To the Editor:

Regarding Bob Wilson’s latest letter on negative campaign rhetoric, Wilson exemplified the hate-filled distorted rhetoric that he criticizes.

First off, Wilson didn’t give a single example of the “lies” and “distortions” that he complains about. Instead he blames liberals for just about every ill of society. For Wilson, liberals are clearly the problem and the enemy in this country. His thinking can lead to dangerous actions.

His characterization of liberals is grossly dishonest. It is apparent that Wilson is passing along the hatred and lies he consumes from the media he chooses. 

A recent study by Pew Research shows that liberals have three to four varied sources for their political news, while most conservatives just have one — Fox. Analysis by PolitiFact showed that only 18 percent of recent statements on Fox News are true — by far the lowest among Fox, MSNBC and CNN. 

Combined, these statistics illustrate the dangers of trusting a single source of information, especially one so overtly partisan and biased as Fox.

At the end of his diatribe, Wilson asks “Can opposing parties ever sit down at a table and discuss our real problems in a sane and honorable way?” The obvious answer is no, not when you are too busy stereotyping and insulting the other side.

 A word of advice, Bob. Turn down your partisan ideology a few hundred decibels and join the rest of humanity as we try to find a way forward. We need to focus on our common ground and work on that, rather than the obstruction that’s been ongoing in D.C. We don’t need a class war. We don’t need a civil war. Bloodshed would make things infinitely worse for all of us, as shown in Ukraine and across the Middle East. But we do need change.

Dan Kowal

Franklin