Joshua Lederberg said, “All of civility depends on being able to contain the rage of individuals.” Sadly, that’s still not the case at the Colorado statehouse.
Tempers there are boiling over on a daily basis, and there’s no one using a spray bottle on these hissing cats.
Failure to rein in nasty attitudes can be attributed to leadership. I’m told that 20 to 30 years ago, smart-aleck representatives would be summoned, quaking, to the speaker’s office for a thorough remonstrance. And they’d leave straightened up.
Not now. House Speaker Terrance Carroll was presiding when Rep. Jack Pommer told a colleague he wasn’t there “to do remedial bill reading.” The speaker threatened to send Pommer and Rep. Amy Stephens, his target, to a “timeout.” But Pommer has been out of control for weeks, and isn’t called to control his temper tantrums. His caustic handling of business owners testifying in the House Finance Committee on the tax exemption bills was an arrogant display of disrespect. Pommer claimed “businesses don’t care about Colorado. They care about their own profits .” (He later apologized, but only because he’d been widely quoted.)
Last May, I wrote a guest commentary for The Denver Post highlighting the rudeness that some legislators routinely displayed toward businesspeople, citizens, and each other. Civility, I bemoaned, is a character value rarely on display at the Capitol. I heard from dozens of people, who said that respect for legislators in Denver was just as low as that in Washington.
After it appeared, I had a strikingly candid meeting with Senate President Brandon Shaffer, in which he acknowledged that he’d not done a good job of reinforcing civil discourse, and promised to set a new tone for the 2010 session. Shaffer seemed to be emulating a quote from Bernard Meltzer: “If you have learned how to disagree without being disagreeable, then you have discovered the secret of getting along — whether it be business, family relations, or life itself.”
Sadly, that attitude doesn’t seem to have “taken,” in either the Senate or House, and legislators show no restraint when they open their mouths. Early in the session, some of the bitterness and anger was actually predicted. Observers told The Post that discussions over the state budget crisis would result in more partisanship, and tempers might be frayed. And there have been mentions in legislative stories about the lack of civility, all attributed to party line positions on budget solutions.
Angry attitudes of House members are a daily occurrence. Rep. Joel Judd, House Finance Committee chairman, has blithely dismissed his anti-business rants as related to the budget issues. No need for deep thinking and imagination, Rep. Judd, just act mad all the time.
Sen. Morgan Carroll often becomes visibly irritated as her temper reaches a breaking point. Her abrupt treatment of witnesses is uncalled for, and she leans forward to shout at those who appear to annoy her, providing a perfect opportunity for Sen. Shawn Mitchell to bait her, leading to ongoing snippy tension between the two. Mitchell did his best to be uncivil in a Senate floor debate, but Sen. Bruce Whitehead didn’t take the bait.
Why legislators believe their position entitles them to such arrogance and disdain is a mystery. Their personality flaws may have been dismissed during campaigns as “ambition” or “intensity,” but we probably wouldn’t have elected these people if we’d seen their Jekyll and Hyde personalities. It’s also important that legislators with promise (Sen. Michael Johnston, Rep. Daniel Kagan, Rep. Cindy Acree, Rep. Laura Bradford) don’t adopt this teeth-clenched, finger-pointing behavior as the norm.
Constituents must speak up to reinforce civil attitudes. Start listening to proceedings online, and calling elected representatives to say, “I’ve been listening, I didn’t elect you to be a jerk, I elected you to solve problems.” Attend town meetings and watch how lawmakers treat questioners — with courtesy and interest, or annoyance. If they’re rude, tell them that’s not how the people’s business is done. And don’t send them to their next elected position if they’ve been sarcastic and abusive in their current role. We want to quell this behavior, not perpetuate it.
Sen. Shaffer told me his chamber often started the year with a pledge to “remain civil, and remain friends.” Funny, but the House passed a similar resolution. Perhaps that’s a pledge that ought to be administered on the west steps, so we can see who agrees to act with maturity and common sense. And we’ll see who shows up.
Pete Webb is a longtime Denver public relations counselor who often works behind the scenes at the statehouse tracking progress on bills affecting his clients.
