How To Stop Heated Rhetoric Coming From Both Sides Of The Aisle

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chivalry may be dead and when it comes to U.S. politics, civility may be taking its last breath.

It seems every day more insults and heated rhetoric coming from both sides of the aisle.

And with the midterms less than 2 weeks away, voters are fed up with the fighting.

"People are taking it to this extreme. It doesn't have to be like this. It really doesn't," said one woman.

"I feel like everyone is super tense right now," another person said.

Take bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc. Investigators looking into whether the Donald Trump supporter may have been fueled by the president's tone. It's a theory the president firmly denies.

"I think I've been toned down if you want to know the truth. I could probably tone it up because as you know the media has been extremely unfair to me," said Trump.

"I think you'd have to go back 50 years when the issue was largely the Vietnam War to see the same kind of confrontational politics," said David Thornurge, the president and CEO of the Committee of 70.

"We are a non-profit, non-partisan advocate for better government in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania," said Thornurge, who believes social media is partially to blame for today's political sparring and insults.

"Put down the social media. Go for a walk," says Thornurge.

And he says to ask yourself this before your shoot back that dagger in the back tweet: "Are you being constructive? Is this helpful? Who would you be convincing by adding onto the rhetoric that's already out there."