Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett did not deserve to be harmed or ridiculed. Grow up, Congress.

I chose “elbow” as the first of my guesses for the Wordle game Wednesday morning.

My preference is to start with a word from current events.

All over the news the previous night was the claim by Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, that he was assaulted by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California.

You may recall that Burchett was one of eight Republicans who voted with Democrats on Oct. 3 to remove McCarthy from his powerful position.

McCarthy might still hold a grudge.

On Tuesday, Burchett was speaking with a news reporter in a House of Representatives hallway when McCarthy allegedly elbowed him in the kidneys while walking by his colleague.

The story exploded. Burchett alternated between calling it a kidney punch and a “sucker punch” in news interviews.

At least, Burchett didn’t have to be hospitalized.

In fact, the congressman lived to talk about it on multiple news outlets. Among his first interviews was with Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Allie Feinberg of the USA TODAY Network.

McCarthy, however, denied the accusation and then went on to say that Burchett would have been knocked down if he hit him.

What kind of example are members of Congress setting?

I’m shaking my head. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

If McCarthy hit Burchett, that’s wrong. That he’s making light of it is also wrong.

We the American people deserve some basic decorum and respect from our elected officials. What kind of example are they setting?

Sure, this is far less egregious than some of the nasty altercations of history, such as, when South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks beat Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts unconscious with a cane in 1856 on the Senate floor.

But we almost had a replay of the Brooks-Sumner affair on Tuesday in the Upper House when U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, challenged the Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fist fight during a hearing only to be stopped by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, the panel chair. Bernie saved the day by shaming Mullin into remembering that he is a U.S. senator.

There seems to be something in the Potomac River water.

Tensions are high in Washington. The rhetoric is destructive rather than productive.

Members of Congress are playing games with the U.S. government's good faith and credit and the paychecks of millions of Americans with government shutdown threats.

American leaders need to rise above pettiness and bickering

Robust debate should be normal. Toxic idiocy should not be.

All our leaders need to show a better example.

Fights, assaults and insults are beneath them and, oh so, inappropriate. Grow up, folks.

As for the Wordle solution, spoiler alert, it took me the sixth and final guess to get it, but it was “Sight.”

May our members of Congress see more clearly and focus on the challenges facing the American public over petty grievances.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters.. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Congress reviewed: Tim Burchett punched, Bernie Sanders stops fight