Civility and Politics

I have previously written on this subject twice before – once in 2018 for the Bastrop Advertiser and again in 2023 for the TSRA Sportsman utilizing the same piece with minor differences. I am once again using the same piece with minor changes.

Civility in politics seems like it is a lost art form in today’s society. We have political leaders speaking in derogatory terms, name-calling to suit their purposes, others are using vitriolic language to encourage their supporters in the oppression of others and then there are the supporters of these so-called political leaders who emulate this practice of incivility to the detriment of our political process. Now when I say oppression of others, I mean in the form of speech and/or liberty not the oppression of others who lack any sort of common sense or are trying to convince us that reality isn’t reality, and their view of the world is correct and everything we have known for a millennium is incorrect.

In 1800, the first contested presidential election, the country experienced what history has called the most vitriolic campaign. Unlike today, where candidates actually campaign, it was surrogates who campaigned for the candidates. Those surrogates were out for blood, every insult was on the table and neither candidate was immune from it. The insults flew and each candidate was complicit behind the scenes while they acted as though they were above the fray in public. From questioning whether Jefferson was an adulterous hermaphrodite atheist to alleging Adams was an anti-republican nutjob who wanted to become King, the insults were fast, furious, and downright vitriolic. In fact it was so vitriolic that the close friendship of Jefferson and the Adams was severed for over a decade. Frankly, it was worse than anything we have seen in politics today.

Fast forward to the election of 1828 and we see Andrew Jackson’s wife being attacked and accused of adulterous behavior because Jackson courted her before her divorce was final. It is said to have affected her so badly it contributed to her early death. Jackson would never get over it and made it his life’s mission to punish his political enemies for their attacks on his wife. And it continues on through the years, right down through to our own time where we see attacks on the president’s family, attacks on Senators and Congressmen whether true or not to the point where they have been physically hurt. How far do we have to sink before enough is enough? How many more Congressmen have to be shot, or political leaders run out of restaurants before we say enough is enough?

For years, elections have morphed into being more about celebrity or who can get the best jab in and less about policy. It seems to have escalated in recent years to a point where those who have loved politics their wholes lives have grown weary of the name calling and false accusations. We saw it on a national level during the presidential campaign with the useless name calling that was cheered on by people on both sides. And on a local level we saw this type of behavior in 2018 during the BCRP Chairman race and 2020 during the county judge race. Now we are seeing candidate surrogates do the exact same thing again locally in 2025. Really, we are going to attack candidates now for the job they hold as they attempt to seek a non-partisan office where they do not get paid?

The attacks coming out against a local candidate because of the job they hold are absolutely ridiculous and right out of a Democrat playbook. If you don’t agree with someone’s choice of job or their religious identity that is fine but give real reasons as to why they should not hold a position in the community. When you attack them for the job they hold or their religious beliefs because they are different from yours, it makes you and the candidate you are supporting look petty and entitled. It wasn’t too long ago that Catholics were forbidden from holding elective office and practicing law. One of our Founding Fathers, Charles Caroll of Carrolton, was an educated lawyer but prior to the American Revolution, he was prevented from serving in office or being a lawyer only because he was Catholic. In fact, as a Catholic he wasn’t even considered a full citizen. It is worth noting that preachers were key participants in the American Revolution because they preached politics from the pulpit encouraging people to get involved and it was a presbyterian preacher from New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, John Witherspoon.

All this incivility and nonsense has done is split the American people into them and us to the point where friendships are being severed over politics. It is not worth it and has no place in a civil society. We need to respect people’s opinions and reasons for running even if we don’t agree with them and nothing obligates us to agree with them. Before you open your mouth and accuse someone of bringing their “religious” beliefs into an issue, actually listen to what they have to say. You may be surprised to learn their reasons are not religious at all but actually based on policy and substandard results.

As we talk to each other, you will find that we have more in common than previously thought. Many, not all, of our differences are based on simple policy issues rather than vast differences. Yes, there are issues in which we will not come to a consensus on such as abortion or gun control but so many other fiscal, educational, and social issues we can fix through meaningful and respectful conversations. To be sure there are folks on each side of the political spectrum who are unreasonable and refuse to engage in meaningful conversation to find common ground, but those voices don’t represent the vast majority of us. If you’re going to attack politically, do it based on facts or actions and refrain from attacking based on looks, family, jobs held or economic standings.

George Washington as a young man wrote down 110 Rules of Civility so that he would have a moral compass to follow as he grew into adulthood. Rule # 73 states, “Think before you speak; pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring out your words to hastily, but orderly and distinctly.”   If you follow this simple rule, your opinions will be valued overall and not dismissed as crazy rhetoric. Meaningful, reasoned, and well-argued opinions are the cornerstone of American politics and help us preserve our republican form of government for future generations.

This version appeared on the Bastrop GOP site in 2025