Editorial: Threats against public officials are threatening our democracy

A woman from Indiana this week agreed to plead guilty to threatening a congresswoman with text messages that included “we’ll kill you” and an email that threatened to “kill you and blow that whole building up.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not identify the official who had been threatened. But the office of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, later told reporters she was the recipient of the messages.

It was not the first time Mace had been targeted—and she’s far from the only public official to be targeted with threats or actual violence.

In The Indiana Lawyer—included in IBJ for the first time this week—you’ll read about a Tippecanoe County judge and his wife who were shot at their front door by an assailant who, at this writing, had not been found.

And last year, amid the debate about mid-cycle redistricting, several Indiana lawmakers were threatened, swatted (meaning someone requested emergency assistance to their addresses even though there was no emergency) and doxed (meaning the posting of personal information—such as a phone number or address—without the individual’s permission).

These incidents are all evidence that rancor in politics and government is so far out of hand that it is eroding the conditions that make democratic self-government possible.

Our system relies on people—professionals, laborers, parents, young adults, retirees—to volunteer to run for office and then serve in positions that require making difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching decisions. It means throwing yourself into the public eye, working long hours and weighing the views of hundreds or thousands of constituents.

Are there public officials that abuse these positions? Yes. Are there people who find ways to make money off these jobs? Absolutely.

But we believe the majority of people who run for office and participate in government do so for the right reasons. And they are often making significant sacrifices as they try to balance their public positions, their careers or business interests, and their families.

That’s in part why too few people opt to run for office. A lawmaker from northwest Indiana, for example, is already giving up weeks away from his or her family to be in Indianapolis voting on legislation that affects the lives of every Hoosier.

But those problems seem mundane when compared to violence and threats of violence that leaders now endure simply for taking positions on the issues they face as elected officials.

This is not the fault of one party or a specific group of people or the cable networks or social media. This is a widespread dismissal of the societal norms that keep our democracy healthy. And it’s time to stop the madness.

Let’s begin agreeing to disagree again. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s assume the best intentions of those around us. Let’s testify for or against bills, express opinions on social media in respectful ways and campaign for those whose views we support. That’s the way you protect democracy and build a better community, state and nation.•

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