Let me say that I think it’s reasonable for many conservatives to feel grieved by the notion that the shootings in Tucson should be laid at the feet of their movement.<\/p>\n
As I’ve written before, tea party activists, mainstream conservatives, and Republican leaders have engineered a political revival that is — with passingly few exceptions — peaceful and democratic.<\/p>\n
So let me put a question to everyone, including but not limited to the conservatives who take part in this conversation:<\/p>\n
Is there a way, without laying blame or pointing fingers, to agree that this kind of rhetoric should stop?<\/p>\n
This is a sincere question.\u00a0 So let me appeal to you to lay aside the easy score one-liners and rhetorical zingers and really wrestle with it for a minute.<\/p>\n
Is there some way that we can we agree that there’s no place for guns at peaceful political rallies? Can we agree that “by any means necessary” us an unacceptable slogan, in a society that holds free and fair elections?<\/p>\n
Can we agree to rebuke and reject politicians who employ symbols, or code-phrases, which imply that violence might be an alternative, if success at the ballot box isn’t achieved?<\/p>\n
Can we decide as a society to turn off radio and TV stations where hosts dehumanize their political opponents by calling them “traitors” or “evil” or the “worst person in the world.”<\/p>\n
This doesn’t have to be a right-left thing.\u00a0 Civility and manners aren’t the province of one political persuasion.\u00a0 Neither is a capacity for intelligent discourse.<\/p>\n
Obviously, none of this rhetorical detente would exclude spirited, even passionate disagreements.\u00a0 We can still have conservative TV stations and liberal TV stations.\u00a0 We can still argue over Thanksgiving dinner.<\/p>\n
We can all find people who agree with us that the other side’s ideas are wrong for the country and that there is good cause to contribute money and help organize and rally the vote for change.<\/p>\n
We can do that without demonizing the other side or suggesting that the Republic will fall by next Thursday if our side doesn’t prevail.<\/p>\n
Is there anything wrong with this dialed-down approach?\u00a0 Does anyone think our society, our democracy, or our airwaves would be impoverished if we demanded better of our pundits and politicians?<\/p>\n
On the contrary.\u00a0 If the vast majority of us put the crazy talk back in the box, then we would know something very important about those people — right or left — who still resort to it.<\/p>\n
We would know know that they’re crazy and bad for America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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