It depends on whose ox is being gored.
I’m reminded of that old saying after U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil was shouted down repeatedly during what was called a “listening session” in Elkhorn. Steil represents Wisconsin’s First Congressional District, which includes Beloit and stretches all the way to Lake Michigan.
In Democrat circles the confrontation is being hailed as an example of everyday citizens standing up to a politician who votes with President Trump whether it’s good for the district or not.
In Republican circles the raucous behavior is being condemned as mob assault — probably by paid protesters — on a representative just trying to have a conversation with constituents.
Step back to the Tea Party era, though, about 15 years ago when Barack Obama occupied the White House. Conservative protesters routinely showed up to yell at Democrats appearing at public events.
Democrats condemned that behavior. Republicans celebrated it.
Whose ox, indeed. Most people learned — or should have — at their mother’s knee that loud obnoxious behavior is wrong and deserving of a swift swat to the butt.
Free speech is a wonderful American value, but with it comes responsibility. Interrupting and shouting down those with opposing views may feel good in the moment, but it’s destructive to democratic values which hold that every opinion matters and deserves to be heard. It’s disrespectful not only to a speaker, but to others in attendance who want to hear what’s being said.
Such behavior is symptomatic of an overall decline in civility in our modern culture. Examples abound.
Foul language in public within earshot of kids.
Aggressive driving that endangers others.
Obscene or insulting messages worn on articles of clothing or tattoos.
Bad manners or abusive behavior toward wait staff in restaurants.
Failure at appropriate times to say a simple “thank you,” “excuse me,” “please,” or “sorry.”
Burying one’s head in an electronic device, rendering the person oblivious to others.
Feeling empowered by the anonymity of a keyboard to say nasty things that one would never utter to an intended victim’s face.
Add your own situation. There’s no shortage from which to pick.
Is it any wonder public life has become tainted by the kind of conduct pervasive in private life?
Clearly, the political crowd and the donors who pay the bills know that common folks respond to harsh, negative messaging. Every election cycle is dominated by paid political advertising that portrays the opposition as not just wrong, but corrupt and probably evil. Divisiveness works. And attracts dollars.
So maybe it’s a bit disingenuous when politicians and partisans act all aggrieved if constituents throw shade back at them.
If you goad people into anger and hate, blowback is predictable.
That doesn’t make it right. It’s also worth pondering that voters should expect more, not less, civility from politicians and those who pay campaign bills. What we as a society reward breeds more of the same.
Look, Bryan Steil is a decent guy. I’ve interviewed him. He keeps his calm under questioning and explains his positions on issues. That’s a step up, frankly, from others in his party, who have become more available to favorable partisan media and less to mainstream outlets.
Give Steil credit for doing an in-person session with constituents when others refused, in keeping with the national party’s guidance specifically to avoid exposing themselves to the kind of uprising the congressman encountered in Elkhorn.
Here’s my take. I regret that politics has been nationalized to the point local elected representatives are held hostage to Washington’s partisan interests. Steil sounds a lot more thoughtful and reasonable when he’s in the home district; meanwhile, in Washington, he votes as a lockstep Trumper. That makes him pretty much like everybody else in Congress — when the political road forks, they choose party over the people back home.
Granted, it’s hard these days to be a maverick like the late Republican Sen. John McCain or Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, let alone Northern Illinois’ former Rep. Adam Kinzinger. No one can accuse Bryan Steil of showing that kind of courage.
But the interruptions and yelling in Elkhorn says more about the rowdies than it does about Steil. As the duly elected representative to Congress he deserves respect as he tries to explain his record. Whether it’s Tea Partiers then or Democrats now, yelling is not democracy. It’s crude and rude. Behave yourselves.
Bill Barth is the former Editor of the Beloit Daily News, and a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame. Write to him at bbarth@beloitdailynews. com.
G UEST