The quest for “civility” in politics never seems to end, even though the fervor to achieve it seems to exist primarily in newspaper editorials and in speeches by politicians who’ve been targets of incivility.

Last week, the quest continued in a new forum, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, and a more familiar one, a speech by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. The news about the institute made us cringe; the speech by Collins made us think.

The National Institute for Civil Discourse is a ridiculous idea, not only because it pairs America’s favorite bipartisan sunshine boys, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, as honorary co-chairmen, but because it will be based in Tucson, Ariz., scene of a January shooting spree that had nothing to do with political discourse. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and six people were killed in Tucson not by mean-spirited rhetoric but by a crazed gunman acting on impulses fueled by demons we may never understand.

Bringing together Democrat Clinton and Republican Bush to head some project or other has now become a cliche that does little to promote the project and less to promote the dream of bipartisan cooperation. This is not criticism of Clinton and Bush, who unselfishly give their time and energy whenever they’re asked; it’s just a classic example of contemporary culture’s penchant for running a good thing into the ground.

We only hope that the institute, which will be run by the University of Arizona and partially financed by a grant from a Tucson health care provider, will not receive taxpayers’ money for its work, which will include, according to its director, creation of “an archipelago of organizations that want to promote a different style of politics.”

Collins, meanwhile, made some valid points in her speech at Portland’s Cumberland Club. She talked about “a lack of civility in our society at large” and called on Congress to set a better example for the rest of us. A moderate Republican who, along with fellow Sen. Olympia Snowe, has sometimes been on the receiving end of rhetorical excess by ideology-driven opponents, Collins said voters should demand more compromise and less partisanship from their elected representatives.

“It may not be easy to feel passionate about civility and compromise,” she said, “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.”

Maybe we should find a couple of ex-presidents to work on that project.

 

Copy the Story Link