MacIver News Service | Jan. 14, 2018

By M.D. Kittle

MADISON — The nation’s debate on hate speech is replete with irony, particularly on the left (*See U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.*).

Preaching against hatred with hate has become the norm in American political discourse. Just ask state Sen. Howard Marklein.

Marklein and his fellow Republicans certainly did receive their share of opposing viewpoints. Too often, however, opposition turned into outright hostility, Marklein said.

In his recent weekly e-update, the Spring Green Republican raised a couple of questions that get to the heart of the matter.

“How do we move forward with so much hate?” Marklein asked.

There has been a good deal of talk about a return to civility in Wisconsin, from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leadership. But Marklein isn’t seeing it, at least in the recent round of hate mail he’s received.

“Over the last several weeks, my team and I have received an amazing amount of hate,” Marklein wrote. “Callers, emails, letter and visits have been filled with profanity, name-calling and hateful comments and accusations. We have done our best to receive the input and ideas despite the hate, but it has been difficult.”

Much of the overheated rhetoric spilled out of last month’s extraordinary session called by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Democrats have called the session a “power grab” because some of the bills passed and signed into law by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker limit the authority of the executive branch. Left-leaning groups last week filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the session.  READ it HERE