Basic incivility

In a rather weird op-ed piece in the NYT this morning, former McCain-Palin spokesperson, Nicole Wallace simultaneously celebrates and mourns the phenomenon of Sarah Palin and its reincarnation in the person of The Donald.  While admitting Palin has managed to channel the rage felt by the base of the republican party, she laments that political discourse has been coarsened by this type of pandering to the ignorant.  She celebrates McCain's finest moment in the campaign, when he confronted a woman who called Obama "an Ayraab" and assured her he was a loyal American with whom someone may disagree without denying his patriotism.  This contrasts with rallies where Palin actively encouraged her followers to indulge their inner bigotry.  I agree with Wallace that the Palin phenomenon led to the success Trump has had so far in his campaign, but I take issue with her easy acceptance of the politics of hate and what it is doing to democracy.  Our form of governance depends on an informed citizenry who are prepared to participate in political discourse.  By pandering to ignorance and prejudice, Palin and Trump are opening the door to mob rule and the death of constitutional government.