From a Michael Schaffer Capital City column on politico.com headlined “Washington’s Hot New Cure for National Bitterness”:

These are boom times for civility in Washington.

Not in our politics, interpersonal relationships or social media interactions, mind you: In survey after survey, Americans bemoan the nasty, polarized, ad hominem tone of the country’s life.

But for people in the business of teaching, studying and promoting dialogue and understanding, things are going gangbusters. As the nation’s political culture has coarsened over the past couple decades, there’s been a flowering of think tanks, nonprofits and public campaigns aimed at calming the waters, with deep-pocketed donors and philanthropic foundations kicking in millions for the effort.