Three Presentations for Southern Legislators at CALS
Buchanan, Tennessee – We were glad to bring NICD’s Legislative Program to present at The Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS). CALS is organized by the Council of State Governments’ Southern Region, and selects legislators from any of CSG South’s 15 states to participate in instruction on communication, conflict resolution, consensus building, and critical decision-making.
The NICD team (Executive Director Keith Allred, former program director and former Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore Brent Hill, and Director of Public Policy Jack Thomas) each presented to the legislators about the dangers the polarization plays in our current political environment, and what actions these legislators can take to increase the cooperation and effectiveness within their chambers.
Keith Allred spoke about the contours of polarization today, and how these legislators can be the key to turning around the acceleration of animosity and division in our politics. With an eye towards history, Keith discussed the foresight of America’s founders in creating the system of separated powers and checks and balances, and why their greatest worries about partisan polarization are worth hearing in the context of today. He offered hope too: where everyday citizens followed elected officials down a path of greater polarization, evidence suggests these same officials can be effective leaders back towards lower polarization.
Brent Hill brought his expertise as a former State Senator, and as the longest-serving President Pro Tempore in the Idaho Senate to present on the role that these legislators, whether leadership or not, can play in their own chambers. Brent shared his experience in working across the aisle and finding opportunities for agreement and cooperation. Brent’s insights from his service as a legislator and his chamber’s presiding officer were incredibly valuable and demonstrated the success to be gained through civility.
Finally, Jack Thomas led a discussion about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and what responsibilities these leaders have to their communities. The presentation adopted one of the oldest ethical dialogues for an examination of the responsibilities elected leaders have towards serving as leaders. Often, we view representatives as pure representatives of the will of their communities. The intense amount of information that these officials receive, though, can be incredibly impactful as they weigh how to act. The group discussed what modern influences can keep constituents from being informed, and what they can do as leaders to best serve their communities.
Thank you to the incredible team at CSG South, especially Jazlyn Jones, for their help in bringing us to speak with the impressive group of CALS participants! We were delighted to present this year and are grateful to the many participants for their public service.
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About NICD, the National Institute for Civil Discourse
NICD works to build the nation’s capacity to engage our differences constructively. In 2011, the University of Arizona created NICD after the Tucson shooting that killed six people and wounded another thirteen, including former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. In the weeks prior to the shooting, Congresswoman Giffords was already in discussion with the University of Arizona about creating a center that would focus on improving the quality of discourse. The galvanizing power of that event brought together founding honorary co-chairs George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and an impressive bipartisan group of other leaders to honor Congresswoman Giffords’ vision.
NICD’s State Legislative Program is one of our most important programs that creates and strengthens bipartisan relationships through mutual, trust-based, and effective communication in state legislatures around the country.
NICD offers Americans a variety of opportunities and resources to engage differences constructively at https://civildiscourseinstitute.org/.
