Mark DeMoss Disbands 'Civility Project,' Citing Conservative Attacks, Grim View On Discourse

Mark DeMoss, director of the Civility Project, a two-year-old effort launched at the beginning of the Obama presidency to prompt legislators across the nation to cool political rhetoric, decided to shut the campaign down earlier this month -- even before the latest resurgence of debate about "vitriol" and rhetoric sparked by the events in Arizona over the weekend.

DeMoss, an evangelical conservative with ties to some big-name Republicans, cited a general lack of interest, as well as pervading signs that the nature of political discourse appeared only to be deteriorating during Obama's first two years as president, as justifications for halting his program.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, DeMoss provided a little insight about how his project was received by some on the right.

"The worst e-mails I received about the civility project were from conservatives with just unbelievable language about communists, and some words I wouldn't use in this phone call," DeMoss told The Times. "This political divide has become so sharp that everything is black and white, and too many conservatives can see no redeeming value in any liberal or Democrat. That would probably be true about some liberals going the other direction, but I didn't hear from them."

The pledge he sent to 585 sitting representatives, senators and governors in early 2009, asking them to sign on to the project's three tenets, was simple:

I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.

I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.

I will stand against incivility when I see it.

Yet two years after the launching of the initiative, he had only three signatures: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Reps. Frank Wolfe (R-Va.) and Sue Myrick (R-N.C.).

"You three were alone in pledging to be civil," wrote DeMoss in a release this month announcing the closure of the group. "I must admit to scratching my head as to why only three members of Congress, and no governors, would agree to what I believe is a rather low bar."

While the lack of positive response appears to have been disheartening to DeMoss, he refrained from suggesting that there was any connection between increasingly contentious political discussions and the devastating violence in Arizona over the weekend.

"Whether or not there's violence, whether or not incivility today is worse than it's been in history, it's all immaterial," he told The Times. "It's worse than it ought to be."

Comments

[barrada nicto]

07:09 PM on 02/19/2011

"Whether or not there's violence, whether or not incivility today is worse than it's been in history, it's all immaterial," he told The Times. "It's worse than it ought to be."

Immaterial. This comes from the best of them.

[TeabaggersWorstNightmare]

01:19 PM on 01/14/2011

Further proof conservati­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­s­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­m is a mental disorder!!­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ .... Show me a conservati­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­v­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­e and I'll show you a total ǝןoɥssɐ!!

[barrada nicto]

07:10 PM on 02/19/2011

Conservatism is not good.

http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/conservatism.html

[dtlewis]

12:35 PM on 01/14/2011

In my experience, the right almost universally exhibit behavioral traits consistent with the authoritarian view; narrow to closed-minded absolutist mentality wherein all competing ideas not thoroughly consistent with their own are considered absolutely false, listening to and giving thoughtful consideration to competing thought is a sign of weakness, and when challenged in their "knowledge of the truth" they respond with aggresively defensive posturing decrying all they disagree with as lies or falsehoods. I view this behavior as tantamount to mental illness.

[ugotabkidnme]

11:18 AM on 01/14/2011

It is my personal experience that incivility is not uncommon in everyday transactions between average citizens and therefore not surprising it is common among our politicians.

Parents flying into rages directed at teachers and during sporting events, the uptick in school bullies; and, driving? What world does Jon Stewart live in when he claimed that the driving experience on our Interstates represents the best of us getting along? More that ever before we live in a society of bullies: male; female; young; old; and, of every color; religion and political affiliation.

There is an undercurrent of hostility towards others and intolerance of most everything that doesn't serve an immediate gratification.

We suffer from strangers' vulgarities at the drop of a hat and when was the last time a store cashier said, ' thank you,' at the end of a transaction?

People no longer practice common courtesy to one and another on a daily basis. Insufferable rudeness and callous selfishness have replace common courtesy and the result is incivility. What is being witnessed in Washington is a magnified reflection of what is going on in homes, schools, on roads and in general public.

Thank you very much for your consideration of aforementioned opinions and have a very nice day.

[gsmp]

11:32 AM on 01/14/2011

Spot on, ug. Statesmanship + Courtesy + Empathy = Obama Care.

[RockyMissouri]

11:59 AM on 01/14/2011

Jon Stewart got more than 250,000 people to come together to be CIVIL, than hatefilled Glenn Beck....I'm sorry you missed that--it was an awesome thing to see...Americans-of ALL colors- religions- young and old- in DC--PEACEFULLY...! It made my heart glad to see it and I realize the baggers and Fox and all of the haters are betraying every single American- in the worst way- We would progress--but for those people---Americans know exactly who and what is generating the disharmony.

[Enchantress]

01:14 PM on 01/14/2011

Please post evidence that the Beck rally was not peaceful or diverse (pictures show otherwise) the only difference between the two rallies was the amount of refuse left behind by Stewarts followers, Becks were at least considerate enough to clean up after themselves.

[24hourrifle]

10:43 AM on 01/14/2011

if Lanny Davis had been the one who decided to disband the Civility project,it would be the lead story of FNC for the next week 1/2........

on the other hand,this story will be essentially ignored by the mythical "liberal media",which,according to conservatives,consists of any media outlet in the entire U.S. other than FNC or AM radio.

[ehorth]

11:19 AM on 01/14/2011

Well, it's here, isn't it?

[RockyMissouri]

12:02 PM on 01/14/2011

The 'liberal' media is anyone who is not Fox (according to Fox!)

[oafishcad]

10:15 AM on 01/14/2011

Conservatives tend to eat their own. When Bush did everything the conservatives wanted and it destroyed our economy, conservatives ran from him faster than they run from responsibility. He's not a real conservative. It isn't conservatism that did this. Yes, he is a real conservative, and yes, it was conservative policies that destroyed our economy. The same ones the new congress will try and push through now. Or is telling the truth about conservatives now considered uncivil?

[oafishcad]

10:05 AM on 01/14/2011

Liberals have always been civil. We've been civil to those exhibiting uncivil behavior. We were civil to slave owners up to the point when they tried to destroy the USA, we were civil to those who thought women were incapable of political though and voting, or owning property, we were civil to those who denied inter-racial marriage and continue to be civil to those who deny gay citizens equality. We're civil even to those who's behavior is anything but. And those poor few conservatives who actually do try to be civil back are shouted down by their fellow conservatives. Let's stop pretending this is an equal two way street.

[RockyMissouri]

12:06 PM on 01/14/2011

Indeed..! Thank you.

[Captain Hindsight]

10:01 AM on 01/14/2011

We are enslaved by the banks and the government and they do not want us to be free.
There will be no civility in slavery.

[Mahi Joe]

08:53 AM on 01/14/2011

I think it rather pathetic when civility seems to be a threat to someone.

[RockyMissouri]

12:10 PM on 01/14/2011

That's how republicans conduct their business today. Compromise is a dirty word...Can you imagine the life we would have if the republicans/baggers/conservs. actually worked as if they cared about ALL Americans...???????

[Marty McFly 1985]

08:24 AM on 01/14/2011

An Evangelical_Conservative makes a group about toning down political rhetoric only to find himself lambasted and_harassed by other conservatives?

Talk about Ironic.

[gsmp]

11:35 AM on 01/14/2011

That was my first take, Marty. A conservative proposes civilty and the bagger/mob will disparage anyone who subscribes to that.

[Skunkman]

08:19 AM on 01/14/2011

The Tucson shootings have prompted a national debate about the decline of civility in America. That's good, but we should expand the definition. A civil society isn't just about less screaming on cable TV. It also has an ethic of community, so that people try, as best they can, to look out for one another.



There's a coarsening, uncivil effect when we watch homeless people ranting and mumbling, freezing in the cold - and cross the street, assuming that it's somebody else's business. It takes something out of us, individually and as a country.



Like most of the problems that matter, Jared Loughner didn't sneak up on us and catch us by surprise. We saw him coming and didn't do anything about it.

Mike

[Mando1]

08:18 AM on 01/14/2011

This story once again reinforces the fact that it's not "both sides"...that the lack of civility ....is really the Republican spin machine attacking all democratic proposals....anything....ANYTHING the President and First Lady do......The level of bold faced, shameless lies...the right has spewn...the fact that 46% of Republicans believe he is a secret muslim...tells you that he has been totally destroyed by lies. Dem's are seen now as the enemy...and I am sure more Democrats will die, sadly...but that is what it will take. Each time Sarah's, Beck's, Rush's and Fox's crocodile tears will seem less and less plausible.

[RockyMissouri]

12:15 PM on 01/14/2011

And that machine is....Fox news.

[ehorth]

09:48 PM on 01/14/2011

While I certainly hope that your prediction of more Democrats dying will not occur, certainly not as a result of propaganda, generally I think you're right. But what is even more significant is that the idea of "being a secret muslim", is being used as an epithet, negative and derisive name-calling much like N*-lover was years ago. Technically there should be nothing wrong with being Muslim, and it's hard not to react defensively when someone uses it, but really, what SHOULD be wrong if our president was Muslim?

[imfedup]

07:35 AM on 01/14/2011

People do what works. When we (and I use that term loosely) vote for people who try to manipulate us through fear and lies, we motivate those who use those tactics to continue using them. It's an "ends justfiy the means" philosophy.

The November election set a very dangerous precedent. The Republicans did nothing to help fix the devastating problems they caused and everything in their power to hinder progress in the past two years, and yet people voted for them. The tactics they used works, and we can expect to see them repeated until we prove to them they don't work any more.

[pup sydney]

09:06 AM on 01/14/2011

I think somebody said "I am exaclty where I am and I arrived precisely at the time I was supposed to arrive".
In other words we are not here by accident: it is the American people choice to reward incivility obstructionism ignorance stupidity. The majority voted for it, all will suffer for it, but it is deserved manufactured by the Americans for Americans consumption. At least we were not invaded by Attila, yet.

[oafishcad]

10:06 AM on 01/14/2011

Since it does work, expect more confrontation, not less.

[RockyMissouri]

01:46 PM on 01/14/2011

Republicans lack the courage and grace to condemn the violence.

[Don Giovanni]

07:33 AM on 01/14/2011

Media Matters addresses the lies of politicians and runs down the truth or "truthiness" of politicians' and pundits' statements. The Rightwing definitely shows up in their analysis as WAY, WAY more often out and out lying. That's why many Libs see Cons as beyond all hope of reasonable political discourse.

[gsmp]

11:38 AM on 01/14/2011

You speak the truth, Don. As a half-ful kind of a person, I will continue to bash my head against the wall and try to engage others. Progression or Regression. That's the choice.

[seanj]

07:05 AM on 01/14/2011

I watched Pmsnbc last night. Show after show was ful of hate for the tea party and Palin. Go figure. Then they say be nice to the President and Dems in general.

[bmc0718]

08:31 AM on 01/14/2011

Like Fox news, only opposite then, right?

[Grunty1]

09:19 AM on 01/14/2011

I'm sure you were actually Faux, which would explain the hatred.