Idaho: Gem of civility Entire Legislature earns state award

COEUR d’ALENE — The National Institute for Civil Discourse has dubbed Idaho America’s most civil state in the union.

The nonpartisan organization based at the University of Arizona gave the Gem State its 2018 award as “the state most committed to civil governance.”

The NICD began after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011, and has programs across the country promoting the idea that civility is crucial to political discourse. Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, serves as co-chair of NICD’s National Network of State Legislators. With the support of Senate president pro tem Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, and Speaker of the House, Rep. Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, the entire 105 members of Idaho’s Legislature have taken part in NICD training on how to make civility a part of the state’s political process, Wintrow said.

Civility is more than saying “please” and “thank you,” Wintrow told The Press. It means “treating people with dignity and respect, seeking all views, and listening to people before we judge and make decisions.”

In addition, “It’s also creating just and fair ways for everyone to come to the table,” she said.

Idaho is the only state to have had its entire Legislature go through NICD training, Wintrow said. The two-term Democratic legislator credited Republican leaders Hill and Bedke for making that possible.

Libertarian Party of Idaho Region 1 Chair Jennifer Luoma defined civility as “The ability to share our thoughts without retribution from those who disagree.”

Shem Hanks, chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee, said civility stems from respect.

“You can disagree with someone; you can dislike their political views. However, if you show them respect, then you are able to see them as an individual,” Hanks said. “If two people are having a discussion and are able to show respect and be understanding of the other individual’s views, then you are able to practice true civil discourse.”

Brent Regan, chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee as well as the Idaho Freedom Foundation, said civility in American politics “is the ability to debate a topic without resorting to ridicule or ad hominem attacks. One knows they have the winning argument on policy when the opposition abandons civility and the merits of a topic and turns to personal attacks and bigoted generalizations e.g. All you (fill in the blank) are a bunch of (fill in the blank).

“Make no mistake, as Saul Alinsky observed that ‘ridicule is your most powerful weapon’ but its overuse of late has greatly diminished its effectiveness to the point that our president is apparently largely immune to ridicule.”

Acting civilly as legislators means seeing colleagues as people and not just obstacles in the way of one’s preferred policies, said Wintrow. She said civil discourse means taking time to build relationships with each other despite what Wintrow characterized as a “very adversarial” American political system.

Regan said formal settings usually elevate the degree of civility over informal settings, where civility gets thrown out the window.

“Debate on the floor of the Idaho Senate is exceptionally civil and polite,” he said. However, “At the other end of the spectrum are the online anonymous comments sections where civility is completely abandoned and no insult is too vile.”

Luoma said Idahoans value their individuality but are losing out to an “influx of people coming here not of the same mindset.” These newcomers “tend to speak loud and often. So, the native Idahoan is going to be drowned out and will become extinct unless they speak up and allow their voices to be heard. Civilly, of course.”

The internet and social media have negatively affected civility in America, said both Regan and Hanks. As Hanks said, “Social media has allowed people to hide behind a keyboard and allowed them to launch attacks without ever having to interact with an individual or representative of an organization face-to-face.” Hanks called divisive rhetoric “the big eroder of civility.”

Regan said consequence-free anonymity and the ability to find people of like mind online have harmed civility. So too has the measurable nature of online activity, Regan said.

“With the ability to measure clicks and traffic and shares, information is biased to what is interesting and popular and not necessarily what is truthful,” he said. “Media sites tailor headlines and stories to attract their core viewers. The truth, or even a balanced, factual report is typically less ‘interesting’ than a salacious and over-hyped scandal.”

However, if the information superhighway remains a free market of ideas, “the benefits of persuasion” will become “more powerful than the benefits of intimidation,” Regan said.

Hanks said civility in politics is important because “the alternative is yelling at each other and the raw emotion that accompanies that experience where both sides become more entrenched in their views and nothing can get accomplished that way.”

Regan said Idahoans prefer politicians who don’t negatively label others.

“Those candidates who refer to the majority of people they seek to represent as ‘extremists,’ ‘white supremacists,’ ‘deplorables,’ or other pejoratives, should not be surprised when their campaigns fail. Idaho politicians exhibit civility because Idahoans value civility,” he said.

Regan said that his comments are his personal opinion and not the official positions of either organization he chairs.

Everyone loses when political opponents don’t treat each other civilly, Wintrow said.

“It boils down to when folks don’t feel they’re listened to and don’t have the opportunity to share that in the formal system,” she said.

When people don’t feel that the normal political process will work for them, uncivil behavior grows, Wintrow said. She warned that if America doesn’t restore more civility to its political process, “our form of government is at risk.”

To learn more, go to: nicd.arizona.edu