Edward J. Rollins: Civility in politics today is almost non-existent.

I have been around American politics and government for four decades. I have seen many battles over ideological public policy differences. In the old days sometimes the debate on the House or Senate floor might erupt into angry words in the cloakroom. And more often than not, the battle would get cooled and a compromise or a solution would be found over drinks or dinner in a social environment. People would talk to each other and listen. No more! Now they just yell at each other on cable television. No one listens. If you can’t win in the cable arena, you take it into the gutter of a campaign and attack with negative mail, brutal and dishonest television commercials and social media attacks. Destroy your opponent! Don’t talk or exchange ideas with them.

Today everything starts in the gutter. Today everything is a war!