The call for civility as a spur to compromise dates to the nation’s founders. George Washington’s “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior” left 110 points of advice for succeeding generations of politicians. (“Sleep not when others speak.”) Thomas Jefferson offered prescriptions rooted in his wielding of the Senate gavel as vice president: “No one is to disturb another (person who is speaking) by hissing, coughing, spitting, speaking or whispering to another.”
The public can only hope that after this election something both civil and creative might be possible in Congress. Note that Congress actually has a Civility Caucus, though it has gathered only 14 members in seven years. This is rather embarrassing, considering there are 200-plus members in the Congressional Wine Caucus, a group that might arguably offer stronger elixir for the gridlock on Capitol Hill.
