HILL STAFF VIEWS: Most Aides Reject Members’ Potty-Mouth Rhetoric

(QUICK READ) — Potty-mouth senators and representatives speaking on the floor of Congress, news conferences or public speeches are not a hit with the majority of congressional aides, according to the latest Capitol Pulse survey by CNCT.

Fifty-six percent of the respondents told Capitol Pulse that cursing in such contexts is “inappropriate,” while 44 percent said they have no problem with that approach to public persuasion.

Significantly more GOP aides — 64 percent — view speech profanity as inappropriate, compared to the 38 percent among Democratic staffers responding to the survey. Interestingly, however, there is a perhaps unexpected split in terms of responses by age.

Among Democratic aides under the age of 30, 56 percent said profane speech is inappropriate. Among GOPers in junior policy positions, the figure was 80 percent viewing it as inappropriate and 74 percent of the senior policy positioned Republican staffers.