The down and dirty reaction to the DNC

I would count myself lucky if that had been my child standing to his feet, pride and love written across his tear-stained face, pointing at me on a stage and telling everybody I was his. Of all the showy, orchestrated moments that came out of this week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago, that was the one that got me. There were celebrities and fiery speeches and clever roll calls, but the image that will stay with me is the face of Gus Walz. Gus is the 17-year-old son of vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. When his dad took the stage for his much-anticipated speech, he spoke of undergoing years of infertility treatments with his wife, Gwen, to be parents to Hope and Gus. "Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you," he said to his family, watching from the audience. Gus was so overcome with emotion he took to his feet, one hand pointing to his father and the other over his heart, his face a crumpled mess. "That's my dad!" At a convention that saw Republicans taking the stage to endorse a Democrat — and a woman of color — for president, it was a comparatively small moment, a heartwarming detail of a much bigger political story, and since when are presidential races known for their heartwarming moments? But the devil is in the details, so the saying goes, and that is exactly what came true soon enough as so many celebrities of the "party of family values" slithered in, fangs at the ready. Conservative pundit and consistent mudslinger Ann Coulter posted a screenshot of Gus crying on X, titling it "Talk about weird…," echoing Tim Walz's "weird" comments about his opponents. Coulter was roasted so thoroughly she deleted the tweet, as if the world didn't see her call out a teen-age boy, whom the Walzes have said has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and anxiety disorder, for showing emotion and love for his dad. If she regretted making the remark there would have been an apology. Just hitting delete reads as if you realize mocking a high school kid with a disability would hurt your brand. Perpetual conspiracy theorist and Trumper Dinesh D'Souza also posted Gus crying. "The kid might have mental problems, but he's acting just like Tim Walz! So what's Walz's excuse?" "Tim Walz stupid crying son isn't the flex the left thinks it is. You raised your kid to be a puffy beta male. Congrats," Mike Crispi, founder of America First Republicans of New Jersey, posted on X. He also posted a photo of Barron Trump, pointing out that Barron doesn't cry. Crispi, like Coulter, has since deleted it. I cannot imagine being this vicious, but I am a parent. I know what it feels like when others bully my child, or make them feel "less than." Bearing witness to pointed cruelties against your child is an agony that can hardly be borne, magnified even more so if your child has special needs. Decent people don't mock kids with disabilities. This isn't new in MAGA land. On his first run for office, Donald Trump notoriously mocked a disabled journalist, imitating his speech pattern and holding his hand stiff and crooked against his body, a malicious parody of the reporter's crippled limb. His supporters made excuses for it. When Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate, she gave that crowd an abundance of "material" to work with to insult her, being a woman who is Black and Asian. Naturally, memes of her dressed as a prostitute, and called her racial slurs and nasty names had these overgrown 12-year-olds rolling in the aisles and elbowing their buddies. It's the Same Old Script I've seen in action my whole life. The first time I was called a whore I didn't even know what the word meant. That's how the game works, if you're a girl: You run afoul of a certain kind of boy, in any way, and pow, there's your label. In my case, it usually meant I was the high scorer in a game, or as small as not giving him your lunch money. After a while the reasons why no longer matter. Once they start name-calling, you know this: They have nothing. They have nothing else to hate you for, so they'll settle for impugning your reputation. It doesn't change, at age 10 or at age 40. If a woman is smart, might know a thing or two, that unsettles the weak. And once they start name-calling, you know they have nothing. Nothing at all they can articulate, so they settle on degradation. Guaranteed it will be hypersexual and crass, the exact same comments you expect to hear on the junior high bus. If they can't call you stupid, they'll call you ugly. They throw all kinds of expletives until they'll stick. I naively assumed MAGA land was fine with sex workers considering their leader's predilections, but I guess not. Argue policy all you want. Vote how your conscience dictates. But while you're at it, check that conscience on how you speak about your opponents. The subject of your ire will likely never hear it, but your daughters, sisters and nieces do. You are showing them what they can expect from an insecure man the minute her success becomes his problem. Contact Chronicle-Telegram columnist Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.