[caption id="attachment_4313" align="alignleft" width="286" caption="Waddy Butler Wood House"]
[/caption]( Editors: a must read) Kay Mathews - Only days before the tragic
shooting spree in Tucson, Mark DeMoss announced the end of the Civility
Project. DeMoss, an evangelical
Republican, founded the organization and asked Lanny Davis, a Jewish Democrat,
to join him.
Waddy Butler Wood House - offices of Citizens for Civil Discourse
Prompted by, and concerned
about, the vitriolic tone in American politics, in January 2009 the
organization asked all members of Congress and state governors to sign a
Civility Pledge, which reads:
1. I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.
2. I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree
with them.
3. I will stand against
incivility when I see it.
Three politicians, out of 585
who received letters inviting them to sign the pledge, actually signed: Republican Representatives Frank Wolfe
(Virginia) and Sue Myrick (North Carolina) along with independent Senator
Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut) who caucuses with Democrats.
In his Jan. 3 letter to the
three Civility Pledge signers informing them of the dissolution of the Civility
Project, DeMoss wrote:
Perhaps
one of the most surprising results of this project has been the tone and
language used by many of those posting comments on our website and following
articles on various media websites about the project. Many of them could not be
printed or spoken in public media due to vulgar language and vicious personal
attacks. Sadly, a majority of these came from fellow conservatives.
The Jan. 8 massacre in Tucson,
resulting in the deaths of six people and serious injuries to others including
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), put a
spotlight on civility in America, as defined by the tone of the national
discourse.
One individual who has called
for civil debate is David Gergen.
Gergen, who has worked for both Republican and Democratic presidents, is
currently a director at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a
senior political analyst at CNN.
As it turns out, however,
Gergen’s own Facebook page is not immune from vitriolic comments. Gergen posted a note on Jan. 13 to his 5,000
Facebook friends titled “Thoughtful and Respectful Debate” in order to address
the “ugly” discourse.
Gergen wrote:
Thank
you to to all who have been involved in thoughtful discussion here for the last
few years. Unfortunately, during the last five days the conversation has become
ugly. For this reason entire postings were deleted. In the past, it was rare
for a comment to be removed. It is important that we all know and agree, that
the only type of conversation accepted here is thoughtful and respectful
debate. We all have begun to heal and
find peace after the shocking massacre that occurred in Tucson. Let us all
continue with respectful conversation. All opinions are welcome. Thank you for
being involved and respectful. Do you agree?
Given that Gergen deleted many
comments, it is unknown what the subject matter of the conversations was. However, the “last five days” were, of
course, the days since the Tucson shooting.
It is likely then that the ugly comments focused upon the debate
surrounding that incident.
One person who brought civility
back to the national discourse was Pres. Obama when he spoke at the Tucson
Memorial service on Jan. 12. Partisan
bickering took a backseat to words of inspiration, hope, and unity.
In fact, Pres. Obama’s speech prompted
some conservative pundits, speechwriters, and others, including Glenn Beck, to
utter words praising the president.
After the Tucson Memorial,
Reverend Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance, appeared on The
Rachel Maddow Show and reminded viewers that Pres. Obama’s words of comfort are
very important, “but comfort is the beginning of the process, not the end.”
Gaddy recalled Obama’s entreaty
that we don’t turn on each other, and then added these words of advice. “But, we have to turn to each other and when
we turn to each other, to talk honestly with each other, that’s not easy,”
Gaddy said. “It’s no easier today than
it was before last Saturday.”
Gaddy’s comments suggest that
desiring civil discourse is laudable; yet, an enduring civil debate will only
be accomplished through turning to each other and talking honestly with each
other.
Gergen’s note on “Thoughtful and
Respectful Debate” provides a good example as do the words spoken by Pres.
Obama at the Tucson Memorial. “Only a more
civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a
nation,” Obama said.
And, perhaps, the founders of
the Civility Project will reconsider ending the organization. Surely more politicians will now be open to
signing a Civility Pledge.
Resources:
The Civility Project: http://www.civilityproject.org/
David Gergen’s Facebook
page:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/david.gergen?sk=info
David
Gergen’s Note: http://www.facebook.com/civilityproject?v=wall#!/notes/david-gergen/thoughtful-and-respectful-debate/492371033121
The Rachel Maddow Show:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#41049223
Text of Pres. Obama’s Tucson
Memorial speech:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20028366-503544.html
