Don’t have too much to say here about it, but everyone should check out this ABC story and make up their own mind whether civility is advancing, or if it is just a word mentioned before the next jab.
I have contacted both campaigns to get a statement from them on their commitment to civility. The response (or lack thereof) was predictable.
From Camp McCain:
Hello Summer -
Thank you for your request. Your email has been forwarded to our staff members, and someone from the campaign will be in touch shortly. Please let us know if we can do anything else to assist you.
Best,
McCain-Palin 2008, Press Office
From Camp Obama:
Nothing yet. I did however, manage to end up on their mailing list unsolicited and have received several pleas for donations and campaign assistance.
We encourage one and all to contact the campaigns directly to solicit a response about civility. Ask them to promote civility and expect the same of their constituents. A top down approach, starting from the candidates will be the quickest to affect change in the way politics as usual is done. Here is the contact information:
Barack Obama
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/contact/
(866) 675-2008
John McCain
Press Office:
703-650-5550
press@mccain08hq.com
It might be working. Yes it is beginning to happen! I believe the sense of civility that we’re trying to convey with this site and our actions is beginning to have an effect. Today the movement for a civil election was covered in a radio trade journal. I was contacted with questions by several friends and colleagues. They report a similar sentiment of fear and apprehension about this election. Callers to just want someone “to take the first step” towards a better way of running an election.
Well anyone committing to and Act of Civility or just reading the posts and telling a friend is taking a step in a long journey to a better election process. Like the old Arlo Guthrie song Alice’s Restaurant said:
“And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it’s a movement.”
Well we’ve got fifty people singin a bar of Act for Civility so I guess we’ve got a movement.
We just have to wait for it to come around here on the guitar. And sing it when it does.
This may come as a shock to many of you, but believe it or not, there are people out there that doubt our sincerity, and worry out loud that there is another agenda at work here.
My reply to this is simple and comforting. Let’s bring in more authors to blog here. All that is required is that they have a track record of civility and a passion to match in these final days before the election.
This should make the blog more interesting for sure. Go ahead and comment here to be considered. The process, just like the rest of this process is wide open.
Of course we can’t rely on the press alone to push us out of obscurity when we are in one of the biggest news cycles in our time, so look for this new ad on facebook today and this week.
We look forward to getting this and similar ads into as many networks as possible before the weekend, now that the VIGIL has begun. We are looking for volunteers to spread the word here and help with the ad placement. Of course, we’ll only do what we get help with. Please Chip In with a few bones to help our promotion fund reach $1500.
Thanks.
Andrew
Many people think that civility is just another word for being nice.
I can certainly relate to the sense out there that at some level, being nice about all this would take the edge off things. CNN just ran an article about taking a minute to be nice amidst a growing intense debate on who will be the next president. It actually makes many great points about ways to create an atmosphere for civility that we should exercise. Conceding a point or two once in a while is a sign that you are a reasonable person, and it really does put you in a better mood.
It is important to correct a false notion however about civility. Civility in no way means you disarm yourself of any rational arguments on behalf of your convictions. To the contrary, civility is evidenced by seeing an increase in rationality and an increase in decision-making wisdom.
Civility in its best form takes us away from fierce antagonism, and helps us reach conclusions we need not regret over time. It helps us ask honest questions and expect honest answers. It raises the bar. It sets a standard for what kind of rhetoric you are willing to tolerate, and it demands full disclosure in a manner that does not have to come across as prosecutorial.
It is important to people beyond the various campaigns whether or not any vote is legal and or suppressed.
So whenever questions are raised, it is getting more than tiring to we the people to hear one charge retorted by the opposite charge. Like it or not Senators, this election isn’t solely about either of you, it is and will always be about the empowerment of qualified citizens to vote, and to have their vote neither diluted nor suppressed.
So here at the Vigil, with so little time left, we just ask for two things:
1) Follow up any charges of fraud or suppression with specific evidence
2) Spare us of giant stories about ‘charges’ as if they are the same as substance (this one is for the media)
The way things are going with this, voters are losing confidence in the system and are losing their attention span regarding where the needle really sits on who is right on this issue. While campaigns may gain short term victories by obfuscating and equivocating, it is we that lose in the end.
To help get to the facts, please read these two opposing pieces on non-citizens voting, then decide:
http://truthaboutfraud.org/case_studies_by_issue/
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Legalissues/lm28.cfm
The wild political season of 2008 is nearing and no matter which side of the political aisle you reside on it is both exciting and nerve wracking. The race for the oval office has been followed by more Americans than ever before (based on debate viewership and polling data), and the stakes are bigger than any time in a generation. We all know it is healthy and democratic to back your candidate, argue and support their policies, and ultimately respect the electorate and get behind the winner, but once again there is real fear that strident supporters will do whatever it takes to guarantee their party wins. Vote fraud and manipulation is a real possibility no matter how lopsided the election may be.
Unlike 2000, and even 2004, American’s deserve an untainted result in 2008. CBS news, Fox News, CNN, Time and other respected media outlets are documenting the concern of a majority of Americans that voter fraud and manipulation could impact the results of the key elections next week. CBS news investigated the early voting sites and featured it on their pre 60 minutes Sunday news: (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4546479n). Time magazine covered the issue in this week’s magazine: http://www.time.com/… new article. NPR’s Fresh Air also covered the issue on Monday’s show. Clearly the possibility for fraud exists.
After the back and forth of 2000 I was as disillusioned with our political process as I’ve ever been. I had no way of personally impacting the outcome of that election or contributing to a fair and free election in the future. I was encouraged to see the Vigil for Civility campaign because it shows we can all have an impact in our own way. I don’t expect to fly to key states and monitor polling places but I know that I can impact the mind set of acceptance that has once again permeated our fellow citizens. I am making a commitment to participate in the Vigil for Civility in the hope that we can once again trust our system to work effectively so we all have one vote and one voice.
The Columbian, Clark County’s daily newspaper, picked up the Vigil for Civility on the front page today, just below the fold. If you don’t have a hard copy of the paper, you can see the article here: http://columbian.com/article/20081029/NEWS02/710299958.
The press is taking notice of this movement, which is catching on with the electorate. Vigil for Civility stands practically alone in its call for productive action for the election. As the article summarizes well, the Vigil is “not against people being upset. We’re just for people doing something positive in response.”
The United Methodist Church leadership is reminded, like all of us need to be, that civility in public discourse is indispensable, and that the candidates need to candid about issues, positions, etc. instead of mudslinging.
This excerpt we find very well said…
Public discourse, especially in this season of presidential elections, has often deteriorated into acrimonious, disrespectful and divisive rhetoric. Such speech, in the interest of short-term political gain, will make it more difficult for the nation to unite to work together on the great challenges that face the United States and the world today.
We call on people of faith to raise their voices to challenge all political parties and leaders to embrace a public discourse that is free of divisive and demeaning rhetoric. Respectful, principled, and vigorous debate on the issues which demand attention is the only way to move into a future that offers hope and solutions to our common problems.
It really embodies what this vigil (insta-movement) is all about.
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