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Keller @ Large: Sore Loser Behavior No Surprise

BOSTON (CBS) - There were important party primaries in Florida and Arizona on Tuesday, and some high-profile names were involved.

Senator Marco Rubio easily won his primary, as did former Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. And Senator John McCain was also re-nominated for another term.

None of that was surprising. But there was an unusual common denominator to these elections. In each case, the loser ignored the tradition of congratulating the winner and at least pretending to promote party unity.

Rubio's challenger spent much of his concession speech whining about the incumbent's decision to seek re-election to his seat after his presidential campaign ended. McCain's opponent, who tried to make McCain's age an issue in their race, was equally ungracious.

And the guy who challenged Wasserman Schultz exited by calling her a "corporate stooge."

In his take on all this crude sore loser behavior, writer Josh Kraushaar of the National Journal claims "it's clear that Trumpism has infected our politics," but I beg to differ.

Our abandonment of even the veneer of political graciousness and manners has been brewing for years, fueled by the rising importance of media and special interests with no interest in civility and the decline of institutions like political parties whose preservation once meant something to candidates.

And you could ask, surveying the lack of courtesy and humility infecting our entire culture – what took so long for sore loser mentality to take over our political life as well?

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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