During the 2012 election, Steven Greenhut was appalled by the loutish behavior displayed by incumbent Joe Biden in his vice presidential debate against GOP challenger Paul Ryan, as Biden smirked and interrupted his way through the contest. In fact, Greenhut’s column about the debate argued that Biden’s behavior was “an affront to civility” because of its bullying nature. Civility doesn’t meaning rolling over, but it does mean behaving with a little decorum.
How things have changed.
From the persepective of 2018, that debate brings to mind a term from the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York: “defining deviancy down.” Basically, the Democratic senator argued that as society becomes accustomed to deviancy, societal standards are lowered. What seemed outrageous yesterday, is accepted today. Life begins to resemble a game of limbo. How low can you go?
That six-year-old debate wouldn’t even be noteworthy today, given the antics of the current president and his foes. It’s pretty clear from social media that the president’s crudity and personal attacks are not a flaw in his presidency, but one of its high points. Many conservatives are thrilled to have someone who isn’t playing by Marquess of Queensbury rules, Greenhut writes.
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