I was encouraged by the caption, and the start, of Jim Fossel’s article, “Longing for civility in politics,” (March 17). Jim states that incivility started, at least in State of the Union addresses, when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shouted, “You lie!” in the middle of Barack Obama’s State of the Union address 15 years ago.

But then Fossel deflects attention toward the ill-mannered Brits, when he might better have progressed to the misbehaviors in our own previous administration, which could have filled his column; for instance, mocking a disabled reporter, calling John McCain and other patriots “losers,” and giving the opposition childish names, like “Sleepy Joe” — bullying behavior more expected from the leader of a street gang than from the leader of the free world, and certainly not a sign of self-confidence or intellectual maturity.

No, Fossel skips right over these lapses in decorum to criticize Biden’s slight slip from the moral high ground when calling immigrants “illegal” rather than “undocumented,” while his predecessor wallows in the mire, calling them “vermin” and “rapists.” But “Sleepy Joe” proves that he is very much awake by pointing out his accomplishments and stating his goals for further bettering the lives of American citizens (none of which include retribution, vengeance, or politicizing the justice system).

I guess when you have a party boss like Biden’s predecessor, you can only draw false equivalences, and hope that voters believe your boy is slightly less unfit than the opposition.

Mr. Fossel, if you are truly “longing for civility in politics,” you are criticizing the wrong candidate.

Melanie Lanctot

Readfield

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