Some time ago, I realized that civil political discourse had essentially become a museum piece, largely because the people with whom I engaged spouted Fox talking points or—when shown a citation of fact—yelled “fake news” or “lame-stream press.” Worse than that, they said things that were demonstrably ridiculous and called me uncivil names when I pointed out the error of their ways.

Admittedly, I was not always as polite as my mother would have liked for me to be.

After giving the situation considerable thought, I decided that I was both too hasty and too drastic. I should be willing to engage with people of differing opinions, just as I have for most of life. However, I decided we needed to set some ground rules; hence, my nine theses (with thanks to Martin Luther). They are:

1. If you’re going to shout Socialism, have a reasonably accurate definition of Socialism and be able to differentiate between a Socialist country and a capitalist country with strong social programs. Most of the countries that outscore the US on most measures fall into the latter category. It seems that no industrialized country is either purely Socialist or purely Capitalist, including the US.

2. Quit calling Biden a radical leftist. Rule of thumb is that if you have to lie to make your point, your point is wrong. Biden has not endorsed single-payer healthcare, nor has he advocated opening the borders. Biden is, at most, a centrist.

3. Quit saying that Socialism will make the US look like Venezuela, first because no Democrat is advocating for a Socialist government, and secondly, because Venezuela’s problems didn’t begin or end with Socialism.  In the decade before Chavez came to power, there were three coup attempts, an austerity program, an IMF loan, and riots in the streets. On the other hand, all of Venezuela’s neighbors have had socialist governments at one time or another, and some have enjoyed great stability and prosperity.

4. Don’t tell me that Trump’s failure to respond to the COVID crises was because nobody knew how to handle such a pandemic. A lot of other countries seemed to, and prior to Trump’s trashing of the Preparedness team, it seems that we did. The basic rules of epidemiology have been around for a long time; I was taught them when I worked for CDC in the 1960s. The scientists knew what they were. However, Trump didn’t listen to the scientists.

5. Don’t claim that Biden is senile or in some sort of state of dementia. I’ve listened to Trump talk, and I’ve listened to Biden talk. Biden makes a lot more sense. Similarly, don’t bring up Biden’s gaffes. Yes, there are some, although I haven’t heard any Biden gaffes that match Trump’s comment about taking the airports during the Revolutionary War. However, when there are gaffes, Biden admits them and seems to try to learn from them. Trump, on the other hand, doubles down or claims he never said it. He probably hates the inventor of videotape.

6. Don’t claim that Trump took a wrecked economy created by Obama and made it the most successful in our history. You can’t find data that show that the rate of growth in the Trump administration (pre-pandemic) was significantly greater than during the Obama years, even if you start measuring during Obama’s second term. So far as the “greatest economy” is concerned, the last time we saw a 4% GDP increase and a budget surplus was Clinton's administration.

7. Get a fact. The typical argument I encounter has a couple of grammatical errors, a little name-calling, and no facts whatsoever. That you believe that electing Biden will end civilization as we know is your opinion, and while you’re welcome to it, you should be willing to apply one or more facts to prove your point. Otherwise, you’re engaging in what my granddaughter calls “flame and shame,” and it is not a recognized debating technique.

8. Don’t hide behind, “he said it, but here’s what he really meant.” Trump is, whether I like it or not, the president, and the world hangs on his words. He is not allowed to say dumb things and have his base try to pull him out of the hole that he’s dug. He did, for instance, say that “trade wars are easy to win,” and has had to provide billions to bail the farmers out after he cost them their markets. He also said that the Coronavirus would just disappear like magic. He also said that his medical experts couldn’t appear before Congress because they (Congress) didn’t like him. He also said that he had asked his people to slow down testing so that there would be fewer reported cases. The strange things that come out of his mouth are too numerous to list, but he said them, and he owns them.

9. Resist the impulse to question my faith (and I’ll do the same for you), to tell me “to read a book” (because people who know me would find that hilarious), or to educate myself. Perhaps, if we are civil (as defined by the previous eight ground rules), we can help educate each other. However, you should be aware that I have Google, and I know how to use it.

Those are my nine theses, not that I expect them to change anyone’s behavior. I was going to nail them to the Republican platform, then I found that they didn’t have one.