by Sandy » Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:20 am
Perhaps we can learn a little from the Prime Minister's question and answer time in the British Parliament which is broadcast on CSPAN. Prior to being critical of someone of the other side, the members of Parliament address their opposition as "the right honorable gentleman from...." or "with all due respect to the right honorable gentleman..." Then they are direct and to the point with their disagreement but never personally insulting or demeaning.
If you do a little bit of research into this particular issue, you'll find that a great deal of the "incivility" that has replaced political debate originated with Rush Limbaugh. Don't blame the Democrats for this, it was Limbaugh and the "dittoheads" that made the rules and defined the current level of incivility in politics. Limbaugh incites his listeners with name calling because it gets a reaction and picks up his ratings. Anyone who disagrees is labelled an imbecile by the man who originated such terms as "libtards and feminazis" along with other choice names for those who disagree with is position. His view is not that all opinions are equal in America, but that those who disagree with his perspective are not equal to those who do and don't deserve to have their view considered. He's also the originator of "tell a big enough lie long enough and a percentage of the people will decide it is true." The bigger the lie the better. He has openly stated that since conservative views are always right, there is nothing wrong with cheating to win, including being an advocate for voter suppression and manipulation. Limbaugh picked up on making a buck by fanning the flames of prejudice and ignorance and it has taken over.
If you look at the context of Hillary's statement, it is exactly this kind of attitude that she is addressing. I've never seen her, nor any Democrat or mainstream media for that matter, advocate to eliminate the other side completely or try to "destroy" them. Win elections, sure. Pass legislation that favors their view, sure. Destroy, no, that's been almost exclusively the domain of right wingers like Limbaugh and the train of wannabees that are trying to make a fortune off hatred like he does. And now we have Trump and his train of deplorables who opened the door to the haters like Steve Bannon and used them to get what he wanted. Clinton is not "calling for incivility", she is pointing out exactly what she faced from her opposition, hatred bent on her destruction.