There's only one way we're going to change our political climate

The words of Mark McKinnon burn with the fire of urgency: “There’s only one way we’re going to change our political climate and ensure we establish some respect in our discourse. And that is to show there is a real price to pay for being a disrespectful partisan idiot.” In this statement lies not only frustration, but the cry of a man who has seen the foundations of dialogue corroded by venom and division. He reminds us that respect is not a luxury in political life, but the very lifeblood of a people who wish to endure. Without it, discourse becomes war, and words become weapons that wound deeper than any blade.

From the ancients, we know that the decay of discourse is the herald of the fall of nations. When the Senate of Rome turned from reasoned debate to insults and vengeance, the republic gave way to tyranny. When leaders sought only to destroy their rivals rather than persuade their people, chaos opened the door for Caesar to cross the Rubicon. McKinnon’s warning is thus ancient in origin: a society cannot endure if its political life is consumed by mockery, by contempt, by the partisan idiot who values victory over truth and scorn over wisdom.

The heart of his wisdom is this: respect in political discourse will not appear by wishing for it. It must be enforced by consequence. Just as a child learns that cruelty bears punishment, so too must public figures and citizens alike learn that disrespect carries a cost. To speak falsely, to slander, to sneer and divide—these cannot be left unchecked, for they poison the very soil of democracy. McKinnon calls for accountability, for the establishment of a price to pay, lest disrespect be rewarded and multiplied.

History itself offers us a solemn example. Consider the collapse of Weimar Germany, where political discourse disintegrated into chaos and parties sought only to humiliate one another. The air of contempt created fertile ground for extremism, for those who thrived on division. No real price was paid for disrespect; indeed, it was celebrated. And thus, respect was banished, and darkness fell. The lesson is grim but clear: when disrespect is allowed to flourish, it does not merely tarnish conversation—it destroys nations.

Yet we also find hope in stories where consequence restored respect. In the early days of the American Revolution, fierce disagreements abounded among the colonies. But when the Continental Congress convened, leaders like Franklin urged humility and respect even amidst heated conflict. They knew that without a measure of discipline and consequence for unchecked hostility, their fragile unity would crumble. It was this shared commitment to respect, even enforced through rules of order and consequence, that allowed them to forge a nation from discord.

Therefore, the lesson is this: respect is sustained not by words alone, but by action. To preserve dignity in political discourse, communities must not reward division. They must demand accountability—at the ballot box, in public forums, and in daily life. The partisan idiot must find that their words diminish their influence, rather than amplify it. Only then will the culture shift, and only then can true discourse flourish once more.

What then should you do, children of the future? Do not applaud disrespect, even when it comes from those who share your side. Speak firmly against contempt, whether from friend or foe. Support leaders who engage with honor rather than mockery. Refuse to spread slander, refuse to share the lie that flatters your bias but wounds the truth. In this way, each citizen becomes the guardian of discourse, enforcing the price of disrespect not with violence, but with the quiet power of choice, of conscience, of refusal to endorse dishonor.

Thus, McKinnon’s words echo like a stern teaching: if we wish for a political climate of respect, we must make it so by action and consequence. Let this be engraved upon your hearts: contempt left unpunished breeds chaos, but accountability nurtures honor. Only when disrespect carries a price will respect be restored, and only then will discourse become once more the bridge between people rather than the wall that divides them.