without them anger and violence reign supreme. An important aspect of diplomacy is civility, the ability to control one's temper, to refrain from obnoxious or offensive rhetoric, and to respect proponents of opposing viewpoints in spite of disagreements.
Most politicians must agree that politics cannot exist without civility, and many abide by a certain civil code when advancing their political rhetoric. Donald Trump is not like most politicians.
The president seems to have no grasp of any concept of civility whatsoever, resorting to lies, name-calling, and smear campaigns when discussing his political opponents. Meanwhile, his lackeys in Congress, such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, stand idly by, or worse, stoop to the same level of toxic behavior during their own campaigns.
Trump and the GOP have altered the parameters of normal political rhetoric to a ruinous level and have sullied the good names of the great institutions they purport to represent. It is completely unacceptable for the President of the United States to call a woman, who is suing him for slander, "horse face" and sling other insults for all of the world to see.
This disgusting behavior is wrong and deplorable on its own, but the intense and unrelenting hypocrisy demonstrated by the actors involved takes the situation to another level of disgusting. The very same conservative politicians who consistently and religiously insult the left for being too sensitive, being "snowflakes," are themselves overly sensitive to any threats to their limited and regressive way of life.
The very same conservative politicians who for years demanded to see Obama's birth certificate now stand idly and silently as Donald Trump, after an insightful and questioning article on his financial situation, continues to refuse to release his tax returns.
For context, every other President in living memory has released his tax statements prior to Trump, yet this fact leaves the GOP unbothered. The very same conservative politicians spent months investigating the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, who grilled Hillary Clinton for hours in the Senate, who were tireless and relentless in their pursuit of the truth, no matter the cost. The very same conservative politicians now want to end Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump, who don't want the President to be interviewed under oath, who refuse to send the President to be questioned by the Senate.
The very same conservative politicians ask for civility while giving none themselves. Do not be fooled, do not be tricked, do not be manipulated, do not be gaslit. The GOP's game is old, and its time is up.
Make your voice heard, go vote, and bring civility back.
