Freshman U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., says he wants to help change the tone of national politics.
Back in December, Crist teamed up with U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to start the Honor and Civility Caucus. On Friday, Crist and Johnson paired up with the chairs of other caucuses to mark the National Week of Conversation and to announce they would be holding workshops and other events for members of Congress to promote civility. Besides Crist and Johnson, the chairs of the Civility and Respect Caucus--Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers and Democrat Joyce Beatty, both from Ohio--and the chairs of the Civility Caucus--U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kansas, and U.S. Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo.--will also be pushing this campaign.
On Friday, Crist and Johnson explained why they were helping this effort.
“Words matter. How we treat each other matters,” said Crist. “It’s encouraging to see growing support on Capitol Hill for efforts to foster more civility in public discourse. We must always remember the Golden Rule!”
“We are stronger when we act together, and I am proud to join my colleagues in Congress to do all we can to restore civility to our political discourse and trust in our nation's institutions,” Johnson said. “The next generation of Americans needs to see us live out our core principles and treat one another with dignity and respect. I thank my friends on both sides of the aisle for championing this important effort in Washington and in their districts back home.”
During his 16 months in Congress, Crist has focused on civility. He and Johnson launched the caucus at the end of last year to “uphold and promote the ideals of civility and statesmanship and to restore trust and confidence in America’s political institutions" and promising to “work to foster more productive dialogue in Congress and to advance specific initiatives to improve the tone of the nation’s politics and public discourse.”
In early 2017, Johnson rounded up almost 50 freshmen, including Crist, to back the "Commitment to Civility" which, according to the Louisiana Republican’s office, “memorializes the members’ agreement to, among other things, restore collegiality, trust and civility to the Congress, encourage productive dialogue, and work to build consensus and the public's trust in America’s institutions.”
"I was pleased to draft this commitment document on behalf of my freshmen colleagues to articulate the sentiments that so many of us share,” Johnson said when he unveiled the “Commitment to Civility.” “It is encouraging to work with others from across the political spectrum who want to lead by example and work to restore civility to our public discourse. While we may have very different ideas and core philosophies, at the end of the day, we are all Americans. We do well to remember that.”
In June, Johnson and Crist followed up on that by teaming up with U.S. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif., to launch a bill designating July 12th as a National Day of Civility. The two congressmen also passed out wristbands that read "Practice the GOLDEN RULE every day!"
"Matthew 7:12 reads 'in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.' It’s the Golden Rule,” Crist said in June. “In our civil discourse, we must strive to disagree without being disagreeable and practice the Golden Rule every day."
In July, Crist and Johnson penned a piece in The Hill on civility.
Later that month, the congressmen took to the airwaves to talk about civility on Sirius Radio.
While he was first elected to Congress in 2016, Crist is a familiar figure in Florida politics. After serving in the Florida Senate, Crist, then a Republican, came up short in 1998 when he tried to topple then U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. In 2000, Crist bounced back to be elected state education commissioner in 2000, attorney general in 2002 and governor in 2006. Instead of running for a second term as governor in 2010, Crist decided to run for the U.S. Senate but was caught in the primary by Marco Rubio. Crist left the GOP to continue his Senate bid with no party affiliation but was routed by Rubio in the general election. After throwing his support to then President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, Crist joined the Democrats at the end of that year. He ran against Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 but lost again. In 2016, Crist defeated then U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., to represent parts of Pinellas County in Congress.
