“It’s a tough time to be a moderate in the U.S. Senate. Sitting down with those on the opposite side of a debate, negotiating in good faith, attempting to reach a solution — such actions are now vilified by the hard-liners on both sides of the aisle. Too few want to achieve real solutions; too many would rather draw sharp distinctions and score political points, even if that means neglecting the problems our country faces…

“Oh, how times have changed. When I led the effort in 2009 to try to produce a more fiscally responsible stimulus bill, I was attacked by partisans on both sides. On the left, I was attacked by columnists for cutting $100 billion from the bill and mocked in the blogosphere as “Swine Flu Sue” for my contention that spending for a pandemic flu did not belong in the stimulus package but should be part of the regular appropriations process. On the right, I was denounced as a traitor and a RINO (‘Republican in name only’), and one of my Republican colleagues targeted me for a campaign that generated tens of thousands of out-of-state e-mails denouncing me…

“I will not try to play sociologist and weigh in on this issue except to say that there are indications that as a people we are becoming less civil — just witness the attack journalism on cable television, the growing incidence of bullying in schools, the use of the Internet to smear those one does not like and the popular appeal of shows in which people are fired or voted off islands.

“I am more confident in asserting that even if Washington leads the nation in incivility, it is not likely to change until those outside Washington demand it. What gets rewarded gets done, and for those of us in Congress, reelection is the ultimate reward. Voting out of office — or not electing in the first place — those who put partisanship over progress and conflict over compromise would create a very different legislative climate, one in which the objective is to solve the problem, not to win the debate.”