Congressional civility caucus gets little interest

Josephine Hearn in The Politico: "Cleaver has been fed up with the level of partisan bickering he has found in Congress since he arrived in 2005. He has heard foul language on the House floor and sat through strategy sessions demonizing the opposition. He believes opportunities for bipartisan cooperation often seemed to go unrealized because of acrimony and distrust.

So Cleaver recruited Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, a moderate Republican from West Virginia, and the pair formed the Civility Task Force in July. But selling his colleague on the idea of being nicer has not been easy, Cleaver admits, and he's prepared for what may be a very long recruiting drive.

"We haven't had to hire any new receptionists to handle all the phone calls and applications to join," he lamented. "But I'm confident that people will see the merit in this."

Approaching one unnamed House Democrat last year, he struck out.

"I really would like to start a civility caucus or some kind of movement to create a more civil body," he ventured.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, don't you think we ought to be civil?" Cleaver continued.

"I think we ought to do what we got to do to win the majority," she replied.

Cleaver tried Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), who had spearheaded an earlier civility effort and organized two bipartisan retreats years ago. No dice. LaHood explained that his second retreat had attracted fewer members than the first, sapping his momentum...

Cleaver tried other members, but the reaction was often unencouraging. This was the same House where, in 2005, Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) had dubbed another member a "Howdy Doody-looking nimrod" on the House floor. And just recently, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) reportedly said to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas): "F--- you."

It wasn't the most hospitable environment for an affable vegetarian from Kansas City. Some lawmakers even defended it.

"There's a rankle and a divisiveness here, and it's called democracy," said Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.). "Everyone don't have to love each other and be all cuddly in order to get something done. … (Cleaver) is the kind of person who doesn't like to see disputation."

So far, membership in the Civility Task Force stands at two, just Cleaver and Capito.

But Cleaver remains undeterred. Civility has been one of his signature issues, even though its promotion remains a thankless and perhaps quixotic pursuit. He sees it as a part of his legacy..."

Further evidence of the common fallacy that you get more done when you fight ugly. Hastings says "Everyone don't have to love each other and be all cuddly in order to get something done," but this Congress has done nothing -- it's been all gridlock, all the time. Listen to the great Congressional leaders -- Dole, O'Neill, Johnson -- they'll tell you it's about working together, not hammering on the other side. This partisan rancor has ground our legislative branch to a halt. And that's partially by design.

Cleaver has it right. We're not going to be able to fix what's wrong in our country and in our world until we can repair our discourse and interact with the other side -- those we disagree with, maybe even totally -- from a perspective of mutual respect and constructive communication. It's extremely disheartening to see such antipathy to that proposition in Washington, and it seems like a clear indication that all we're going to get until 2008 is more of the same.