Decorum in politics is dying, laments LABI President & CEO Stephen Waguespack in a column published one day after the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
Waguespack, in the piece distributed through LABI’s newsletter, describes numerous examples in which civility has yielded to rancor in political debates. Yet the shooting of Scalise, his security detail and a Congressional colleague is forcing many to ask a question that should have been asked long ago: “Is our lack of respect for those we politically disagree spiraling out of control?”
He goes on to write that despite the Louisiana Legislature passing a resolution advocating for civility in politics, the recently completed regular session ended State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson telling a colleague on the House floor to “shut the f— up.”
Around the country, he writes, organized political opposition hijack Congressional town hall meetings; talking heads on 24/7 news channels use bombastic and inflammatory language to drive up ratings; and even President Donald Trump uses his Twitter account to call people dummies, fakes and phonies.
Waguespack’s old boss, Joe Barton, a senior Congressman from Texas, manager of the Republican baseball team in which Scalise plays, has seen the amount of decorum and civility used in the political process change over the years.
Speaking at a press conference after the shooting, Barton talked about how his 10-year-old son, Jack, likes to pal around with many Democrats in Congress, like Cedric Richmond, of New Orleans, and Mike Doyle.
“To a kid like Jack Barton, political ideology and party loyalty have no bearing on who you want to pal around with. … ‘Every member of Congress is just a person who has a family,’” Waguespack writes. “So is every legislator and governor. So is every poster on Facebook and tweeter on Twitter. So is every voter and taxpayer, every citizen and immigrant.”
It’s not too late for conservatives and liberals to things around, Waguespack concludes, but both sides must figure out a way to debate without personally terrorizing those who disagree.
“My kids, your kids and kids like Jack Barton are growing up and watching the mess we have all created and we probably aren’t going to like the lessons they are learning,” he writes.
