American author Parker Palmer once wrote, “Political civility is not about being polite to each other. It’s about reclaiming the power of ‘We the People’ to come together, debate the common good and call American democracy back to its highest values amid our differences.”

His sentiments seem almost quaint amid the assault of malodorous social media cesspools and mind-numbing internet rabbit holes. But we would be well served to rediscover the higher ground that too many of our elected leaders have willfully ceded.

Last week, President Donald Trump took the unusual step of attending Supreme Court arguments in a case involving the legality of an executive order he issued limiting the scope of birthright citizenship. His critics saw this as an attempt to intimidate the justices. Rep. Susie Lee, the Nevada Democrat, was so incensed that she took to X and unleashed a three-sentence rant attacking Trump that included four F-bombs.

The Republican National Committee called Lee’s post an “unhinged, vulgar attack.”

Meanwhile, Trump has cultivated a large and loyal following by gleefully smashing political and diplomatic norms. On Sunday, he expressed his growing frustration with Iran in a profane Truth Social post threatening the country with more destruction, calling the nation’s leaders “crazy bastards” and dropping the F-word.

Democrats have for a decade wrung their hands over Trump’s profane and bombastic rhetoric.

Polls show that an increasing number of Americans in recent years have become disillusioned with the nation’s political leadership. While Lee’s post and the president’s recent social media firestorm may have some sort of perverse entertainment value, they highlight part of the problem. Many elected officials — Democrat and Republican — prefer wallowing in the gutter instead of engaging in respectful, honest debate.

But voters — particularly the loud extremists on each end — have culpability. They tend to turn a deaf ear to those on their own “team” who engage in this type of behavior while professing to be deeply offended when their opponents similarly conduct themselves. Whataboutism is an exercise in denial.

Lee’s post was an unfortunate mistake. Trump’s rhetoric too often divides rather than unites. Yes, politics is a rough and tumble business, and that predates social media — Harry S. Truman once called Richard Nixon “a no-good, lying bastard.” But true leadership during these polarizing times requires a commitment from both Democrats and Republicans to high standards and respectful discourse in pursuit of common ground.

That may be too much to ask in this age of social media, but the long-term health of our grand experiment depends upon it.

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