As a center-left independent, I appreciate Gov. Spencer Cox’s call in his new book, “Off Ramp,” for Americans to disagree without contempt. But I cannot accept the idea that the need for moderation and civility is somehow symmetrical.
Civility matters. So does accountability. And there are moments when silence from political leaders says more than their rhetoric.
Consider the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minnesota. The circumstances surrounding both shootings generated serious questions about the use of force, and a federal civil rights investigation was opened into Pretti’s death. Yet where was the sustained outrage and demand for accountability from Cox and other Republican leaders?
Then consider President Donald Trump. A jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. His long association with Jeffrey Epstein is also extensively documented. These are serious matters deserving scrutiny from leaders who speak frequently about morality, character and personal responsibility. And we haven’t started on corruption. Instead, Republican leaders — including Gov. Cox — have overwhelmingly continued to embrace Trump.
That is why Cox’s appeal to “disagree better” feels incomplete to me. Political contempt is dangerous, and lowering the temperature is worthwhile. But civility cannot become a demand that citizens describe troubling conduct more politely while political leaders refuse to confront that conduct within their own party.
If Cox wants a genuinely constructive conversation across the political divide, accountability has to be part of it. Disagreeing better requires more than changing how we speak to one another. It also requires the courage to speak when it matters.
Charlie Boas, Salt Lake City