Politics of Civility

I watched and listened as President Bush entered (and left) the House floor before and after his State-of-the-Union address last Tuesday. Mircophones captured the respectful greetings and well-wishes of Republican and Democratic congresspersons lining the isles. Many even asked the President to autograph their programs while making small talk about their families or mutual aquaintances.

The next day, on his midday radio talk show, the poster boy for political division whined and complained about the Democrats civility to President Bush that evening. To him, this was a two-faced show for the cameras that had to be exposed. How dare the Democrats treat the President kindly and properly to his face, when otherwise they do everything possible to shame and disgrace him!

This radio talk show host has made a name for himself, furthered the agenda of the far right, and earned alot of money by dividing the political landscape into "us vs. them". Civility in politics threatens him and his agenda and he uses his "bully pulpit" to charge that it is wrong. In his world, Democrats would never speak to President Bush as a friend, shake his hand as a collegue, or ask for his autograph for posterity. Politics of inclusion undermines "us vs. them". It disarms those who wish to concentrate power rather than share it.

Democrats (and a growing number of Republicans) understand the difference between criticism of a President's policies and personal criticism. They learned from the Clinton impeachment mess that personal attacks are counter-productive to serving the needs of their constituents and only divide their ranks. However, don't expect to see that reasoning from our radio talk show host - he knows it would cost him his job.