Guvs Cross Lines For ​“Civil” Defense

(Opinion) I am not looking forward to the next 14 months in the world of politics. That’s how long we have until the 2024 presidential election, which is looking like a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The shouting about Hunter Biden, Georgia election interference and everything else is only going to become more shrill the closer we get to November 2024. Can’t politics be a little less confrontational, and a little more civil?

That was the topic for A Bipartisan Conversation with Governor Ned Lamont and Former Governor Jodi Rell. The event took place at the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford. The event, hosted by CT Public’s Lucy Nalpathanchil, is part of their Civility Initiative.

From the outset, the warmth between Rell and Lamont was palpable. They admitted that they’ve been friends for years, and their rapport was easy going and natural. They discussed how important it is to get to know other people to find common ground, and that it was key to really listen to others. Gov. Rell in particular drove home the point that often, people have their minds made up about the opposition and don’t hear what’s being said. 

The importance of listening and getting to know others began to sound like platitudes, and Nalpathanchil challenged the governors.

“Don’t calls for civility quiet some voices, especially those who are most affected and most passionate?” she asked.

Gov. Lamont took this question, recalling the protests after the murder of George Floyd. He stated that he was proud of how protesters and police worked together to express their outrage, even while having very different perspectives and opinions. 

At one point during the evening, Nalpathanchil (pictured above) remarked that she had told one of her colleagues that she was hosting the conversation between Lamont and Rell, and they quipped, ​“Hearing Lamont and Rell talk about civility is like hearing about the difference between vanilla and french vanilla.”

When I initially saw that they were the guest panelists, I shared that concern too. In my mind, Rell and Lamont are essentially the same politically: fiscally conservative, socially liberal, pro-business, pro-welfare state. They admitted as much as the evening went on, with Lamont even joking that they should manufacture some kind of disagreement to ​“liven up” the evening. I wondered how two people who agreed on so much could give lessons on civility, when that quality is most necessary when partisans discuss seemingly intractable issues. 

Maybe that was the point though? I imagined that a conversation like this should take place between two diametrically opposed people to show the audience what compromise looked like in real time. How would that have even worked, though? That was the first realization I had during the discussion — that opposing someone does not necessarily make them your enemy.

I was reminded of the famous quote from Abraham Lincoln, from the only time period that everyone agrees was more contentious than our present day situation: ​“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must nor break our bonds of affection.” 

Watching two political friends talk about civility had the potential to be an exercise in navel gazing, but instead it made a powerful point to me. It’s not enough to simply be friendly to your enemies. We should strive to eliminate our enemies by making them our friends. That’s certainly easier said than done, but the Bipartisan Conversation showed the audience that it’s possible. 

The Bipartisan Conversation will air on the local PBS station this weekend. If you can’t wait that long, you can watch the archived livestream here.