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Rep. Steve Stivers calls for representatives to disagree without being disagreeable

By Rachel Gribble

WCMH-NBC4

COLUMBUS, OH (WCMH) – Is there a double standard for liberals and conservatives in the media and in Washington?

There was a firestorm this week over free speech and its consequences. Comedienne Rosanne Barr lost her sitcom over a racist tweet about a former Obama administration advisor, but critics of comedienne Samantha Bee say she is getting away with an apology after she made a vulgar comment about Ivanka Trump on her show.

President Donald Trump blasted ABC and all media for an alleged double standard while his critics quickly pointed to the nasty comments he is famous for: insulting everyone from Sen. John McCain to all Hispanics.

While there is no end in sight to the mudslinging, Rep. Steve Stivers wants to show the public there is a better way.

“Our politics have gotten very partisan and personal,” Stivers said. “It’s really unfortunate that that is happening. That’s why Joyce Beatty and I came together to create the Civility Caucus to show people there is a better way and to help all 300 million Americans understand there is a way you can disagree without being disagreeable.”

Stivers said voters want and need a better example from their elected representatives and for both sides of the aisle to work together to get things done.

“The members of Congress represent their districts pretty well, and unfortunately our nation is divided as well as our politics,” he said. “Hopefully we can all learn from a positive example and all move forward.”

Stivers knows firsthand about how quickly volatile politics can escalate.

“Unfortunately my family has been victimized,” Stivers said. “We had a gentleman last year that threatened to kill my wife, my daughter and myself. That is sort of the ultimate place that politics goes if we don’t keep a civil discourse.”