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Vulgarity In Politics: The Shiny Object That Distracts Us

caption: Presidential candidate Donald Trump, pictured here 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, has inspired a conversation about vulgarity in political speech.
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Presidential candidate Donald Trump, pictured here 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, has inspired a conversation about vulgarity in political speech.
Flickr Photo/Gage Skidmore (CC BY SA 2.0)/https://flic.kr/p/e41ELr

Bill Radke speaks with University of Washington historian Margaret O'Mara about mud slinging and crudeness in American politics.

After Donald Trump defended the size of his penis during a Republican primary debate, some people asked, have we hit a new low? According to O'Mara, the answer is no. Things like this have been happening for centuries.

And often, the vulgarity is a smoke screen that distracts from the real issues, O'Mara said.

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