The End of Civility?

Last year, a Republican Congressman showed an unprecedented lack of respect for the office of the Presidency by shouting out "You lie" during the State of the Union address to Congress.  At that time, I was willing to consider the possibility that Joe Wilson was an anomaly - that he was simply a rude person, and not at all typical of his like-minded conservative friends.

Well, with apologies to some of the decent conservative friends I have, I must admit that I'm losing confidence in the common decency of the Right.  Recently, President Obama held a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, to announce a change in enforcement of immigration laws.  During the President's announcement, a "reporter" in the press corps continually interrupted him by repeatedly shouting out questions.  The reporter, Neil Munro of The Daily Caller, was doing nothing more than throwing out loaded questions like "Why do you favor foreigners over Americans?"  I'm surprised he didn't ask the President why he enjoys beating his wife - it's about as valid a question.  The fact is that the press corps traditionally has shown respect for the office of the Presidency, and Munro was way out of line with his behavior.  There are plenty of us who disagreed with much of what George W. Bush did in office, but I can't recall a single instance of a reporter in Bush's press corps demonstrating the lack of civility that Munro did with his rude outbursts.

So what exactly is The Daily Caller anyway?  It's a web-based outlet for news and opinion, founded by long-time conservative pundit Tucker Carlson and former Dick Cheney adviser Neil Patel.  Can they really claim to be objective reporters of the news?  And Carlson actually has the gall to defend his reporter's behavior!  What has happened to the time-honored tradition of showing respect for the office, even when one disagrees with the person who holds the office?

I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that this attitude of disrespect is firmly grounded in hypocrisy - the hypocrisy of the Right.  Where were you, conservative Republicans, when George W. Bush led us into war with Iraq without a declaration from Congress?  Or when he unilaterally declared that it was OK to hold detainees forever without due process?  Or when he used the NSA to wiretap phone conversations without a warrant?

And where are you now, conservative Republicans, while candidate Mitt Romney is declaring that, on his first day in office, he would disable Obama Care by granting broad exemptions to states - something which is specifically prohibited by law until 2017 - and even then only under strict controls?

Just browse the social media for a while, and you will find people who are now calling our President a "dictator" and calling for his impeachment.  I ask you folks:  what is it about Barack Obama that makes you apply a standard that you totally ignore when it comes to Republicans?  Do you even see your own hypocrisy?

I know only one thing:  if we ever hope to get anything accomplished in this country, the two sides have to re-learn the art of compromise.  Mutual respect is the first step in the process of compromise.  If the right-wingers continue to show a lack of civility in their daily dealings, there is little hope that any progress will be made - in any direction.  That just makes sense to me.  How about you?

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