Sure, Mike Rogers and Trey Gowdy are low-grade partisan hacks. But John Cornyn stands out for sheer shamelessness
I’m (almost) nobody’s idea of a liberal,* but I recognize that no political ethos holds a monopoly on the truth, so I appreciate (and pay for) good thinking from across the spectrum.
When Salon was birthed to decades ago, I had hopes that it would be the repository of thoughtful liberalism. Some days it is. But to watch the publication sink to the ad hominem is discouraging. Clickbait or no, name-calling has no place in any thoughtful journal of American politics.
In fairness, I’m going to start calling out the right and center as well. It’s time we end name-calling, and the editors of these publications need to rise above pandering and start attacking words, actions, and positions.
At the same time, I’m going to start restraining my own grade-school playground rhetoric. Please feel free to call me on it if I fall into that trap again.
* The key word here is “almost.” To the reactionaries of the alt-right, I must seem somewhere to the left of Lenin.
I am in complete agreement. Name calling accomplishes nothing. It’s rampant and ugly, especially online, and nobody has a corner on the market. Even otherwise thoughtful people sometimes indulge. Maybe it’s an inability to express oneself well. Clear expression of one’s case is more effective than an invented ugly name.