This blog post expresses my feeling on civility exactly.

[alarimer]

Especially "the enemy's definition of civil is 'Shut the fuck up and take it.'"

http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/2010/11/the_censored_title_of_this_pos.php

This election season, the usual suspects are talking about tone, civility, yada yada yada as if we've never seen asshole politicians and their allies on Fox News spewing hate-filled lies at the American people. This is nothing new. I've been watching Republicans commit involuntary sodomy on the American people since before Al Gore invented the internet. The Republicans have been implicitly and explicitly advocating violence against brown people, immigrants, LGBT folks, and liberals for years.

The Tea Partiers are insane homophobic racists and I will NOT make common cause with those lunatics and I do not think anyone in politics needs to either. This weeks This American Life detailed one such example of lunacy in the effort to win Stupak's seat in Michigan. They are a special combination of ignorance and insanity.

The Democratic portion of that show made some good points. Nobody on the Democratic side ever counters the horrible things that tea baggers say. Obama is too busy trying not to offend anyone so he won't do it but there is an entire political party that could be out there countering all that crap. They just don't do it. I'm sorry but the time for playing nice ended about 30 years ago with Reagan.

[Howler]

1. Oh Yeah!!!!! n/t

n/t

[Turborama]

2. I think you'll really like this letter, then

I posted the intro to it in this OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9439010

[Howler]

5. WoW!!!!

Heartbreakingly true! sigh......

[alarimer]

7. That is a great letter.

The Democrats have done such a terrible job at communicating their message and allowing the lies to fester. I am not even sure they will ever change. Some of the blame falls on Obama but this has been a problem for years, really.

[Doctor_J]

3. I feel like we might be getting ready to fight back

it's slight, but something might be percolating. 3 years until I leave the country. I hope I can join the fight before I go

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Homophobia is on both sides, and it harms my community

when 'our side' pretends that is not the case. Tim Kaine is opposed to all forms of equality for gay people, he promoted and singed such bills into law. Obama is against equal rights, both men cite their 'faith' as the reason, same as Sarah Palin does. Same. Same.
Obama employed and the majority accepted vicious hate preachers who called gay people vampires and far worse as campaign surrogates. When this hate speech was pointed out to Obama, he said those who speak that was are 'good, decent and moral people' told us that their views would always be heard at his table, and told us to find a way to compromise with people who accuse us as a people of mass child murder.
So sure. It is just 'them'. When our side engages in divisive hate speech, it's different, because they reserve it for teh gay, and include a mention of God. Is that it?
The idea that a man who claims God likes some groups better than others is trying not to offend is also funny to me. He says my family is not a family. Offensive as hell, and also exactly what 'they' say.
Deal with it. Get honest about it.

[alarimer]

6. Of course you are correct.

I am appalled at the actions of the Obama administration (or rather non-actions) and Obama himself hiding behind his "religion" to justify his bigotry, just like the right-wingers do. I think Obama is trying too hard not to offend right-wingers but cares very little for what his base wants. So we get kicked in the teeth on so many issues over and over.

I think this post was mostly pointing to false equivalence of the whole civility argument. Stewart and Colbert blamed both sides but in fact most of the incivility is on the other side.

[readmoreoften]

8. The Democratic Party are vile, disgusting cowards on our issues.

There's no way around it.

[ccinamon]

9. GREAT summation of how I feel, favorite line:

I refuse to be civil because the enemy's definition of "civil" is "shut the fuck up and take it".

I've "gone nuclear" on facebook, no more being nice and uber polite...full boxing gear on and I pound them with the truth...but guess what, I'm the hateful one! Not Beck who calls for the death of liberals, me, for giving them facts, charts, links....I'm the hateful one. Lost family because I refuse to put up with their lies anymore...and, I don't care...I've got, at most, 15 years of life left...I'm going down fighting!