PORTLAND – Maine Sen. Susan Collins called on members of Congress to strive for a higher standard of political discourse, saying increased civility would lead to more effective government and a more prosperous nation.

Collins’ remarks at the Cumberland Club in Portland come after what seemed to be a particularly uncivil congressional session marked by heated debates over issues such as health care reform, the Dream Act bill affecting immigrant children, and the military’s controversial don’t ask, don’t tell policy.

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Sen. Susan Collins greets the media Tuesday at the Cumberland Club in Portland, where she spoke on the state of political discourse and the effectiveness of government. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

“We’re seeing a lack of civility in our society at large,” Collins said in an interview, before her presentation. She cited the growing incidents of school bullying and the use of the Internet to smear others. “But, I think that our leaders in Washington need to set a higher standard than that.”

Collins is in Maine this week visiting with constituents during a congressional recess.

Collins said she plans to tour Bath Iron Works this morning with Gary Roughhead, chief of naval operations, before heading north to Aroostook County where she plans to visit her hometown of Caribou. She plans to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the town library.

She was invited to speak as part of the Cumberland Club’s Joshua Chamberlain lecture series and chose to tackle the state of political discourse in the country and its implications for the effectiveness of government.

The High Street club was organized in 1877 so that its members could enjoy the city’s cultural and social amenities. Early members included Chamberlain, a Civil War hero who became governor.

“It is especially appropriate to discuss this subject at an event that bears the name of Joshua Chamberlain, a great leader who exemplified civility throughout his remarkable life,” Collins said.

Civility in politics, as well in public forums, has become a hot topic in recent months.

Collins said the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., that left six people dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords gravely wounded, was unrelated to the political discourse, but has spurred a discussion of the need for a more civil tone in public debate.

Collins’ speech came a day after an announcement that former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton — a Republican and a Democrat — will be honorary co-chairmen of a new national institute to promote civility in political discourse. The institute will be based in Tucson.

“To be sure, tumult is inherent in democracy. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.’ There is, however, a great difference between waves of lively, informed debate that propel ideas forward and a tsunami of insult and false accusation that destroys everything in its path,” Collins said in her talk.

“I am uncertain who first described politics as the art of compromise, but that maxim, to which I have always subscribed, seems woefully out of fashion today,” Collins added.

Collins, who is viewed as a moderate, said legislators who are in the center are denounced by partisans on both sides.

While the degree of civility in Congress has “ebbed and flowed over the years,” Collins said at least no one has been beat unconscious — something that happened in 1856 when a representative from South Carolina bashed a Massachusetts senator with a cane on the Senate floor.

“The weapon of choice today is not a metal topped cane, but poisonous words,” Collins said.

Collins said the incivility that has plagued Washington is not likely to change unless those outside the Capitol demand it.

“For those of us in Congress, re-election is the ultimate reward. Voting out of office or not electing in the first place those who put partisanship and conflict over compromise would create a very different legislative climate, one in which the objective is to solve a problem, not to win the debate,” Collins said.

“It may not be easy to feel passionate about civility and compromise, but it is easy to feel passionate about a vibrant, just and prosperous America. To achieve that, however, we need to get passionate about electing members of Congress who not only work hard, but who work together.”

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

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