Betty McCollum speaks out on Arizona shootings [VIDEO]

Betty McCollum calls for an end to incendiary rhetoric in this video.

​Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) on Monday decried the kind of heated political rhetoric that some are blaming for the Arizona shootings.

McCollum held office hours Monday for people to express their sympathy and support for the shooting victims.

While the suspect's motive for the mass shooting isn't yet known, many are calling for an end to the war-like language used to talk about politics by people like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and our own Congresswoman Michele Bachman, who has called on Minnesotans to be "armed and dangerous," which is an uncomfortably close description of shooter Jared Loughner.

Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner's mug shot.

​McCollum wouldn't directly address Bachmann, but she said she fears what might be next after this weekend's bloody attack.

As part of the event, visitors were also able to write their condolences in a memorial book for the victims of the Arizona tragedy.

"It's also an opportunity for them to show that they stand for civility, they stand for respect," McCollum said. "That's where democracy is going to continue to thrive."

What do you think? Do we need to be more civil in our political discourse? Let us know in the comments.