Personal Fouls…they should be called in politics.

“Just know one thing, Rick Snyder: You sign that bill, you won’t get no rest,” said Rev. Charles Williams II at the Tuesday rally in Lansing, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. “We’ll meet you on Geddes Road (referring to Gov. Snyder’s home address). We’ll be at your daughter’s soccer game. We’ll visit you at your church. We’ll be at your office.”  Watch the video here.

Whatever our political affiliation, liberal or conservative, whatever our belief about Right-to-Work laws, and whatever our feelings about unions, this kind of threatening thuggery does not represent us, the average American.  Yet, these types of threats are becoming more common in our politics.  They are blurring the line between public service in politics and private lives, and making it feel very dangerous for people willing to put it on the line and run for public office.  I’ve seen this not only at the level of Governor and above, but even in political races for Community Service Districts.  Citizens of good faith cannot afford to allow this to happen.

Politics are indeed a full contact sport.  And that’s as it should be.  But threats of harassment against someone in their private life are over the line, out of bounds, and should be treated as an intentional, personal foul by the observing public whose duty it is to referee the game.   The shrill penalty whistle of public opinion should be immediately sounded when this sort of behavior is observed.  The repercussions should be immediate and harsh.   In the NBA, we have rules against “flagrant fouls” which result not only in free-throws, but a post free-throw turnover in possession, and can result in ejection from the game and league imposed fines.  In the NFL, we have personal fouls; 15 yards and an automatic first down.  If the behavior is bad enough, at the referee’s discretion a player can be ejected from the game and fined by the league.   These are very physical sports with a lot of contact, but they have their boundaries.  Politics should too.

Who can stop this sort of behavior?  We can.  You can.  We are the referees of politics and we must demand that people who step onto the political playing field (whether politicians or others) operate within the rules of common decency.  If you’re at a political event and you hear something like this, speak out against it.  If you hear political actors talk of violence, such as Jimmy Hoffa’s recent threats of “civil war,” in Michigan, speak out against it.   (“This is just the first round of a battle that’s going to divide this state. We’re going to have a civil war,” Hoffa said on CNN’s “Newsroom.”)

It is up to each of us to stand.  Clearly, when “religious” figures like the “Rev. Charles Williams II” speak this way and refuse to act with common decency, we can no longer count on anyone but ourselves to referee the contest.

(Image Courtesy of johntrainor @ Flickr.com  Some rights reserved by johntrainor)