The Politics of Hate

Political dialogue and actions these days are saturated with a disgusting kind of hateful slime. This garbage is not unique to Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, or liberals. It emanates from the Maher's and O'Donnell's as well as from the Noonan's and Coulter's. They all shout, “Don’t bother me with the facts, I just hate this guy.” For some, “this guy” is George Bush; for others, “this guy" is Bill Clinton. Well, I don’t hate either president, even though I vehemently disagree with many of the actions that both have taken.

Scholars of history know that the politics of hate is not unique to modern society. A review of the campaigns of the nineteenth century reveals similar elements in the campaigns for and against Ulysses S. Grant, James G. Blaine, Grover Cleveland, Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and others. But it seems more intense today, probably because of the pervasiveness and speed of electronic news media.

I try to set aside the internet jokes and the ravings of the asses and idiots in the media and entertainment industries. It's discouraging, though, that the politics of hate is not limited to commentators, entertainers, and election campaigns. It has spread to the meeting rooms of the Senate and the House. Too many of our (assumed intelligent) elected representatives expend their energy obsessively on hatred, vindictiveness, and character assassination. Instead of crafting legislation that will improve our society, our legislators waste hours and days investigating the activities of their hated political adversaries.

I am also angered by the pervasive application of dual standards by both politicians and commentators. That is, an action by a person from one party is investigated and prosecuted as criminal, yet an identical action by someone from the opposing party is ignored, rationalized, or even praised.

The very people who spew hateful political slime about their political opposition do not hesitate to criticize an individual who uses a word or phrase that they consider to be “offensive” or “politically incorrect.”

Our senators and representatives need to grow up. They should stop trying to fix the blame, and devote their energies to fixing the problems.