Following Friday's alleged attack of Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home, the public response from prominent conservatives has ranged from mockery to lies and conspiracy theories.
"As leaders and as citizens, it is incumbent upon us all to watch the words that we say and to turn down the volume of our political rhetoric. We should be able to all engage in passionate political discourse, but still remain respectful of one another," said Brooke Jenkins, interim San Francisco District Attorney. On Monday, Jenkins announced charges against David DePape, the man who faces multiple state and federal charges including attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with the alleged attack.
Carl Luna, a political science professor at Mesa College and Director for the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego, said charged rhetoric is more common now in American politics than ever before.
"It used to be that when the terrible insults were given, they tended to be in quiet corridors and didn't get splashed all over Twitter," Luna said. "Now, all this stuff gets out and becomes part of a standup routine as something you expect."
Luna joined Midday Edition on Tuesday with more on how uncivil discourse can impact American political discussion.
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A new report found people of color, especially Black people are routinely stopped at higher rates than white people by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Many of these are so-called pretextual stops and not in response to traffic violations. Then, the alleged break-in and attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband last week has not turned down the volume of vitriol. New lies and mockery have found their way into our public discourse. Plus, one East County hospital is bringing back a program that provides comfort and support to those who have no one else. And, San Diego Gas & Electric is proposing an experiment to reduce the carbon footprint of natural gas, by blending it with hydrogen. Later, on Tuesday voters in San Bernardino will face an important decision: whether to succeed from California and form a new state. And in Riverside County, one of the state’s most competitive House races pits a Republican incumbent who opposed certifying the presidential election against a Democratic challenger who helped prosecute January 6th rioters. And finally, later this month, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team will be among the 32 teams taking the pitch in Qatar as part of the world’s most watched sporting event, the FIFA World Cup. -
One hospital in East County is bringing back a program that provides comfort and support to those who have no one else. In other news, the San Diego City Council met Monday to declare housing as a human right and discuss further tenant protections. Plus, there’s a new contemporary art installation on view at the San Diego Museum of Art.
