Let's not bury rhetoric. Vox populi aside, rhetoric is not evil. Historical ignorance has perpetuated the urban legend that rhetoric originated with Gingrich Republicans. Give me liberty or give me death. Everett Dirksen said words are a politician's weapons.
Rhetoric is a release valve for passionate disagreement.
We conservatives have used words in lieu of Prozac lo these long Clinton years. Ad hominem, sarcasm, and invective are traditions in our public dialogue. Not as cordial as kings expect. Interestingly, rhetorical tolerance vacillates across ideological lines. She condemned the racism in pictures of slave owners such as Washington and Jackson on our currency.