The loss of political civility

When we were growing up in the 1960s, the Storm Lake newspapers were run by W.C. Jarnagin, who was legendary in Iowa community journalism. The “Old Timer,” as Jarnagin called himself in his columns, was a rock-ribbed Republican back in the days when you could discuss politics without getting into a fist-fight. Our parents were New Deal Democrats, and while they disagreed with some of  Jarnagin’s editorials, they appreciated his views and read the newspaper all the way through, as did most of the community. You had to read the newspaper to know what was going on in town. You still do.  Jarnagin and his son, Phil, sold the Register and Pilot-Tribune to John B. Anderson in the early 1970s, who continued the Republican editorial bent of the papers. And the Cullen family kept reading it, because it had a lot of local news, just like the Times Pilot today. I went to work for Anderson — my first job out of college 50 years ago — and he wasn’t afraid to hire a Democrat and I wasn’t afraid to work for a Republican. In fact, we used to kid each other over politics. You could do that then because it never got personal. My folks didn’t question W.C. Jarnagin’s patriotism, John Anderson didn’t question mine. Politics didn’t consume our lives. Families didn’t turn on one another. We could discuss and disagree and still be friends. Plus, Republicans and Democrats then didn’t have the far-out fringes that tried to hijack the nation. When we had a president who was breaking the law, members of his own party told him he had to leave. And he followed their advice — for the good of the nation. That was an era when, after a hotly contested presidential election went against him, the loser graciously conceded to the winner. The loser’s supporters were upset, but they didn’t storm the Capitol. It was a time when Iowa Republicans liked Democrat governor Harold Hughes, and Democrats liked his Republican successor a few years later, Robert Ray. They didn’t accuse their opponents of being soft on pedophiles or hating women. They ran on issues of importance to Iowans: better highways, realistic liquor laws, abolition of the death penalty. Ah, the good old days. What will it take to bring them back? People who get their news from objective sources like newspapers and reputable broadcasters, not from propaganda or social media sites. And candidates who put state and country above politics. Right now, the odds don’t look too good. I’m sure if W.C. Jarnagin or John Anderson were around today, they might disagree with some of our editorials. But we’d be able to talk about our philosophies over dinner. And we’d still be friends. John Cullen is the founder and retired publisher of the Storm Lake Times Pilot. He can be reached at news@stormlake.com.