When they admire something said by a colleague, politicians will frequently say that they “wish to associate themselves with the remarks made by my colleague” as a way of expressing support.

After recent events, a large number of people in politics have had cause to feel moved to disassociate themselves from things said and/or done by their partisan colleagues, now that both sides seem engaged in a race to the bottom. With each day, each issue, each battle and outrage, we seem to have reached a new low.