To the editor:
On the afternoon of September 1, 2016, I delivered to the Presque Isle offices of the Democratic and Republican parties, multiple copies of A Covenant for Civil Discourse. The Covenant is part of a larger resource document prepared for churches and clergy by the Maine Council of Churches.
The Covenant asks all of us engaged in the political process, but our candidates in particular, to commit to the following:
– To act respectfully toward others, including those who oppose me/us in public debate, and to attempt to understand others’ point(s) of view. I extend this attitude of respect to all those engaged in civil discourse in the United States.
– To refrain from personal attacks, while maintaining the right to vigorously disagree.
– To refrain from making statements which characterize my/our opponents as evil.
– To refuse to make untrue statements in defense of my/our position.
– To value honesty, truth, and civility while striving to find workable solutions.
– To expect any person, party, campaign, or organization working on my/our behalf, or to whom I/we contribute money, to meet these same standards for civil discourse, and to disavow statements that violate these standards.
My hope in distributing these, is that all those running for local office, Republican or Democratic, will pledge themselves to speaking to and about the issues and their opponents in ways that elevate our public discourse. The stakes are too high, and the needs of our communities too great, for us to accept anything from our candidates but forthright and principled speech that respects the opposition and the public alike.
My suggestion for voters, is that they keep a copy of the Covenant close at hand, so that when they are approached by a candidate soliciting their vote, they can review it with the candidate and get her/his assurance that they will abide by it. Any candidate who won’t, may not deserve our vote.
The document in its entirety, “From Mudslinging to Mutual Respect: The Faithful Call for Civility in Public Discourse”, can be found on the Maine Council of Churches’ website mainecouncilofchurches.org.
