Actor Jeff Daniels expresses concern about the decline of politeness in politics today, while also voicing a wish that Republicans face significant losses, especially if Donald Trump becomes president again.
In a recent appearance on MSNBC’s Operation Nicole Wallace, Daniels discussed the current political climate in the U.S. Over a 40-minute interview, he expressed his frustration with politics, praised President Kamala Harris, and lamented the absence of civility in political conversations, specifically calling out Trump and the Republican Party.
At one point, the actor bemoaned the erosion of decency in political discourse, stating, “We lost decency. We lost courtesy. We respected the rule of law. We lost it. We normalized verbal abuse online. We normalized bullying. We woke up, we tried to change it.”
Daniels added, “Outside the window, character, honesty. I mean, there’s no one to speak of in politics. We never have. Returning to Mark Twain. Ideally, we should select our best, not our worst,” before criticizing Trump directly.
“He’s everything wrong with being human, not just America,” he declared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwxjfxwztqq
On one hand, Daniels feels a loss of “legality,” while vocally criticizing his political opponents. Do they even hear themselves?
He also expressed a wish that Republicans would suffer financial losses while they hold power.
In another segment, Daniels asserted that if Kamala Harris had won the presidency, she would govern in a manner akin to Abraham Lincoln.
“I’m still thinking about Kamala,” he remarked. “And I believe she was a solid choice, regardless of what others might say.”
“She did what Lincoln did,” he continued, suggesting that Liz Cheney would have served as Secretary of State.
“Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote about it. That was Lincoln’s approach: surrounding himself with those who opposed him, not merely those who would agree and say, ‘Yes, more customs, sir.’
Of course, Daniels’ argument overlooks some historical nuances. Lincoln didn’t just pick people with entirely opposing views on the nation’s direction. His Cabinet members mostly shared the goal of preserving the Union, even if they differed on the methods. Initially, many opposed him simply due to perceptions of his background, but they respected his leadership.
It’s also somewhat misguided for Daniels to reference tariff policies in his critiques. At that time, the U.S. government heavily relied on tariffs for funding. Although the Lincoln administration implemented an income tax when the Civil War began, it was a temporary measure for war efforts and eventually repealed. Plus, Lincoln was once a Whig, a party that supported tariffs to finance the government!
