No New Tone

During the 2008 US Presidential campaign, a conservative Cincinnati talk show host, Bill Cunningham, used Barack Obama's middle name "Hussein". The Republican nominee John McCain immediately denounced the man introducing him to the crowd and ordered his supporters not to invoke his opponent's middle name. John McCain kept the tone elevated throughout his campaign (which as we know in hindsight was not successful). After Arizona Democrat US Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others were wounded and six people were murdered, Democrats were quick to blame the TEA Party, conservative talk show hosts, and particularly Sarah Palin, who had made Giffords' district a target marked on a map with a cross hair sight indicating it could be swung Republican, for the attack by a deranged gunman. National Democrat Party figures including President Obama himself demanded that the rhetoric be elevated to cool the passions and insure that another Giffords' assassination-type effort would never be mounted. Less than a year later, all that high-tone, high-mindedness seems out the window with Barack Obama saying he was "proud" of Teamster leader James Hoffa who had just called for taking the TEA Party "son of b...hes" (expletive expurgated by despot editor) "out". This is no gentler tone. This is no contest over issues. This is typical guttersnipe language coming from a typical union organizer. We, your millions of patriotic opponents across America, are listening and we believe you mean exactly what you say.