The cover story in Phi Beta Kappa?s latest issue of The Key Reporter examines the issue of ?rude democracy? and methods for dealing with it.

Author Susan Herbst, who will soon become the new president of the University of Connecticut, doesn?t buy into the false argument that fierce political debate led to the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. But she does say ?we have created an environment so toxic that the notion of political violence is no longer shocking.?

Herbst?s recommendations for improving the political climate deserve discussion. Of particular interest? Item No. 4: ?We need courage.?

It feels old-fashioned to write, and you likely find it ridiculously 19th century to read, but being a citizen in a democracy has always demanded a sort of courage that few of us ever come to know. Soldiers know it, and they prove it daily in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet the rest of us don?t call on any sort of internal cognitive or emotional strength when it comes to politics. We want it to be easy, which is why social scientists find that most people hang out with those who share their beliefs. Few people argue or seek others who might disagree. Somehow, we think that democracy itself ? rule by the people ? would just involve occasional voting, when it always called for much more. Democratic theorists have written about this in so many ways, over hundreds of years now: Self-rule is impossible without the bravery it takes to express opinions and do so civilly. The abilities to argue, to listen and create the nation together, are both foundational and non-negotiable.

The line ?we want it to be easy? brings to mind a key point Jonah Goldberg made during an interview with Carolina Journal Radio/CarolinaJournal.tv about efforts to silence political debate. Click play below to hear Goldberg?s remarks.