Civility, Again

I’m going to write about this topic again. Civility. Among us all. Most of all, among political candidates. That would be a wonderful gift from our ‘leaders’.

Incivility usually begets the same. Toss a negative statement in the direction of your political opponent and you will most likely get something similar in response. We see it everyday on the elementary school playground. And in our neighborhoods as well. Certainly we observe it while driving a car and we watch as road rage begins and builds.

Same is true in political circles. There is a difference, however. And it is this: political incivility is intended, strategized, and planned carefully.

It is calculated to draw out the opponent for all to witness their incivility. After a while it doesn’t seem to matter who started it. The welter of statements and accusations creates a smokescreen that handily obscures the facts and timelines of the skirmish. That is the sign of a well planned attack!

Meanwhile the important matters facing the nation and its voters is ignored why the contretemps of the principals are given free sway by the media.

There is an answer to this, however. And it is simply this: candidates, please stick to the issues and engage the public in a serious discussion of the facts of problems, and your suggestions as to how to handle those problems, the priorities you feel are appropriate in selecting which problems to handle first, and so on. This is the subject matter that interests voters the most.

The nasty fighting and insults of the current campaigns are attractive to the baser instincts of people. And last time I checked voters are people. It is only natural that they get caught up in the nuttiness of campaign rhetoric.

More mature people, however, will attend to the issues of importance. And we truly need to understand what our leaders intend to do about the problems we all face.

For instance, it is not enough for a candidate to walk into an arena and understand the mood of the crowd and speak only to the emotional issues they are most likely to respond to. That’s cheap politics and unproductive. Use the setting to learn which issues are the most important to those present. Some of those issues are no-brainers, of course. We all know what masses of people will respond to which emotional issues first. But it is honesty and principle we need to follow if our society is to survive the baser elements of politics.

I believe the American people are smarter than they are given credit for being, and I also think they think longer term about issues than the immediate short term benefits. Americans understand it takes a lifetime to learn about life and live it fully. Education is a vital investment in people that pays huge dividends years later as those students navigate the many paths through life. And they are likely to be more successful for themselves and society at the same time.

Getting along with people is an international benefit long term. Helping people be all they can be is worthwhile domestically AND internationally. It is the way we build trust and caring among peoples of different races and nationalities. We are all the same in so many ways. Only cultures provide the divides that are manipulated by others to keep people apart. But when we explore those cultures we find they are primarily composed of similar parts. Again, there is more that connects us to one another than divides us.

So it matters that we invest in international affairs to help people, level playing fields of education and investment so peoples around the globe feel secure and welcome everywhere. The payoff is huge! And issues connected here should be a high priority of any national leader.

Trump may be a misogynist. Let everyone see it for themselves. Meanwhile Hillary should focus on education, international affairs and economic development issues. Let Trump bury himself in the picky, negative, insulting personal attacks. In the end the American people will gravitate toward the leader with ideas and commitment to serve.

In this way I feel certain Trump will trump himself.

So let it be!

May 19, 2016