Civility in politics

There has been greater need in recent years to work on making politics more civil. My opponent in the state senate election, John Kefalas, even advocated for a formal agreement on civility between members of the Colorado General Assembly. For that effort he received both praise and criticism but I must say (even as his opposition) I think it was a bold and much needed effort. You probably are not going to see a less likely approval than one candidate saying to another, “Good thinking.”

All it takes is one example, one election, one set of candidates, one victory to prove that it can be done. We can agree that the issues are more important than the candidate, that the people we represent are more important than the political rivalries we agonize over election after election. It is insufferable that those rivalries are carried over from elections and into actual governing. Part of bringing an end to the cycle of dysfunctional politics is to restore civility in the process.

Since we must be the change we wish to see I thought I might start with this: John Kefalas is a good person. I have only briefly met him but, more importantly, I have been in a room with him a few times and it is clear that he is well respected. He has a good heart and he is committed to the things he believes in. Those beliefs include helping the most vulnerable among us, giving every child a world-class education, and protecting our state’s natural beauty. It is not that hard to drum up something kind to say in a campaign once in a while.

Civility in politics is long overdue. With few, if any, exceptions I can assure you that nobody gets into politics because they find it to be relaxing and filled with personal benefit. People want to make lives better, they want to see improvements or prevent mistakes. We will get better results from elected officials when we raise expectations instead of lowering them. At the moment it seems our expectations are so low we can barely see them anymore.

It is time we set a tone in public debates that brings out the best in us.