Stop telling Americans to tone down their rhetoric. Silence equals death to our republic

When it came to defending the Roman Republic, Cicero refused to tone down the political rhetoric.

Speaking against aspiring dictator Mark Antony, he noted, “No sport seems to him more joyful than bloodshed, than massacre, than the butchery of citizens before his eyes.”

For good measure, he called him a “monstrous and savage beast.” Those were some of the kinder remarks. For thousands of years, heated political rhetoric has existed as the lifeblood of liberty.

After a would-be assassin managed to take off a piece of former President Donald Trump’s ear, the calls to tone down the political rhetoric followed right on queue.

Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance of Ohio claimed that Biden’s campaign rhetoric against Trump “led directly” to the attempted assassination. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, it’s time to “turn the temperature down in this country.” Others called for liberal political opponents to “cool it.”

Democrats called for less intense rhetoric as well. “Just because we must lower the temperature in our politics as it relates to violence doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth,” Biden said Tuesday in Las Vegas before lambasting Trump over his policies impacting Black Americans.

Politicians benefit from the intense rhetoric

The political class employs gross hyperbole to get the rest of us to pay attention amidst a sea of compelling distractions.

We can clutch our pearls and hope they find their better angels, but history suggests that is a fool's errand. A few moments on social media demonstrates that we the people don’t typically behave much better than our elected officials.

Intense rhetoric is fueled by strong emotion. We can blame our political class for fueling the conversation, but they are the beneficiaries of the moment instead of its cause. That’s what I have most misunderstood about my fellow Republicans who so passionately support Trump.

A bloodied candidate standing and shouting “Fight!” was a clarifying moment for me.

Too many Americans have been force-fed a cultural narrative about right and wrong disconnected with their daily lives. Gender is flexible. Illegal immigration is compassion. Predatory pornography is a civil right. The stock market goes up and their paychecks don’t. Their faith is bigotry. They should pay the debts of student debtors who, on average, will make more money than them.

They have had enough.

Most friendly politicians explain why they can’t solve the problems. Opposing leaders taunt these voters as racist threats to democracy.

Many of us have the privilege to debate the issues with little at risk

I can’t help but notice that many of Trump’s harshest critics, including me, are college-educated people who have found some economic success. They have the luxury of erudite conversations about gender identity and the speech implications of pornography. Illegal immigrants aren’t competing for their jobs. They’re discussing whether the Nvidia or Chipotle stock splits represent a better value.

At a time where many Americans feel crushed and alone, Democrats offer to let them eat more government cheese from the hand of a multimillionaire “blue collar” presidential candidate who can’t string sentences together.

Even as I have serious concerns about Trump’s character, I now see why populism has taken root in the Republican Party and launched him to power. This isn’t really about him. That’s why so many of his glaring flaws are openly ignored. He represents millions of Americans standing in a cultural breach and yelling “Stop!”

I can no longer ask my fellow Americans to “tone it down.” I will ask them to vote.

When we silence debate, we cede our liberty

The peaceful resolution of passionate disagreement is the hallmark of our republic. Violence has always had a foothold in American politics. The elegant words of the Declaration of Independence explain the reasons our nation was born through violent revolution. The blood-soaked fields of Gettysburg ensured our states remained united. Against fire hoses, dogs, and an assassin's bullet, Americans claimed their God-given civil rights from a country that had not made good on its promises.

These moments must serve as a reminder of the terrible price of failing to peacefully and reasonably resolve our differences. They must serve as a compelling counterweight against taking up arms against our own countrymen. Otherwise, we too may go the way of the Romans.

As Mark Antony rose to power, he and his conspirators declared Cicero the enemy of the republic. Antony hired the assassin Herennius to remove the obstacle to his ambition. On December 7, 43 BC, Herennius eliminated the most powerful obstacle standing in the way of his employer’s ambition. In an effort to turn down the political temperature, Antony removed the Roman orator’s head and hands and affixed them to the platform where Cicero had engaged in withering political dissent. When Cicero breathed his last, a five-hundred-year-old republic did too.

We must not seek to quiet or diminish the voices calling for a redress of their grievances no matter how heated they become. We should listen. We should vote. We should pray to God Almighty for the strength to keep our republic.

USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney who worked for conservative Republicans. He and his wife Justine are raising three boys in Nolensville, Tenn. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly known as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Heated political rhetoric is healthy and essential for America