An outspoken centrist, Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe stunned Washington in February 2012 when she announced she would not seek a fourth term and offered a sharp rebuke to the Senate, citing the dispiriting gridlock and polarization. After serving in the legislative branch at the state and federal levels for 40 years, including 18 years in the U.S. Senate, she explained that Washington wasn’t solving the big problems anymore. Incivility had taken its toll.
Since leaving the Senate, she has written a book: Fighting for Common Ground. After such a long Government career, I asked her how congress has come to such a standstill and why she wanted out.
Agreeing to Disagree: Civility in Public Discourse is funded in part by MASS Humanities.