We aren’t ignorant about the history of nasty politics in this country, but it’s still a bad jolt when you hear something that so clearly crosses a red line of basic decency.

And that’s what we heard when U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, derided Gov. Greg Abbott as “hot wheels” in what could only read as a reference to the paralysis he suffered in a tragic accident as a young man.

Crockett has made a habit of demonstrating that she can’t or won’t discern the kind of decorum her office should demand and, because she represents Dallas, it reflects poorly on the rest of us.

She’s not alone. When President Trump, in his first race, grossly mocked a disabled reporter he demonstrated how low he would go and egged his party right along with him. Plenty joined in, and the standard for political decency plunged.

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Crockett later walked back her comments, saying she was referring to Abbott’s use of buses to transport migrants. If you buy that, you’re letting a politician off the hook and empowering more of this from both sides in the future.

The right response here is to stop, apologize, and improve going forward. We hope the congresswoman will do so, if not for the governor, then for her own constituents and the city she represents.

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