One thing Trump v. the harshness of Rashida Tlaib’s MF language proves is the right has no exclusive right to not being offended by what they deem to be political incorrectness. I agree with Nancy Pelosi: while I wouldn’t used the language she used if I had her position; probably generational-based reluctance, the MF impeachment comment isn’t any worse than many of the things Trump has said. For example we have Trump while he was running inspiring his base to use second amendment solution if he loses, and then as president encouraging the same base to get violent if he’s held accountable for anything. I don’t know about you but encouraging mass murder via his supporters is a LOT more offensive than “impeach the MF.” 
This is all part of the way social and political discourse has been headed since at least when Cheney openly told others in public to F off and shot a fellow Republican then tried to force him to apologize. (“Free speech, yeah!!!!”) And considering the past 30 plus years the right isn’t just living in a glass house prone to thrown rocks: they are naked in front of a big firing squad with a giant target they painted on themselves.
No, that comment is threat to no one. It’s a METAPHOR. DUH!
Of course when it comes to incidents like Tlaib’s comment, or Kathy Griffen’s odd idea of “humor,” the lectures pour in anyway.”If Democrats expect to win in 2020…” REALLY? We should take their advice for one second? It’s like the Road Runner taking advice from Wile E.
As for how I feel about her word usage, well, personally I don’t care for it coming from our pols. But considering the applause after she said it there a certain portion of HER base who it obviously appeals to. Yes, indeed, the bar has been consistently lowered over the years, but when it comes to rhetoric it would be an impossible sell to most of the public that it’s just the left and Dems: not Trump, the right and their talking heads who has been doing it. Trump is bloody near a perpetual, outright gleeful, insult machine filled to the brim with nasty venom: but he is the result, not the original source. For the past 30 years plus we have had the Coulter-ization and the Limbaugh-ization of social and political discourse, due in large part by framing instead of rationally discussing issues.
Does the comment make 2020 harder? 2 years out? Uh, NO. People are having trouble remembering the outrage perpetuated by Trump LAST week. By the time he was one of the many candidates Trump Steaks, The Central Park 5, his Birther-ism and his promises about all his fictional Kenya investigators were finding out were forgotten, or being ignored. By the time he became the candidate how he treated his fellow Republican candidates was mostly forgotten, or being ignored. And by the time the EC appointed him his outrages during the election were mostly forgotten, like stalking his opponent on stage as if he were the rapist one woman claims he was. Not to
mention how he treated all the other candidates after the primaries.
So as far as “civility” goes the ship sailed long ago and Donald Trump is the biggest, loudest, most powerful blow of very hot air the sails have ever had. But he didn’t build or design the ship: Republicans, their pols and pundits built and designed the ship, they raised the sails and keep making sure we get further and further away from civility’s shore. But on an at least two party ship blow back shouldn’t be unexpected. They’d better get used to it.
What is it they say about “living by the sword?”
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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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