Focus on McConnell's policies, not his podium freezes

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell froze when speaking to the press again. That's twice now in roughly a month. Once again, his frightening medical episode is being used for social media fodder.

I wrote about this after the first episode because I started seeing distasteful "Glitch McConnell" memes in my feed. So, this bears repeating: Regardless of whether you disagree with any of his politics, he is still a fellow human being. And yes, this goes for President Joe Biden and any other public figure.

Poking fun at medical frailties is the stuff of schoolyard bullies. It is not productive discourse, and it undermines the work that needs to be done for the sake of our communities. Public policy is fair game when it comes to criticizing McConnell. And thanks to McConnell's political maneuverings, there is plenty of work that must be done to lift marginalized voices and create a more equitable society.

Question if McConnell is fit for holding office — sure. Express that it's time for him to retire — yes. But poking at his health for a laugh instead of scrutinizing his politics is a waste of valuable time.

After my column was published last month, I received a lot of emails from people who listed McConnell's policies and cheap Supreme Court justice nominating tricks as their defense for treating him poorly. "This is a man who deserves dignity?" Many of them asked me in frustration.

They didn't like my answer. Yes, he does.

Mitch McConnell deserves dignity. His policies, his questionable decisions and his behavior are not measurements of whether he deserves dignity. Just like a convicted murderer or any other incarcerated person — violent criminal or not — also deserves dignity. The United Nations' Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners lists as No. 1: "All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings."

Dignity is not earned or deserved. It is foundational.

We cannot continue perpetuating a punitive social culture and expect this world to be better for our children. And we cannot feign disgust when former President Donald Trump says horrible things if we are going to turn around and behave the same way when it's someone we don't like or agree with. The he-did-it-first mentality should be left in the schoolyard. We don't get a free pass because something horrible was said about our guy first. We are responsible for our own behavior. My behavior starts with me. Lashing out is a choice, and it's the easy emotional choice. But I can also choose to behave according to my values and according to who I want to be in this world.

Why be vindictive when we can instead work together to build a better world? We can plan a better future through solutions-based accountability, not schadenfreude. There's work to be done, but first we have to focus on what matters.