by Jim Rose in law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism Tags: Attack Ads, hate speech, Jerry Falwell, Larry Flynt, political discourse

There is nothing unusual about ill-mannered political discourse. In the 1980s, a cartoonist went in search of Ronald Reagan’s brain.

A good discussion on political manners is in the Supreme Court judgment on the Larry Flynt, Jerry Falwell case, which included a 200-year history of American political cartoons.

The Court noted that the political cartoon is a weapon of attack, of scorn and ridicule and satire. It is usually as welcome as a bee sting and is always controversial to some and continuously goes beyond the bounds of good taste and conventional manners.

From the viewpoint of history, the Court held that it is clear that our political discourse would have been considerably poorer without them. The Court stated:

Debate on public issues will not be uninhibited if the speaker must run the risk that it will be proved in court that he spoke out of hatred; even if he did speak out of hatred, utterances honestly believed contribute to the free interchange of ideas and the ascertainment of truth.

Shrillness is commonplace in political discourse as is ignorance and ill manners. The Court held that:

The appeal of the political cartoon or caricature is often based on exploitation of unfortunate physical traits or politically embarrassing events – an exploitation often calculated to injure the feelings of the subject of the portrayal.

Everyone has the right to speak and all adults can vote, including those who disagree with you and even fill you with revulsion.

Politics and hatred of your opponents go hand in hand. Politics is a blood sport for driven people.

More than a few hate capitalism and speak in unflattering, even hateful, tones of the successful and other class enemies. Mises explained the youthful allure of socialism:

It promises a Paradise on earth, a Land of Heart’s Desire full of happiness and enjoyment, and—sweeter still to the losers in life’s game—humiliation of all who are stronger and better than the multitude… Liberalism and capitalism address themselves to the cool, well-balanced mind. They proceed by strict logic, eliminating any appeal to the emotions. Socialism, on the contrary, works on the emotions, tries to violate logical considerations by rousing a sense of personal interest and to stifle the voice of reason by awakening primitive instincts.

Every day spent pondering on the rudeness of your opponents is a day not spent showing the middle ground that the opposing viewpoint is wrong.

You play into their hands by taking your eyes off the prize. Back to that former union boss Ronald Reagan:

American politics is littered with, as George Will added eloquently, the bleached bones of those who under-estimated Ronald Reagan.