Teddy Roosevelt once said, “profanity is the parlance of the fool.” Democrats appear to be increasingly finding relief from both reality and sanity in profanity. Democratic members have been complaining that left-wing groups have been targeting them to be more aggressive and “fight harder” in the face of the fast-paced actions of President Donald Trump. Their response appears to be ratcheting up “rage rhetoric” with profanity and violent language. Last week, Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) captured the new norm by yelling at a rally that “I don’t swear in public very well, but we have to f**k Trump. Please don’t tell my children that I just did that.”
The key, it appears, is for her constituents to hear it. She is not alone. (Warning: profane language)
Politicians and pundits have seemingly tried to outdo each other in proving their bona fides to the far left. MSNBC host and former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki pledged on Jon Stewart’s “The Weekly Show” podcast that she has “retired from the world of Democratic messaging” and ” speaking in a manner that was so academic and Ivory Tower.” She promised to drop “the disconnected academic Ivory Tower elite language that is too often used by Democrats, sometimes on cable television.” Instead, Psaki called on the left to “break some s–t.”
This is not a new trend. Law professors and legal pundits have long struggled to maintain a certain decorum and professionalism. However, during the Trump years, there was a similar race to the bottom as figures like Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe regularly engaging in name calling and profanity.
Just last week, a professor was restored to his teaching duties after being suspended for profane attacks on Trump. It is now considered required virtue signaling to use violent or profane language to show that you are no milquetoast moderate.
Many on the far left like former CNN anchor Don Lemon have turned the same profanity of members of the media who are not sufficiently aggressive and open in opposing Trump.
What is most striking about this race to the bottom is that it is a concession to the far left that writes off any effort to appeal to moderate and independent voters who supported Trump. The Democrats found their party captured by the most extreme elements of their base and alienated most of the country. Now, politicians and pundits are rushing to protect themselves by joining the mob.
In some cases, the effort is painfully awkward like Schumer’s effort to become a rabble-rousing populist. Even CNN has been unable to hold back:
When Democrats are not stringing together lines of profanity, they appear to be creating a new unintelligible language:
George Washington once referred to cursing and swearing as a “foolish and wicked practice” and a “vice so mean and low” that no self-respecting politician would stoop to use such language.
The rise of rage rhetoric is a measure of how politicians are now surrendering to the most extreme voices in their party. It is a matter of simple survival. These politicians believe that they cannot stay in office if they allow anyone to move to the left of their positions. To maintain their power, they are willing to join the mob before it turns on them.
We saw the same pandering with members embracing the violent group Antifa. Former Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison, now the Minnesota attorney general, once said Antifa would “strike fear in the heart” of Trump.
It will not work. Today revolutionaries often become tomorrow’s reactionaries. As rage and violent rhetoric become normalized, the expectations of the far left simply shift to demand greater demonstrations of fealty. As figures like Psaki call for Democrats to “break some sh*t,” the ruin and rampage is unlikely to end with a marginal increase in ratings at MSNBC. At some point, breaking stuff becomes insatiable and uncontrollable.
That is the point, discussed in my new book, where rage rhetoric becomes state rage where free speech is often the first casualty.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
Everyone here would be cursing mad if the con you’ve been running on tax paying Americans was about to be revealed and cancelled. There’s an article that Chelsea Clinton was receiving bucks from USAID?
Cursing is the futile attempt of a feeble mind to express itself.
Cursing is seldom useful. I agree that usually those who start cursing and seemingly cannot stop have simply lost their train of thought and run off the rails. The loss of the train of thought usually means that they have nothing further that is useful to say (if the they had anything useful to say in the first place) . The Democrats have reached that point. JFK cared about waste in the government, and even Bill Clinton worked with the Republicans to balance the budget.
Now they rage and curse as Trumps tries to cut the waste and keep us solvent. If it was just waste you would not expect them to be so upset but since they are cursing it must have more to do with money and income. I have to conclude that DOGE, Musk and Trump are gutting the money supply from the Democrats Golden Calf, and their NGO’s and the executive salaries that are so monstrous, and numerous other scams that pushed money into democratic coffers (like having companies settle federal lawsuits by having their “fines” going to left wing interest groups).
LET”S face it folks, the Federal Government is the Democrat’s Money machine and the prospect of losing it is bringing out the hysteria, cursing and rage. The Media backs this because they get paid to support it. Hence the money in USAid that went for “subscriptions”.
It’s all one big bundle of cash or loans and the Dems are hysterical at even the thought of it shrinking or “gasp” disappearing.
#1
Pretty much it. It took a long time to create the octopus of money scams. It’s being cut up as sashimi.
It’s yuge. More efficiency , lower taxes may result. Keep in mind It’s the way many people depended upon including the administrators at a 65% cut. It’s shattering.
In some cases Trump just wants something in return or in most cases. He’s definitely a penny pincher.
“Musk and Trump are gutting the money supply from the Democrats Golden Calf, and their NGO’s ”
Democrats will remain in the desert and never make it across the Jordan.
I think it is very funny to watch these people lose it. And do it in public for all to see. Please, do continue. Their desperation amuses me.
Catering to the extreme left wing of their party is not a winning strategy. It feels like they want to lose … which is fine with me.
I was always taught growing up that if you had to swear and use profane language it was because you did not have anything useful to say. That seems to be the case with the DEMS. If they disagree with Trump’s actions, I would welcome how they would solve all the problems that he is trying to fix. It looks like they have nothing to offer.
#1. There actually are people who’ve never heard profanity before. These thought “navel” was an indiscrete word as it was a covered.
Beach party bingo…
You wonder What did the DEMs do with their opportunity over the past 20 years ? (Obama-to-Trump 2.0)
What was ‘socially redeeming’ of it? Where did it take Us?
IMO, it was wasted and cost US a lot of Time. The U.S. is in a worse position, the World is in no better position.
Time is not renewable, it’s continual. Meaning you can’t go back. We need to work Our way forward, with the things We can do. That takes Work, which means it takes sacrifices of Time, an expense of Labor. Are you, are Americans, ready and willing to get down and do it? That’s what it takes to Make America Great Again.
We can help Ourselves to make America a better place again, and in so make the World a better place. This Administration is not going to waste Time. So Americans now need to show up in kind, reinforcing the Admin and strengthening Our Country, Our Lives, Our World.
This is what is meant by: America is the land of ‘opportunity’.
We have an opportunity to ‘work-with’ this President & Administration. The DEMs & Main Stream Media are not going to work-with them. The DEMs have shown that, and the proof is in the past 20 years. (They want the easy way out of Life itself) “. They are going to hinder, not help, because it’s easy to do.
The World recognizes that this is an Administration they can work-with. If all we have is 4 more years to work-with, then lets get the Job done. Turn this Country Rightside Up and move forward.
Jonathan: We are close to a constitutional crisis. This is no time for niceties when we are facing a dictatorship. When DJT has ceded power to the unelected richest man in the world to fire government workers at will and without due process rights, dismantle government agencies without an act of Congress and using the DOJ to go after political enemies it’s time for defenders of Democracy to stand up and declare “No more of this s**t!”. The time for “decorum and professionalism”, as you call for, is over!
I’m in favor of the first dictatorship in history that dismantles a corrupt state. It seems that is what it will take. Yeah, there will be a nominal amount of collateral damage, but no pain, no gain.
More than a little over the top, Dennis. Does this mean you are on-the-dole and thus under threat? That would explain much.
Do you really want to go down that road? The only thing you are fighting against is, as the good professor points out, sanity and reality.
Continue, Mr McIntyre, but prepare for the monumental beat down coming to you in ’26 and beyond.
Why would Trump need an “act of Congress” to make decisions about offices that are under his direct executive branch control? You believe that because they allocated the money for salaries that he is bound by that to hire and pay these people? Where is the constitutional crisis? The president controls the executive branch of government, these people work for him. If he chooses to make cuts to his own departments, that is his prerogative. The SC will back him up completely on this, maybe even to the extent of wiping out public sector unions (hey, we can dream).
Wait a minute. Didnt you doge the draft? And you want to pick a fight? That is funny!
Dennis we have had ONE actual constitutional crisis in US history – that resulted in the Civil war.
Before and since those in and out of govenrment have disagreed often vigorously regarding the meaning of the constitution.
Yet when courts have rules – we have obeyed – even when they were wrong. Sometimes we appealed and won – but until a higher court ruled in our favor we obeyed.
More recently Obama and even more Biden have tried to game court rulings, but when the courts have called them out they obeyed.
Trump has obeyed possibly HUNDREDS of bad lower court rulings – until he won on appeal.
There is no constitutional crisis.
There are 3M people in the federal government – 535 of them are elected. No one in the entire Judicial branch is elected.
only the president and Vice president in the executive branch are elected.
Every single president delegates presidential power to the 3M unelected govenrment employees.
And is free to fire them for any reason or no reason at all.
Trump was elected – he is doing what he promised the american people he would do.
He is doing what Voters elected him to do.
That is the not dictatorship.
It is however unusual.
Politicians RARELY do what they promised voters.
Trump promissed he would cut spending – including eliminating agencies and firing people.
Many of us were disappointed that Trump 45 whose signature line was “You’re fired” fired so FEW people.
Voters are getting what they voted for – and they are happy.
Congress is free to intervene at any time they wish.
There is no conflict between Trump and the constitution.
There is no conflict between Trump and Congress.
If you want to stomp your feet and swear – go for it.
But it is not working – that is the point of turley’s article.
Dennis, I have been thinking on your “The time for “decorum and professionalism”, as you call for, is over!” Do you really want to go down that road? You, as a draft dodger, really want that kind of fight? Against people like me? Whom have been trained by the USMC, deployed to a real war zone? Is this really the kind of fight you want? In a fight for what exactly what? In one in which the president is acting within his legal bounds? While Democrats spend our taxpayers dollars on fraud, waste and abuse that Trump, Musk and DOGE is trying to reign in? Whereas some 86% of Americans to include Democrats want to reduce the fraud, waste and abuse of the government? You are going to defend that? Even willing to go to the streets to incite violence and an insurrection? Be careful of what you want. You just might get it.
After being beaten for so long with an industrial ugly stick, it is no wonder that Dexter summons up gutter profanities to express herself… bless her heart….
With some decaying leadership removed and the rest exposed, nothing is worse than watching the remaining rats struggle and convulse as the ship goes down. Their actions denote desperation. And these are desperate times for stooges as not only are their jobs at stake, the perceived meaning of their entire lives is in jeopardy. So expect the unexpected and distasteful.
#1. Yes, that’s a wormhole. If it’s followed it goes all the way to the bottom. It functions on instinct and inclination and self gain. It’s born from instinct and never knew reason. Some think it can be reduced with reason.
Who’s most harmed? Children, elderly, handicapped and ill, the poorest.
^^^ and Jesus asked the crippled man why he wasn’t in the pool of water. The cripple replied, I have no one to put me in it. Jesus replied, rise and walk. Lift up your bed.
For Estovir…hope your leg is better.
Many think crudeness demonstrates passion and conviction. It does not. Those who must engage with profanity merely demonstrate a lack of a vocabulary to adequately express their emotions. Quite often it accompanies a lack of maturity, regardless of age, and ability to reason.
It’s laziness.
Pam bondi–> I’m not doing your homework.
The left constantly remind us of how “highly educated and smart” they are. They look down on those on the right as “uneducated and ignorant.” Yet, it is the left who make a mockery of themselves. Such hypocrites!
https://assets.cubebik.com/2020/11/191120-075819-CubeBik-Image-224-768×768.jpg
Democrats, and Main Stream Media Mantra: Lie, cheat, steal, blame someone else, deny, deny, deny, and repeat!!!
Everything the Democrats touch turns to crap…
Democrat Motto: We’re not happy ‘till you’re not happy…
The Words Democrat and Hypocrite are Interchangeable…
The Democrats love their Double Standard…
Democrats Believe that ALL Americans are stupid…
Democrats consistently fail to meet the low standards that they set for themselves and replace common sense with DRAMA.
You may recall, every time a “Drama” celebrity makes a political statement, they look like a court jester. So essentially, the Democrats are acting like a bunch of Court Jesters, rather than leaders who know how to govern with common sense ideas.
During the Clinton Presidency, while visiting my elderly widowed Mom one day, she made the comment, “I never thought they would be talking about
oral sex on the news”. It’s been down hill from then. Maybe we should go back to locker room talk only?
#1. No boundaries, no fence, no borders… Maxine waters, get in their face.
Maxine Dexter should be ashamed of herself. Profanity is not a substitute for a good argument. It shows that the speaker doesn’t have anything of worth to say.
Babble it’s a whole TOWER of babble
trying to look tough, they are. That TDS is a heckuva condition
Democrats are Bigly Mad Fascists! Why are you and everyone else, just realizing this? Jon do you still consider yourself a democrat? They are EVIL, FYI!
Democrat leader’s actions remind me of big time wrestling.
big time wrestling is suppose to be entertaining and fun!
Democrat government is meant to be destructive and hate filled!
I thought lefties were exclusively loving and tolerant. What am I missing?
antonio
Antonio-You were wrong. It was always a facade like the man behind the curtain in Oz.