In January 2021, we asked partisans to cool the heated rhetoric that has come to dominate American politics.

That plea was made in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and after three months of nightly riots in Portland accentuated by vandalism, looting and attempts to burn public buildings and immolate police officers.

We make it again after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and the death of a supporter caught in the line of fire.

The politics of the past 20 years have become increasingly divisive, intolerant and personal. America has divided on all issues into competing factions, each encouraged to believe in the infallibility of its position, to revile the position of opponents, and to doubt our foundational institutions. The rule of law be damned.

We stopped talking with, and listening to, each other. We have slapped vile labels on our neighbors and turned them into irredeemable enemies. And, when times are desperate, instinct dictates we deal harshly with an enemy.

When both sides regard the other as an existential threat to democracy, any action can be justified.

We can have candid disagreements on policy, and vigorously debate those differences. But, following the debate we should live our lives, not our politics, and focus on our common values and ideals.