Nearly a year ago, Utah’s Governor Cox endorsed Donald Trump for United States president, believing he could unite the country. At a recent Common Ground Forum, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, Cox says he is disappointed that the president hasn’t adopted his “Disagree Better” mantra. This mantra is focused on having civility, respect, and self-reflection – even in the heart of contentious disagreements.
Utah Governor Cox (who says he has a great relationship with President Trump) laments that the president doesn’t build bridges with political opponents. In fact, Cox believes Trump would have much better success uniting people if he took it upon himself to put the “Disagree Better” mantra into practice.
Chapters
- Anyone could be a uniter – but are they?
- Gov. Cox sees issue with division – not source
- Governor Cox is a victim of Trump too
- Bipartisanship doesn’t work with authoritarianism
- Civility matters – so do freedom and accountability
- Utah Gov. Cox doesn’t stand for anything
Anyone could be a uniter – that doesn’t mean they are
I mean, Governor Cox isn’t wrong. Donald Trump could be a uniter if he appealed to our better natures, brought people together, disagreed thoughtfully, and treated people respectfully. However, the same could be said of anyone. It’s like saying “that wolf could be vegetarian if he’d just stop eating deer.”
The question is… Is this who Donald Trump is? The answer, of course, is NO. Is Donald Trump ever going to do something like that? Absolutely not.
Utah Governor Cox sees the issue with division – but not its source
Despite his critique of President Trump, during the same forum, Cox seemed to empathize with Trump for his lack of building bridges. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, he noted that there’s not much incentive for political leaders to promote unity. To emphasize this point, he pointed to his last election. In that race, his primary opponent, Phil Lyman, attacked the governor over a friendly toast to then-President Joe Biden at a National Governors Association meeting.
Cox lamented that people have come to identify with their political allegiance over their own communities. He noted that social media has exacerbated this problem – slotting us into insular groups and feeding echo chambers.
Governor Cox is a victim of Trump too, he just doesn’t seem to know it
Governor Cox, with all due respect, do you not see what is happening right before your eyes? Through all your thoughtful societal reflection and political critiques, you seem to have missed that Trump is a big part of the reason why Lyman attacked you over your toast with Biden. Indeed, attacks like Lyman’s are an essential part of the new political culture that Donald Trump and those who seek to appease him have built.
While President Trump is as much a symptom of our deteriorating society as a cause, he has acted as a catalyst to many things. This includes rising hate crimes, political discord, sensationalist misinformation, and devaluation of experts.
Bipartisanship doesn’t work with authoritarianism
And that brings us to the crux of this issue. You can’t bow to Trump and treat him like a good buddy with one hand, and then lament what your soft-handed approach has led to with the other hand. Well, you can, but it kind of makes you a hypocrite.
The Tolerance Paradox states that THIS is the EXACT time and place we should be pushing back forcefully and aggressively against Trump and his supporters to prevent what happened to Governor Cox from becoming the norm. Indeed, it is something we should have been doing since before 2016. I worry it’s already the norm.
Civility matters – but so do freedom and accountability
To be clear, I agree with Governor Cox. We need to get back to a more civil form of political discourse (one not entrenched in identity politics). However, it’s important to note that nicety can’t come at the cost of freedom, liberty, and prosperity.
Again, this is THE TIME we should all be loudly and aggressively speaking out against Donald Trump, his administration, and his adherents in Congress and state governments. Republicans included – please raise your voices!
Utah Gov. Cox used to stand for something. Now he stands for nothing.
Cox’s comments vs. his actions really make me wonder what is going on with politicians these days – but especially those in the Republican Party. Are they so entrenched in their echo chambers they don’t understand the world? Have they been so secure in their elected positions for so long that they have forgotten how to think critically?
I remember when Spencer Cox stood for something. I didn’t agree with him all the time, but he was level-headed. He didn’t seem to get dragged down into identity politics. Now it seems he stands for nothing but the empty rhetoric of civil discourse at the expense of everything else. He sold out families, farmers, trans kids, educators, and state workers. He’s sold out you and me.
And by treating Trump like just another politician, instead of the existential threat he is, he’s sold out his own “Disagree Better” mantra.