Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

We live in a divisive time where too many people seem to be on the edge of anger. But the last people you'd expect to contribute to the fray are our leaders. California Congresswoman Maxine Waters told a group that “If you see anybody from [Pres. Trump's] Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” This is what incivility looks like and if leaders like Maxine Waters insist on pushing it, it will pull our country apart. When we see incivility, we should call it out and stand up against it. As Americans, we can do better. We must do better. Maybe if we begin leading by example our leaders will follow.