If you’re tired of the coarseness in today’s politics, you can do something about it on election day. Vote for Democrats.

I just saw a truck in Iowa City with a bumper sticker that said, “Urinate on Biden.” Near the junction of Highways 1 and 92 outside Washington there is a big billboard proclaiming, “Joe and the Hoe Gotta Go.” What does a 5-year-old think when she sees that? I wonder what her parents tell her?

When Trump became president, he exhibited a level of crude vulgarity that demeaned the office. He told lies daily and still does. Virtually none of the Republicans criticized him--for anything. But every time Trump’s behavior was clearly over the top, the likes of Grassley, Ernst Hinson, and Meeks looked the other way. Even when the behavior was criminally stupid --like inviting Russians to the Oval Office, or just plain criminal, like the multiple counts of obstruction of justice detailed in the Mueller Report -- counts that were never addressed after a whitewash by Attorney General Barr; the R’s remained mum.

This complete betrayal of their oaths of office has greenlighted the behavior. We now have screaming parents at school board and city council meetings. The RNC even said Jan 6 was “Legitimate political discourse” but later removed it after an uproar. Election officials in some states have been bombarded with bogus voter info requests and online there’s a lot of talk about violence.

If Republicans had answered their country’s call in its hour of need, they would have voted to impeach Trump. Both times the cases were proven but these feckless Republicans claimed it was Democrats playing politics and looked the other way again. Had they done the right thing we wouldn’t even be talking about Jan. 6.

Vote for decency. Vote for the truth. Vote for Democrats.

Tom Jacobson

Riverside