In the Dec. 7 Opinion section, Hugh Hewitt put forth his analysis of the factors that have led to the incivility of our political discourse. He contrasted the current vindictiveness with the brief reprieve provided by the honoring of George H. W. Bush and the review of how he conducted himself.
Hewitt stated that the “creep of cruelty” began with late night comedians like Jack Parr and Johnny Carson, continuing up to Jay Leno and David Letterman. Also “Saturday Night Live” and Steven Colbert contributed to this creep. Their political jokes and satire were the beginning. Amazing.
But what is really amazing is that he never mentions talk radio. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Jerome Corse and, of course Alex Jones, have been providing toxic discourse and personal political attacks for years. Way more than jokes. Hewitt even excuses Trump stating that his outrageous and inappropriate comments are just “part of the tapestry” (his words) of the current environment.
Has anyone noticed that Trump’s approval rating parallels Fox News rating? If you have not watched commentators like Hannity and have a strong stomach, check it out. You will get more of a complete understanding of how we ended up where we are. So sad!
Ray McEvilly, Millcreek
