It may be hopelessly old-fashioned to long for the days when divergent points of view were debated with respect and civility, and when anger, except for the righteously indignant kind, was kept in check. Indeed, we may be pining for graciousness in public discourse that never actually existed, except in evocative films like Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and other fictitious portrayals of how politics would be if we were in the director’s chair.

We can still long for it, though, and never more than right now, when examples of ill-mannered public discourse can be found at every level of government and in the forums dedicated to covering it. From the smallest of city councils to the halls of Congress, from talk radio to Internet forums, we’ve seen the level of debate degenerate to previously unexplored depths.

For example, the “Chet Not Stupid” blog poking fun at Secretary of State Chet Culver’s gubernatorial run is hilarious political satire, but anyone who believes it was posted by some disinterested third party may as well believe in the make-believe world in Washington of “Mr. Smith.” We’ve even chuckled at the blog, even as we acknowledge that by doing so, we’re contributing the incivility that seems to define politics today.

And then there’s the Des Moines School Board’s search for a superintendent, which caps a long history of uncivil discourse between citizen activists and some members of the school board and administration. Now that the search is on for a replacement for Superintendent Eric Witherspoon, the bickering has reached a pinnacle, and Bill Attea, a consultant advising the school district, has even suggested that might limit leaders’ ability to attract top-quality candidates to Des Moines. In other words, relationships between the government and citizens have become so dysfunctional that the ability of the government to function has been compromised.

That’s why search firms like Attea’s advocate searching for superintendents in the dark, out of the public’s view. We don’t support that. But we certainly understand it.