President Trump and the GOP bemoaning a lack of civility is a hypocritical farce. It spurs an almost uncontrollable bout of forehead-slapping in disbelief.
But let’s be clear about what incivility really looks like:
Incivility is lying to impugn the citizenship of the first African American president.
Incivility is threatening and mocking reporters and attacking the First Amendment protections of our free and independent press.
Incivility is destroying the environment and ignoring climate change.
Incivility is countenancing corruption and venality in the highest reaches of the White House and its cabinet.
Incivility is our government’s response to Puerto Rico.
Incivility is undermining a merited investigation by respected law enforcement officials and maligning the notion of an independent judiciary.
Incivility is cozying up to dictators and attacking our allies and friends.
Incivility is ripping children – even those too young to know their parent’s name – from immigrants legally claiming asylum.
Incivility is endeavoring to have millions of Americans lose their health insurance.
Incivility is creating a false equivalence between Nazis and counter-protesters.
Incivility is using peaceful dissent from NFL players as a pretense for stirring the deep waters of racial injustice.
Incivility is using Twitter to lie and bully.
Incivility is just having the pathology to constantly lie in the first place.
Incivility is gaslighting your fellow citizens on issues big and small.
Incivility is trying to bar entry to the United States on account of religion.
Incivility is ignoring science and reason.
Incivility is trying to run roughshod over our constitutional protections.
These are but a few of the real incivilities that plague our moment in history. They are the actions of a man and his enablers who feel no compunction about destroying the bonds that have held this improbable nation together. We will only succeed if we have a civil society. And anything or anyone who attacks that cherished American ideal must be considered… uncivil.
