We were pleasantly surprised by Republicans’ fond remembrances for Sen. Feinstein | Opinion

It says something about the state of our political discourse that we were shocked — and pleasantly surprised — by the reaction of senior Kansas and Missouri Republicans when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat, died last week.

“Please join me in keeping Senator Feinstein’s family and friends in your prayers today,” Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri wrote online. “Although we were on the opposite sides of the aisle, Senator Feinstein was always warm and welcoming to me personally and other colleagues and she led a storied career. May she rest in peace.”

His Missouri colleague, Senator Josh Hawley, offered similarly kind thoughts.

“Erin and I were saddened to hear of the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein,” Hawley wrote. “It has been an honor to serve with her in the Senate and on the Judiciary Committee. No one was more welcoming when I came to the Senate than she, and no one was a better example. She was tough, incredibly smart, and effective. Always willing to work across the aisle to get things done, she was a person of unquestioned integrity. I admired her and will miss her in the Senate. Erin and I send our deepest condolences to her family.”

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas was less effusive, but still respectful:

“Senator Dianne Feinstein proudly served our country and the U.S. Senate for over 30 years. Her legacy will always be remembered,” he wrote. “My prayers are with her family and loved ones. May she rest in peace.”

Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas also offered kind comments, but that was no surprise — he’s a conservative, but he’s never been an ideological warrior.

We confess to having less lofty expectations of the region’s other three U.S. senators. Their carefully cultivated political personas, particularly on social media, are built on reputations for fighting and scrapping, anger and grievance.

So the comments by Hawley and Schmitt, in particular, should function as a “peel back the curtain” moment for their constituents. If they are to be believed, their respective relationships with Feinstein — not just a Democrat, but a dreaded California Democrat — were kind and respectful. Missouri’s senators can actually be collegial with their Democratic counterparts, at least behind the scenes.

We don’t often hear about that, do we?

There is always an element of performance in democratic politics. Often, though, it is difficult to tell our national debates apart from professional wrestling, where babyfaces and heels do snarling, boastful battle in the ring but can be friendly and cooperative backstage.

The difference, of course, is that senators — during TV news appearances, social media posts and formal debates — help set the tone for our larger national conversation. What they say and how they comport themselves actually matters to the rest of us.

Too often, our leaders try to rouse us to a perpetual state of rage.

So we would like to gently encourage Hawley, Marshall and Schmitt to use Feinstein’s death and her funeral this Thursday as a starting point to more frequently say nice things — publicly — about their living colleagues across the aisle.

Civility is not the end-all-be-all of democratic debate. Americans have a variety of values and interests, and those differences are sometimes irreconcilable. Sometimes anger and outrage really are called for. But anger and outrage can also be the enemy of reasoned deliberation. Indeed, that often seems to be the point.

Furthermore, we don’t expect Hawley, Marshall and Schmitt to become less conservative in order to make nice. “Conservative” doesn’t mean the same thing as “pugnacious.”

We — Kansans, Missourians and all Americans — live in a dangerous, volatile moment. We need leaders who will pull us back from the brink.

Hawley, Marshall and Schmitt could be those leaders, if they choose. Now that we know it’s possible, we should expect it of them.