The California Republican Party Convention rarely makes the news in California, let alone on The Huffington Post. But this year was different because of an unusual action the party took. The California Republican Party released buttons which read "KFC Hillary Special. 2 fat thighs. 2 small breasts. Left wing." After images of the buttons hit Twitter and mainstream media outlets, the buttons were removed from the conference.

I am not outraged about an attack on a female politician based solely on her appearance, as disgusting as it may be. Nor am I going to lump every single Republican together and say that around half the country stands behind the pins.
In fact, Republicans in the California Assembly and Senate have criticized the creators of the pins. Rather, I am outraged that the political dialogue in this country has fallen so far that it is acceptable to mock an accomplished politician for her body, compare a speech to the Bataan Death March, as Ted Cruz did after his 21-hour sort-of filibuster or accuse an opposition party of being authoritarian dictators or committing war crimes. Certain representatives of both the Democratic Party, like John Burton, and Republican Party, like Ted Cruz, have said these things, and more.

The things said by the fringe elements do not represent the mainstream of any party. But, unfortunately, it is the vitriol of the fringe that makes the best viewing on nightly news, and it is this vitriol that is only further polarizing American politics.
For example, John Burton, the chairman of the California Democratic Party, compared Paul Ryan to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's minister of propaganda, during an interview in September. Ken Cuccinelli, the current Attorney General in Virginia and republican gubernatorial candidate, said that opposition to Obamacare was parallel to opposition to fugitive slave laws in the North during the antebellum. Robert Benmosche, the American International Group's CEO made the claim that the current outrage against Wall Street bonuses is similar to lynch mobs of the Jim Crow South.

There is never a reason or excuse to compare your political opposition to the Nazi Party or those responsible for genocide. Not supporting a health care law is not the same as opposing slavery. And I don't think any business executive has any right to compare his experiences to the racial violence African-Americans faced for periods of our history.

Even as a proud progressive and Democrat registered in California, I felt sickened at what John Burton said in regard to Paul Ryan.

Although I cannot speak for Republicans, Virginians or CEOs on Wall Street, I do think it is safe to say that they do not agree with statements that certain members of their group say either.

Like many of the issues in Washington, there is no simple solution to get out of this mess. While politicians and political figures face outcry after making inflammatory statements, it almost seems as if they do not learn from their actions.
Our best hope is to lead by example. Even though we are just citizens, we should make an effort not to use this sort of inflated and hyperbolic language. I know that in the past, I have made inaccurate and offensive statements about politicians I don't agree with. Now, I've been making an effort, to use reasonable language to express my dislike, although I may not agree or even like a politician, idea or party.

After all, according to a 2011 Harris Poll on political discourse, nearly 90 percent of Americans believe that political discourse is more bad-tempered than it used to be. And 70 percent of the American public believes that the political climate overall is nastier than in the past.

Maybe, if the American people make it clear that we are tired of the war crime analogies in completely inappropriate settings, and if we ourselves stop using them, our elected officials will get the message.

The current political climate doesn't have to be this way. I hope I'm speaking for the majority here at Brandeis when I say I'd like for our elected officials to speak in a civilized manner, without hyperbole and insane accusations. If we make this a priority, it can be done.
*