Politics is about discussion, dialogue and even, when appropriate, vigorous debate. Yet, Utahns should always strive for a more civil scene than what unfolded this week in Cottonwood Heights.
On Thursday, Rep. Jason Chaffetz stood on the Brighton High School auditorium stage facing a packed crowd of frustrated Utah citizens, with at least 1,000 more outside.
Many of the attendees jeered at Chaffetz and shouted him down. Throughout the town hall attendees interrupted him when he tried to speak. A few people even approached the stage and pointed their fingers at Chaffetz as they demanded answers.
“Let’s try not to yell and scream at each other,” Chaffetz told the audience. Later, he lamented the fact that there was, “So little decency here.”
Even some of those with the most vehement feelings toward Chaffetz privately expressed regrets about how the evening turned out.
Rightly so.
It is completely appropriate for constituents to engage with their public officials and to demand that they perform their duties effectively and faithfully on behalf of the voters. This is a strong mark of representative government and civil society. Yet, all this can be done in a manner that preserves at least some modicum of civility.
The political landscape in America today is replete with frustrated citizens wishing to express their views to their representatives on a wide variety of issues. Many are looking for ways to properly express their concerns and hold elected officials accountable. Such earnest expressions and actions are important — and indeed essential — to a healthy democratic republic.
However, we are increasingly disturbed at the lack of civility and decency in such conversations, especially when the end result is often re-entrenchment rather than finding common ground.
In the case of the town hall with Rep. Chaffetz, regardless of how one feels about his views on the issues or his performance — and we are not without concerns of our own — the fact remains that Mr. Chaffetz deserved better than the treatment he received. It is not an unreasonable expectation that those who have disagreements with others debate or discuss the issues in such a way that neither party is attacked or marginalized.
We urge Utahns who attend meetings and town halls — where elected representatives rightfully make themselves available to their constituents — to keep proper decorum. Otherwise, the entire process can be both a waste of time for the voters who came to ask their representatives questions and a missed opportunity for the elected officials who came to hear from their constituents.