The Call for Political Civility

Republican and Democrat, white and black, male and female; for many years these opposing issues have divided our country, caused us to fight against ourselves, and changed the way we as Americans see each other. On Tuesday, August 20, Cindy McCain, the widow of U.S. senator John McCain, began her campaign to change this opposition “for the country’s sake.”

Although voted in as a Republican, Arizona senator and two-time presidential candidate John McCain was known for his openness and cooperation with the Democratic party while serving the House of Representatives. Shortly after brain surgery to attempt to cure his cancer, McCain requested a return to a more civilized political age, hoping that Americans could resolve their differences and come together. A few days before the first anniversary of her husband’s passing in 2018, Cindy McCain asked America to accept this request.

“So today, I am asking all Americans to take a pledge of civility by committing to causes larger than ourselves and joining together across the aisle or whatever divides us to make the world a better place,” recently widowed McCain said to the Washington Post. 

McCain’s civility campaign, although mostly directed towards members of Congress, applies to all Americans whose only similarities are that they equally hate each other. 

“However sharp our differences, however vigorous and even intemperate our debates have been, they shouldn’t prevent us from respecting each other, from valuing each other’s dignity,” McCain said.

Senator McCain was known for his bipartisan friendships and his respectability towards his opponents. His wife knew that, although he would not be around to see it, he would want a more civilized and unified country.

 The United States has been a divided nation for years. With Cindy McCain’s attempt to resolve that, America has an opportunity for change and a chance to once again be united.