Gary Hart Demonizes Dissent

My esteemed Keloland colleague and NSU colleague emeritus, David Newquist, draws our attention to a Huffington Post by Senator Gary Hart. I agree with Professor Newquist on this much: Hart's post is worth a read.

Hart complains that a lot of elected officials are resigning because "it just isn't fun anymore." He concedes that fun isn't exactly the point, but goes on:

[H]aving held office in the 1970s and 1980s, I can testify to the fact that politics used to be more civilized, more collegial, and more, well, enjoyable. It certainly was more honorable.

He has a point, though it is a historically narrow one. Public culture today is more course than it was a few decades ago, and political culture has followed suit. But for most of our nation's history, politics was a much rougher game than it is today.

He has a better point here:

For the tea-baggers and government-haters, this [decline in public discourse] is all to the good. They claim to love our country even while hating its government. So, the worse the government performance, the more it proves their point. And the less thoughtful, intelligent, and wise the elected officials, the worse the government.

That's a fair criticism, even it goes a step too far. It is one thing to dislike or even hate the people in office and another to hate the Constitution. To confuse the two, as Hart does here, is to question the patriotism of dissenters. But he is surely right that someone who is distrustful of government may be gratified to have his or her opinions confirmed by the worst elected officials. That is a problem with dissent in particular and pessimism in general.

Consider, however, Hart's own use of the term "tea-bagger" to describe the Tea Party activists. Is Hart aware of the sexual innuendo in the term? From Wikipedia:

Teabagging is a slang term for the act of a man placing his scrotum in the mouth or on or around the face (including the top of the head) of another person, often in a repeated in-and-out motion as in irrumatio. The practice resembles dipping a tea bag into a cup of tea.

If you are going to complain about a decline in civility, maybe it were best not to use a sexually derogatory term to describe the people you are criticizing. But Hart is just warming up:

The cynics and trolls who scream like banshees at town hall meetings and scan the blogosphere to post cynical put-downs of their country's government are hurting no one but themselves. Not one of these people has the courage to stand for public office.

"Cynics" is fair enough. But trolls and banshees? Is this what Hart means by "civilized" and "congenial" and "honorable" politics? Is this kind of language likely to encourage "thoughtful, intelligent, and wise" people to enter government if they happen to disagree with Senator Hart on the issues? I'm guessing he wouldn't use such terms to describe the women in the illustration above.  Hart is not opposed to uncivil discourse; he practices it. He is only opposed to it when it comes from the other side.

He is also careless with the truth to the point of telling a lie. Consider the last line in that last passage. Richard Behney is a Tea Party activist running for Senate in Indiana. Adam Kinzinger is running with Tea Party backing for the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. I am guessing that the Tea Party movement will field a lot of candidates, and support those who seem to share their concerns. That's how politics is supposed to work.

Gary Hart claims to be defending civility. What he really wants is to demonize dissent.

Comments

[Miranda]

One of my favorite stories of "the good old days of civilized politics" is the 1914 story of Senator Thomas P.Gore. When a farmer accused Senator Gore of selling out the Democratic party, Senator Gore bashed him on the head with his cane.

Here's that story!

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E01E3DA143AE633A25752C0A96E9C946596D6CF

And one can hardly argue that tea-party goers are less civilized than the protesters of the 1970s or their opponents. Was Kent State civil?

If anything, politics in America has lost its flavor. There is too much apathy.

[KB]

Miranda:

I hadn't heard of the Gore story. It reminds one of the more famous assault by Preston Brooks on Charles Sumner in 1856. I share your skepticism that politics is less civil today than in earlier times.

[George Mason]

We are forever thankful that Gary Hart and his "Monkey Business" never landed in the White House. His is another example of the lefts belief that freedom of speech belongs only to those who agree with them.

[JW]

Let us not forget Alexander Hamilton vs Aaron Burr. I for one am in favor of more pistol duels!

[KB]

George: yes, Gary Hart's boat trip is one sign of God's grace. JW: unfortunately, Aaron Burr killed the most competent statesman in America.