Keller @ Large: Politics Is Getting Nastier, Not Better

BOSTON (CBS) - American history has plenty of examples of tough, even nasty discourse. A hundred and sixty-two years ago a member of the U.S. House walked onto the Senate floor and beat a senator from Massachusetts over the head with his cane. We don't do that anymore, but something tells me Shania Twain might feel like she just took a few to the head.

Yes, that Shania Twain, the wildly successful Canadian country/pop star, whose status as one of the best-selling artists in music history couldn't save her from a tsunami of vitriol after she told a British newspaper after they asked her if she would have voted for Donald Trump in 2016 if she's been able to vote - quote:

"I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest. Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn't be able to have both."

Judging from the immediate, intense condemnation raining down on Twain from Trump haters, you might think she had advocated smothering puppies, or claimed to be a Yankee fan. So she quickly issued an apology, saying in part:

"I am passionately against discrimination of any kind and hope it's clear from the choices I have made, and the people I stand with, that I do not hold any common moral beliefs with the current president."

Can you guess what happened next? An avalanche of outrage from Trump supporters.

What's the moral of the story? The no-holds-barred partisan warfare that has blighted our contemporary politics is getting ever nastier, and shows no signs of abating. Shania Twain wants no part of it, and you wonder - what sane person would?

Share your take with me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or use Twitter, @kelleratlarge.