The point for most people is while there is plenty of hateful rethoric from left comment sections on the internet, unlike the right, you won't find the same energy amongst the political leadership.

Someone can go from relative unknown to POTUS in just a few years. Candidates appear out of nowhere these days (probably because it's hard to find candidates who have a clean record). I look to the voting public as the driver of tone for political parties, not the leaders, who are fleeting.