A liberal shoots Republican congressmen at a Washington-area softball field. A conservative stands accused of hacking Democrats with a machete at a Kentucky university. And reams of nasty online comments fly back and forth among Republicans and Democrats.
Now, Pennsylvania's top business trade group and a western Pennsylvania college want that 21st century political hatred and violence to end. They are promoting the democratic importance of rational dialogue with the new "Allegheny College Prize for Civility in Public Life in Pennsylvania."
And guess who has won that honor?
Lehigh Valley Democrat T.J. Rooney and Chester County Republican Alan Novak.
The duo — who once led their respective state political parties and now own a business together — received the award at the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry's 33rd annual dinner this week in Hershey.
"At a time when heightened, partisan political rhetoric is becoming more of the norm and bipartisanship is becoming increasingly rare, it is more important than ever to highlight examples of civility," chamber President and CEO Gene Barr said. "Alan Novak and T.J. Rooney are perfect examples of two individuals who have vastly different points of view on a variety of issues, yet still communicate their views — and with each other — in a civil and thoughtful manner."
Rooney, a former state lawmaker from Bethlehem, chaired the state Democratic Committee between 2003 and 2010 and was an adviser to Gov. Tom Wolf. Novak chaired the Republican State Committee between 1996 and 2005 and served on the presidential campaign of President George W. Bush.
Rooney runs the lobbying firm Tri State Strategies and Novak operates his own lobbying firm Novak Strategic Advisors. Both firms are connected to their bipartisan business venture, RooneyNovak Group, which is defined on their website as "a natural extension of a friendship that began when TJ and Alan locked their political horns … but eventually found that while their political views were poles apart, neither considered stalemates in inner-party politics and legislative negotiations good policy or government."
Allegheny College President James H. Mullen, Jr. said: "The Founding Fathers who gathered in Philadelphia to discuss independence had incredible differences. But they argued those differences with civility. That's what the Prize is all about — proud partisans who compete in the political arena with a commitment to civil discourse. They fight to win. But they do not seek to demonize their opponents to do so."
Both men understand the importance and meaning of the award that was presented by former Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican with cross-party appeal.
"It will forever be an honor to be associated with this award and a cherished memory to receive it during the Chamber's premier event of the year," Rooney said.
Added Novak: "This is a humbling moment I never imagined, not because T.J. and I are former political rivals but because the great friendship we discovered despite our differences is simply a natural reflection of who we are and what we believe in at our core."
Allegheny College has presented a national civility award since 2011 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The 2017 winner was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who developed a legendary friendship despite their respective liberal and conservative views.