Toning down the rhetoric is more political rhetoric.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/08/1...t-in-michigan/
It will continue to worsen. What is disappointing is that the perpetrators continue to argue for the morally high ground, while actually being the perpetrators of the harsh rhetoric.
IOW, when the rhetoric works, such as Republicans wish to ruin Medicare, the Dems are all for it.
What is really happening is more and more voters are tuning out the politicians. This is dangerous because it makes us less informed, but what options do we have?
We can listen to meaningless drivel and insults which provide no analysis, or we can tune it out. The more difficult route of paying attention while tuning out the BS will be done by fewer and fewer persons. I admit, I don't pay attention as much as I did decades ago. The political discussion grinds one down.