Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

I have an overwhelming sadness when I see what progressives are doing to our politics. How did it come to this? What is wrong with these people, that they would seek to destroy someone merely because she is associated with someone they hate? How did politics, which is a rule-governed activity, come to be war, or rather, since war itself is a rule-governed activity, scorched-earth war? And why do progressives hate Joe Lieberman to begin with? Why is it not enough respectfully to disagree with him, to vote against him, and to provide financial support to his electoral opponents? I worry that, politics having been transformed into scorched-earth war, it will be impossible to go back. What would have to happen to make progressives and conservatives respect one another again? Will the Internet have to be destroyed? Is that what caused the change? Maybe it goes back to talk radio. But these are just media; they're not moral agents. If politics is to become respectable and respectful again, it will have to be because those who participate in it have had a change of heart.