• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
The Screaming Moderate

Civility. Practice what we preach

6/26/2018

0 Comments

 
The word of the week is civility – after, among other things, the press secretary to the President of the United States was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant because the owner and staff were offended deeply by the positions and style of her boss.

After that, and after at least two more prominent members of the President’s staff and Cabinet were heckled while trying to eat a meal in D.C. area restaurants, the topic all of a sudden, on all sides, was civility.

It really didn’t matter a lot because a Member of Congress called on citizens to do more such things to Trump Administration members. And, the President seemingly threatening that Member and claimed the restaurant involved was “dirty”, implying it was in violation of the health code.

In the old days, of such things were duels made.

The father of the press secretary, a former governor of Arkansas and a devoutly religious man. posted on  his Twitter feed a picture of heavily tattooed Hispanic men, purportedly members of the notorious murderous gang MS-13, and said it was a meeting of advisors to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He claims it was satire. Even that’s true, he should have known it would be taken as connecting Pelosi to MS-13. Now, with rare exceptions I doubt anyone believes Mrs. Pelosi is in cahoots with MS-13. But believe me, some do. And the President's son gleefully retreated the picture.

Meantime, up in Kennebunkport, Maine, former President Bill Clinton was visiting former President George H.W. Bush. You may recall in the quainter days of 1992, those two faced off against each other during Bush’s reelection bid. It was a tough campaign, although the word tough now sounds strong to use to describe that campaign. Clinton, of course, won and Bush was quite upset for many months after he lost, according to many reports.

Fewer than 30 years later, the Bush-Clinton campaign seems quite dull and droll.

Meantime, the two paired up to raise tens of millions of dollars for storm-related rescue efforts and George W. Bush, the 44th president of the United States and son of the 41st, calls Clinton “my brother from another mother.” Both 41 and 44 have become close Clinton friends.

Back to current times and we have a President who, to public knowledge has never contacted any previous presidents for counsel or console.

How do we get back to the more civil times of 1992?

I don’t know.

What I’ve tried to do is, while I clearly oppose nearly everything this President has done, I have, I hope, not used nasty names toward him though I probably have said nasty things, and if those have offended anyone, I apologize now.

Sinking to his level has done nothing. In fact, the more the “other side” criticizes him or heckles his people, the more solid his support among a slice of the voting public.

I hope that none of us wants to hate the other. We can certainly disagree (strongly) on how to get things done but why should that devolve into a hatred for “the other side.” In fact, why does there need to be an “other side.” We’re all Americans. We all, mostly, hold to the same values – liberty and justice for all. If that’s the case, why can’t we disagree and go out for a drink or coffee after. Why instead do we go to our tribal corners?

Talk about quaint, the late President Ronald Reagan and the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill were on distinctly different sides of just about every issue. But they got together “after hours” and shared a drink and a laugh or two. And how about the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch or former Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John McCain? Distinctly opposite Democrats and Republicans but who partnered on many pieces of legislation to benefit the American people. Let me know the next time that happens. 

President Trump when a civilian reportedly was friendly with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but now Trump calls him names. In fact, Trump calls nearly everyone who disagrees with him names and labels them with his own handles “Crooked Hillary,” “Pocahontas”.

Those of us who didn’t vote for Donald Trump can do nothing about it but speak our truths, register to vote and when the time comes – whether that’s the coming mid-term elections or his re-elect effort in 2020 – vote against him. Many people wonder what the post-Trump era, whenever that comes, will be like. Many think the tribal postures folks have taken will stick and maybe worsen.

But there's always a choice.

We needn’t throw chairs or treat others like we wouldn’t wanted to be treated. There will be a post-Trump time in two or eight years and we all still will need to get along.

Call me Pollyanna, but why not start now?

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

     
    Follow @bjaycooper

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

powered by bjaycooper.com