Prior Governors Urge Civility; Current Officials Say It's Hard In Today's Environment

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 02/04/2026) Michigan's last four governors called for folks to dial back the vitriol in today's politics, with each taking a unique twist on the subject of civility during a special lunchtime panel put on by the Ford Presidential Foundation and Michiganders for Civic Resilience.

The packed second-floor conference room of the DoubleTree Hotel gave a standing ovation to former Govs. Jim Blanchard, John Engler, Jennifer Granholm (over Zoom) and Rick Snyder before they pontificated on today's toxic political discourse and the threats it presents to democracy.

Granholm confessed that in today's climate, she, too, needs to “soothe my own raging beast” and remind herself that “we all breathe the same air.” She laid some blame at the feet of the Electoral College system of electing the president, where campaigning is concentrated in seven states. Silos are created on social media, where extremists are rewarded financially with the “outrage clicks” their posts generate.

Snyder dished up another helping of his “relentless positive action” mantra from 2011-20, but with some new material.

“What is the greatest threat to America? It's us,” he said. “Our lack of ability to get along with one another. Fighting had a role on the beach of Normandy, not the beaches of Lake Michigan.”

Blanchard urged patience with political figures you don't agree with. He noted that in his career, he wouldn't have secured the Chrysler bailout in Congress or created the Michigan Education Trust (MET) without Republican support.

“Don't get upset and start acting like they're selling you out,” he said.

Engler urged elected leaders to not shy away from solving big issues. Keeping issues alive for campaign purposes creates public cynicism, he said. Creating bipartisan solutions like the school-funding initiative Proposal A restores people's confidence in the system and encourages participation in elections.

Other highlights in the program include Blanchard, who served from 1983 to 1990, saying, “I want to thank your parents and grandparents for voting for me.”

Engler proposed that TV stations propose specific dates for the gubernatorial debates, essentially forcing the candidates to participate, similar to how it's done for presidential debates. Something like this was tried with Dave Dulio of Oakland University last cycle without success.

The whole event was right up Snyder's alley. The former governor from 2011-2018 often spoke of “no credit, no blame” when in office and he kept it going seven years removed from office.

“I'm a proud nerd, but this isn't rocket science,” he said. “The behavior you see in politics, would it be acceptable at a workplace? Would it be acceptable at a dinner table? We can't control what everyone else does, but we can control ourselves.”

The few current elected officials in the crowd appreciated the hour-long event, but had their own skepticism afterward.

Sitting near the front of the room for most of the presentation was Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids).

“I wish that being civil was as routine as it used to be,” she told MIRS Wednesday evening. "But in this day and age, cruelty culture is modeled from the very top and it seems inescapable. It's a real disservice to our nation, and I think these four governors recognize that. I agree with them."

“It's healthy for the soul,” said Rep. Will Snyder (D-Muskegon) after exiting the forum Wednesday afternoon. “However, it is easy to say what they said when you don't have to be part of it.”

Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) said she loved the principles of civility shared with attendees and called the event a “great first attempt.”

That said, she felt political statements still made their way into the governors' dialogues. Blanchard, for example, talked about how President Barack Obama deported 3.1 million people without federal agents wearing masks or “people being thrown down and handcuffed.”

Granholm confessed to “internally raging at our president for what I see as his divisiveness.” Later, she referenced people who believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are “militarizing the streets of Minneapolis.”

“It's easy to find common ground when folks are not being pepper-sprayed or shot in the streets," Granholm said.

Greene responded with, “They hate Donald Trump. It's very clear. So, instead of disarming the conversation and leading, they did some attacks. I appreciate the event. It was fantastic, but there's a bit of irony that happened here today.”

Granholm had mentioned the many “truths” that people bring with them to their social media postings.

Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles) said he feels like there a lack of understanding about what is true. He called it “unfortunate” and “not helpful” that references were made about Trump and COVID-19 policies, for example. Young people are still upset with the precautions that were asked of them during the COVID-19 pandemic. These were allegedly going to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those turned out not to be true, he said.

“Charlie Kirk was assassinated before our eyes. That is true,” Paquette said. “Trump being shot at. That is true. We have to acknowledge what is true first, and I didn't hear much of that today.”

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democratic secretary of state candidate, called the event “admirable," but somewhat detached from the world we live in today.

“Personally, it's hard to think about civility when the president of the United States is actively talking about a federal takeover of our elections in violation of the U.S. Constitution.”

Byrum added, “I think it is admirable to talk about civility and to talk about not personally attacking your opponents, but when you are the one being attacked, it's hard."