There was a time when political rhetoric had at least the vague appearance of dignity, while our elected officials focused on kissing babies, pretending to enjoy gas station burritos and using language best suited for a mild-mannered sermon on Sunday morning. Politicians — love them or hate them — at least tried to speak in ways that aimed to inspire or persuade.

Today? That’s been replaced with a lazy, foul-mouthed shortcut, where the F-bomb is being dropped like there’s no tomorrow. Celebrities and politicians alike have discovered what they think is a magic tool — drop the F-bomb, cue the applause and watch the social media clips go viral. From podiums in Congress to late-night TV, it’s become almost routine.

“No f***ing way,” Sen. Chuck Schumer announced in response to Donald Trump’s attempt to restore law and order to Washington, D.C. “Who cares about the f***ing rules right now,” declared professional-failure Beto O'Rourke, “Win some f***ing power.” “Yep. When ICE is around, I will alert my community to stay out of the area, and I’m not f***ing scared of you nor Trump’s masked goons,” posted an Arizona state senator.

Even outgoing so-called late-night “comedian” Stephen Colbert got in on the act: “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f*** yourself.”

I guess we’ll never know why Stephen Colbert got fired …

Make no mistake: As a Brit, I’m not unaccustomed to using the odd four-letter one-syllable word to hammer my point home. But there are a few crucial differences. First, it’s just funnier in a British accent. Second, I’m not a member of Congress, nor am I standing at the forefront of the anti-Trump “return to civility” nonsense that supposedly formed the foundation of the post-Obama Democratic Party!

In this case, the problem isn’t even that these F-bombs are crude or beneath the office of our elected officials. The real problem is that these people think this is what connects them to “the people” they are obsessively trying to woo.

Somehow, they genuinely believe that being vulgar makes them authentic. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. At this point, all they have left is “f*** Trump.” Nothing of substance, nothing of character, nothing based in adult reality. It’s just low-IQ political Mad Libs: fill in your outrage with profanity, get a round of clapter and carry on with the same vacuous talking points.

And let’s be honest: It’s boring. Shouting expletives doesn’t shock anyone anymore, and it doesn’t add a single ounce of weight to an argument. What it does reveal is just how little these politicians and entertainers actually have to say. Swearing is not policy. Vulgarity is not vision. The fact that so many rely on it shows how empty their platforms truly are.

While they think they’re appealing to the “masses” and imagine the average voter happily nodding along thinking, “Finally, someone said it,” in reality, most Americans aren’t looking for politicians to outdo each other in schoolyard profanity contests. They’re looking for leaders who take their jobs seriously, who don’t confuse a cheap laugh or a viral soundbite with genuine leadership.

If anything, the rise of political profanity proves just how shallow our political class has become. When your only weapon is the F-bomb, you’ve already lost the argument.

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