Keller @ Large: Civility Crisis In America?

BOSTON (CBS) - Incivility in American politics is nothing new.

Founding fathers like Alexander Hamilton once fought deadly duels to settle disagreements. In 1856, a senator from Massachusetts was severely beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by an angry member of the House. In the early 20th Century, 30 people died in a power struggle between two Chicago aldermen.

With that as context, it may not seem quite so bad that controversial Trump administration figures like Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders have had their meals cut short at restaurants lately after bystanders objected to their presence.

But if it feels like things are escalating, the Trump people can look to their leader as a possible cause. From calling for the beating of protesters at rallies to spewing derogatory nicknames for adversaries, the President hasn't exactly been modeling what Sanders appealed for yesterday without a trace of irony: "Healthy debate on ideas and political philosophy is important, but the calls for harassment and push for any Trump supporter to avoid the public is unacceptable."

Unfortunately for the notion that civility might actually help our political discourse and lead to bipartisan problem-solving, the Democrats have their share of problems. "If you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gas station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them," California Rep. Maxine Waters exhorted an anti-Trump crowd the other day.

Where is all this headed?

More fear and loathing is likely under the current administration, given the president's preferred tone and style. Instead of saying nothing and letting Rep. Waters wear the goat horns for awhile, Mr. Trump responded with a tweet yesterday calling her "an extraordinarily low IQ person" and warning her to be "careful what you wish for." Whether or not they win back a majority in either legislative branch this fall, some Democrats will continue to respond in kind.

We may have to wait for a new generation to take control. After all, the abandonment of basic manners and civility in favor of crude displays of rudeness and anger is the ultimate act of selfishness.

And they don't call the Baby Boomers - the generation of Trump, Waters et al - the "me" generation for nothing.