Immigration and workers' rights advocates protest outside the site of the Republican Presidential Debate in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 16. (Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)
OVER
THE past weeks we have used some sharp words in our editorials about
the race for the Republican nomination — words such as bigot, bully
and buffoon. Some readers have asked whether by so doing we undermine
our own calls for civil discourse. The answer has a lot to do with this
moment in American history — a dangerous moment when something ugly is
taking place in the political arena. It’s a time that demands a sharp
and clear response from everyone who cares about fairness and decency,
democracy and tolerance.
Generally the system works best when people assume that their political opponents are acting in good faith.
We may feel strongly about gun laws, campaign finance or free trade,
but we recognize that there are defensible arguments on the other side.
In the heat of the debate, we sometimes fall short of our aspirations,
but as U.S. politics become ever more partisan, it becomes ever more
important to give opposing views a fair hearing. That’s one reason we
publish a range of opinions on the facing page, especially ones that
differ from our own.
But Donald Trump and
his imitators present a different kind of challenge to democratic
discourse, in at least three ways. Mr. Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination,
seeks to make his political fortune not by staking out and defending
positions but by fanning and exploiting hatred and fear. He says and
repeats things that are demonstrably false, which makes a mockery of
legitimate debate. He prefers to insult, demean and ridicule anyone who
challenges him rather than to engage meaningfully with their arguments.
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