Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Are some comments by politicians unacceptable? We believe so. If a political leader makes threats, promote falsehoods or contribute to incivility, it's important for citizens to call them out. President Trump has certainly done this and conservatives have called him out when he's crossed the line. Recently he called Fake News an "enemy of the people." If he means fake news, he's right. Fake news is an enemy of the truth and hurts the civic process.  If he means the mainstream news media is the enemy of the people, then he's off base. Many mainstream news outlets are biased. But that doesn't necessarily make them the enemy. It makes them biased.   If anything, the news media holds government accountable and protecting our First Amendment rights against the government is something that unites us as Americans, regardless of political affiliation.