Will the Angry, Ugly Political Speech Ever Go Away?

President Biden is in campaign mode.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that.  He is a politician, after all.  And we have midterm elections coming up in about ten weeks.  But the political climate in America is so angry and bitter—and accusatory.  It is not just the President.  It seems that among our political leaders, especially on the Left, there is so much rancor.  You never hear an apology for it either.  When confronted by members of the media, as the White House Press Secretary was a few days ago after our President accused virtually half of the nation as being “semi-fascists,” they double down on the hateful, inappropriate speech.  No apology needed or offered.

Former President Trump said some cringe-worthy things at times.  He was often accused of being unkind, mean-spirited, and of holding a grudge.  What is striking since, newsflash—he is no longer President—is that many of the same people who took him to task for his speech and behavior are mimicking the speech and behavior they supposedly deplored.  Disturbingly, it seems they are frequently unaware of this.

Years ago, I was the priest at a church in Topeka, Kansas.  It was a wonderful experience and I really enjoyed living there.  However, one downside of being a resident of the capital city of Kansas is that it was also the hometown of the Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps and followers.  They are notorious (among other things) for demonstrating at the funerals of U.S. military personnel and for their brightly colored signs that read “God Hates America.”  Twice each week, like clockwork, they demonstrated on the sidewalk near the entrance of my church.  They yelled obscenities as people came for worship.  They were aggressive and celebrated being rude and offensive.  I literally witnessed this every week.

The church I served had enough.  With the help of an attorney who was a member of the parish, they entered a years-long legal battle to have the Phelps Family ordered to stay a respectful distance away from the doors of the church. Free speech is one thing.  Getting in the faces of parishioners, including elderly women, and angrily denouncing them is another.  Eventually, a federal court granted the petition of the church, and the hostile demonstrators were forced to stay across the street during posted times for church services.

I asked the attorney who represented the church what he took away from this legal battle.  “Jerry,” I queried, “what stands out for you as you reflect on all that happened?”  I will never forget his answer.  He said the members of the Westboro Church and their pastoral family, most of whom were also lawyers, were so hate-filled and vindictive that the temptation was to respond in kind.  Over the protracted legal battle and the confrontations and media coverage, he said you had to be careful lest you begin to act and sound just like the people you were opposing.   To his credit, Jerry did not yield to that temptation.  But the temptation was real.

I have recalled this conversation frequently over the last eighteen months or so of the Biden Administration.  To be fair, it is not just our President whose vitriol many find unbecoming to the office of the President of the United States.  I recall Chuck Schumer standing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court and not only denouncing Justices of the high Court—but threatening them.  I have observed the sarcasm and angry accusations of Elizabeth Warren and members of the Squad directed toward people whose only transgression was to disagree with them.  I watched in horror as the Speaker of the House of Representatives tore in half the State of the Union address in front of a joint session of Congress.  Such brazen action and brash words are not only committed, it appears the actors feel quite justified in their indignation and hostility.  And then I remember the conversation with my exceptional friend Jerry.

In his inaugural address on January 20, 2021, President Biden was eloquent and positive.  Even people who did not vote for him were encouraged, and we were all ready for less drama and a reduction in acrimony.  So many were hopeful that a new day was dawning politically.  Biden promised to “bring the temperature down” and unite the country.  It was not to be.  One need only read the transcript of President Biden’s speech a few months ago to see the divisive and politically opportunistic rhetoric on full display. As my colleague Harry Hutchison has written on this website, “President Biden seems quite prepared to outduel President Obama to become the most divisive President in American history.”  Conservatives and the so-called “MAGA crowd” are Biden’s enemies; and, seemingly, they must be destroyed.

Angry and ugly political speech is the order of the day.  A whole generation of young people have never known anything else.  Politicians are not content to disagree with their opponents—they must demonize them.  They are not members of the opposition; rather they are fascists, xenophobes, sexists, misogynists, and racists.  They are domestic terrorists and a threat to democracy itself.  They are deplorable and irredeemable.  The caustic rhetoric and labeling go on and on.

There has been a sea change in what is acceptable behavior.  It seems we are witnessing political leaders who intentionally push the American people into their political corners—if it will please their base and satisfy their political ambitions.  No longer is the question, “What is good for America?” or “Are my remarks honest and factual?”  Rather, it is, “Will this help win the election?”

For over 200 years there have been political fights.  But, publicly at least, there was an expected decorum of our leaders, especially the President.  The Office of the President was respected, even if one did not support the man.  And that respect was offered back by the person occupying the Oval Office.  Even in the midst of political battle, gentlemanly and lady-like behavior—often mixed with humor or self-deprecation—was what people witnessed.  John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were masters of this.  Those of us who have studied political history in the United States, or who are old enough to remember, long for those days.

Pollsters McLaughlin and Associates recently reported that in America approximately 10% of Americans are on the far Left, and another 10% are on the far right.  That means that 80% of Americans are not extreme one way or the other—in spite of what Left-wing politicians are telling us.  We must resist the efforts of our political leaders to divide us.  We must also resist  those attempts to divide us and demand that our leaders bring about the unity and comity they have promised us.  As a people, we must remind our leaders that there is God’s grace.  And there is also the grace we are supposed to show to one another.

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