Feb. 16, 2012 Kathryn Ruud
www.stoppolarizingtalk.org
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
2344 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20515
Honorable Congresswoman,
I am a Democratic voter who agrees with you that GOP policies are “not bringing us together” as you stated from the podium at the California Democratic Convention recently. But to call the leaders of the Republican party “demons” is hardly a step toward healing divisions.
It is bad enough to have (mostly) right-wing radio trash talkers spouting such garbage rhetoric, without having a representative trying to come across like some kind of Limbaugh of the left.
As an elected representative, you have a responsibility to reject this kind of derogatory, dehumanizing language. All representatives should be leading and modeling strong, but civil discourse in the political arena, not dragging us further down into rhetorical darkness.
Most sincerely,
Kathryn Ruud
Contributing author, At War with Words