Denver debate meant to showcase civility in political discourse goes awry
In a sign of just how toxic political discourse has become, a debate in Denver aimed at modeling civility ended in a political protest.
The non-profit Healthier United hosted the debate as part of its new initiative, Disagree Healthier, which encourages decorum over dysfunction, courtesy instead of contempt, and respect rather than ridicule.
But just minutes after the event kicked off, liberal activist and former lawmaker Tim Hernandez turned a debate over health care affordability into a debate over who should be allowed to debate. He refused to leave unless the conservative participant, Michael Fields, did.
As tension escalated, Healthier United CEO Jake Williams decided to pull the plug on the event, "I don't know what exactly, what was gained. But I know what was lost was an opportunity to model better behavior and make our democracy healthier."
Williams says he launched Disagree Healthier after talking to people across the country
"Whether Republican or Democrat or something in between, people are not satisfied with the state of our political dialogue," he explained.
The debates, he says, aren't designed to sway people's opinions: "What we're aiming to do is embrace disagreement and ditch dysfunction."
Hernandez, he says, has the right to engage in civil disobedience, but he respectfully disagreed with his reasons for protesting.
"Michael Fields is probably the most powerful conservative voice in Colorado, and his views, whether you like him or not, align with a large chunk of Colorado voters," Williams stated.
President of the conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado, Fields says he often engages in debates with Democrats.
"I would participate in something like this again because I do think it is that important of an issue right now with how polarizing, how ugly politics is right now," Fields said.
He says Hernandez's actions were disappointing. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative CEO Mannat Singh had a different take.
"I think questioning who's at the table at different conversations is an important part of the conversation," Singh said. "We might not have learned what we thought we were going to learn, but this is still a learning experience."
The lesson learned, however, may differ depending on who you ask.
"Bullies aren't going to silence us. This just emphasized why this initiative is needed so much, and we're going to work harder to get this message out," Williams said.
Williams says he is looking forward to their next debate in North Carolina.
Hernandez says the debate wasn't about civility but about giving a platform to someone he says doesn't deserve one, based on the ballot initiatives he's brought, including measures addressing crime and immigration.
