During the past December holiday season, I ran into Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) a few times. I asked how it was going with his new gig as the state’s newest U.S. Senator. I figured that going from being a Congressman in a minority party to this new job in the now majority party must have been heaven. He said it was. As someone who’s served in Congress since 1987, he said he’s never seen the U.S. Capitol so ugly and partisan as it is right now.

The animosity across the aisles, he said, is mean-spirited and makes it near impossible to get anything significant done.

I’d go farther. It’s getting down right gross and dangerous. Like “Extreme Makeover,” the reality shows on TV, the most extreme one wins. Did you see those commercials that State Sen. Andy Harris (R-7th) ran in his race for the House against incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-1)? They lit into Gilchrest for voting with the Democrats—as if it were a crime to get things done for our country such as finally having an energy plan. Every candidate is pitted as “too liberal” or “too conservative” as if moderation is bad for our country.

Yes, our political system is set up for gridlock so that changes happen slowly, but we’re now in an ugly mode where doing anything to move our country forward is seen as extremism.

It’s gotten so bad that even the Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), who died this week and was the Congress’s only Holocaust survivor, is a target. Conservative talk show host Michael Savage, speaking on “Talk Radio Network,” the third most listened to program in the country, said this about the congressman’s February 11 death: “You’re not supposed to talk badly about the dead. I generally wouldn’t do it. But in the case of Tom Lantos, I’ll make an exception. I think he was one of the most—he was a scoundrel. And I’ll tell you why I detested Tom Lantos. The man survived the Holocaust of World War II and used it as a weapon the rest of his life.”

That’s sick. Savage is Jewish and should know better. Lantos was a man of conviction who spoke honestly and with moral authority. He chastised Bill Clinton for his behavior as well as led the fight against ANY genocide from Darfur to Armenia. He didn’t believe genocide could only be committed against Jews.

If he “used” the Holocaust, it was as a voice of reason to bring about positive change, which is exactly what he should have done. To say that made him a “scoundrel” is as wrong as it is offensive.

Enough of this ugliness. It has to stop.