Teamsters president lashes out against Tea Party
In a defiant statement Tuesday, Hoffa said he would never apologize for his words even in the face of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. What a surprise.
It was the kind of comment that Democrats have been quick to criticize the Republicans for in the last few months. Apparently, the difference is that Democrats feel like they are above the rules and shouldn't have to apologize.
In the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords last year, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told CBS that she thinks, "all of us need to be more careful about the words that we choose to use." President Obama had also called for civility in the wake of Giffords' shooting, pushing Americans to speak "in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds" at a memorial service for the shooting victims.
Now, Wasserman Schultz is insisting that language is "not what the American people are focused on," and Obama is refusing to comment.
First, rallies and debates would have no use if language were not what the American people cared about or were focusing on. Language is the foundation of politics and provides substantial reasoning and rationalization
For Wasserman Schultz to make ridiculous statements generalizing that American people do not focus on the language of politicians is essentially calling the people ignorant.
Political rhetoric has become so sensationalized that Democrats do not even realize when the problems are spewing from their own mouths.
The refusal to apologize and obvious disregard for the standards the president has called for regarding speeches displays the hypocrisy of many politicians and party leaders.
There is a rapid decline of civility in politics and it is spreading like a parasite, just like hypocrisy. If leaders cannot debate civilly, the standards will continue to sink, causing a baser atmosphere where debates consist of underhanded insults and unfounded accusations. Politics will lose its legitimacy and social etiquette will be replaced with more outbursts from both sides.
In order to exterminate these parasites, the American people need to hold party leaders and officials responsible for their actions, regardless of political affiliation. Hoffa should apologize. He needs to realize the disservice he is showing his own party by acting in a hypocritical fashion and causing controversy instead of actually making his point.