Take it down a notch for America

Getting back to that whole idea of toning down the rhetoric, which so badly needs to be done, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had actually emailed Trey Grayson about toning down rhetoric and partisanship.

Giffords sent the email to Grayson Friday evening congratulating him for being hired as director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. Though from different parties, the two became friends while participating in a leadership fellowship in 2005, Grayson said.

In the email, which Grayson provided to cn|2 Politics, Giffords said she wanted work with Grayson on ways to encourage tamping down the current tone of political discourse.

“After you get settled, I would love to talk about what we can do to promote centrism and moderation. I am one of only 12 Dems left in a GOP district (the only woman) and think that we need to figure out how to tone our rhetoric and partisanship down,” Giffords wrote to Grayson.[...]

Grayson said in a phone interview Sunday that he and Giffords have kept in touch mostly through email since meeting as part of the Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowship for your leaders. He said the two of them often lamented the divisiveness in politics.

“That is something she and I have been quite passionate about — to run for office in the right way and for the right reasons,” Grayson said. “I think Gabby was really sincere in that email … And I am going to to redouble my efforts” to highlight moderation in the discourse and working across party lines.