Op/ed: Snubs of the Union?

If the behavior bookending this week’s State of the Union Address is any indication, civility between political rivals is becoming a figment of American history.

We say we don’t like the rudeness that was on display, write government and politics Associate Professor Sarah E. Croco and undergraduate Jacob Silverman in a new Washington Post essay. Generally, however, Americans tend to fault the other side while giving their own partisans a pass, according to the researchers’ recent survey.

President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night attracted less attention for the content than for what happened after.

As the audience rose to applaud, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech. This may have been a reaction to Trump’s seeming refusal to shake her extended hand, but there is little doubt that Pelosi (D-Calif.) knew she was on camera and the gesture would convey her disapproval of Trump’s remarks.

Vice President Pence reprimanded the speaker on Fox News, describing her action as a “new low.” Law professor Jonathan Turley, who had been a GOP witness in the House impeachment proceedings, tweeted that “Pelosi’s act dishonored the institution and destroyed even the pretense of civility and decorum in the House,” later on calling for Pelosi to either apologize or resign.

Is political politeness and civility as important as all that?

Read the rest in The Washington Post.