David Brooks of The New York Times and a lady from the NAACP were on PBS news recently discussing civility. Brooks advocated taking the contentious issues, such as abortion, contraception and gay marriage, down to the local level but the NAACP lady said, “No, no, no, keep it at the federal level.”
It is easier to lobby Congress than to lobby thousands of local officials. Not only is it a more productive use of time, it is also cost-effective. Only one under-the-table envelope needs to be handed out, rather than thousands.
I was a very good salesman in my day and was taught early on that the best way to get an order was to listen. Claude Love, who I pirated from a competitor, was a master at listening. He taught me that listening to your prospect accomplishes two things: First, it gains trust, and, second, you find out what your prospect’s hot button is.
I want you to come to our Saturday “breakfast club” and just sit back and listen. You will observe a bunch of guys who do not listen to what the others are saying. It has become a circus since Trump was elected. Occasionally one guy will tell a joke while the other conservative at the table is talking about his moving experience.
The fundamental premise of democracy is to do what the majority of the citizens want. In order to do that, our elected officials must listen to their constituents. This leads to a healthy debate, which brings new information and ideas to light.
When certain beliefs are brought up and you disagree with them, it leads to fierce debate. When this happens, you must practice civility.
On the website Speak Your Peace, the authors list suggests ways to bring civility to the world: Be agreeable, apologize, give constructive criticism and take responsibility. I will do this at our breakfast club and hope my friends act accordingly.
What our breakfast club needs is a peacemaker. I do not think my wife is a good candidate. She has been on Trump’s case since early 2015 and she is right in doing so. Trump is the most uncivil person I have ever known. He thrives on being abrasive and believes this is the way to gain power.
Charlie Crist, a Democrat, was the 44th governor of Florida and is presently serving as a member of the House of Representatives from Florida’s 13th District. He is very concerned about incivility in the U.S. He referenced a report by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate in partnership with KRC Research on the state of civility in America which concludes that incivility has reached “crisis levels.” Crist introduced HR400 that declared July 12 as a National Day of Civility.
I have found that it is virtually impossible to change people’s minds. After Trump was elected president, when my Democratic friends criticized Trump, I stood up for him with comments such as, “Give him time,” and “Are you sure that the middle class doesn’t need a tax cut?”
Donald Trump’s lack of experience, wisdom and judgment is detrimental to the future of our country. I will admit, though, that some of the policies he campaigned on have helped the Pembroke family’s net worth. The stock market is booming and businesses recorded record profit growth — over 23 percent — last quarter. But I do fear that Trump could make a serious mistake and the sky will fall.
Lately I have been keeping my mouth shut when it comes to Trump, but I will continue to write about what is right for America.
Robert Pembroke is the former chairman and CEO of Pembroke’s Inc. in Salt Lake City.