Concerns about American democracy amid deep national polarization have prompted the entities supporting thirteen presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a renewed commitment to the country’s fundamental principles, including the rule of law and respect for a diversity of beliefs.

The statement, the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public statement, said Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own safety and prosperity here at home.

But that interest, it says, “is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.

Thursday’s joint message from presidential centers, foundations and institutions emphasized the need for compassion, tolerance and pluralism while urging Americans to respect democratic institutions and maintain safe and accessible elections.

The statement noted that debate and disagreement are central to democracy, but also alluded to the coarsening of dialogue in the public arena at a time when public officials and their families face death threats.

Politeness and respect in political discourse, both in an election year and beyond, are essential, the report said.

Most living former presidents have been parsimonious about giving their public opinion on the state of the nation, as polls show large swaths of Republicans still believe the lies of former President Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election were stolen. Trump, a Republican, has also lashed out at the justice system as he faces four criminal charges, including two related to his efforts to reverse the results of his re-election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Thursday’s statement went no further than addressing individuals, but it was still one of the most substantive admissions that people associated with the country’s former presidents are concerned about the country’s course.

I think there is great concern about the state of our democracy right now, said Mark Updegrove, president and general manager of the LBJ Foundation, which supports the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. We don’t have to go much further than January 6 to realize that we are in a dangerous state.

Efforts to suppress or weaken voter turnout are of particular concern to the LBJ Foundation, Updegrove said, as President Lyndon B. Johnson considered his signing of the Voting Rights Act his proudest legislative achievement.

The bipartisan statement was signed by the Hoover Presidential Foundation, the Roosevelt Institute, the Truman Library Institute, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the LBJ Foundation, the Richard Nixon Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, the Carter Center, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and the Obama Foundation. These organizations all support presidential libraries established under the Presidential Library Act of 1955, along with the Eisenhower Foundation.

The Eisenhower Foundation has elected not to sign, saying in an emailed statement to the Associated Press: The Eisenhower Foundation has respectfully declined to sign this statement. It would be the first joint statement ever issued by the presidential centers and foundations as a group, but we didn’t have a collective discussion about it, just an invitation to sign.

The foundation said each presidential entity had its own programs related to democracy.

The push for the joint statement was led by David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute. Kramer said the former president saw and signed this statement.

He said the effort was intended to “send a positive message that reminds us of who we are and also reminds us that when we are in disarray, when we are at odds with each other, people abroad are also watching us.” and wonder what’s going on. it was necessary to remind Americans that their democracy cannot be taken for granted.

He said the Bush Institute has hosted several election-related events, including one as part of a joint initiative with the other groups called More Perfect, which includes Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, whose county in Arizona includes Phoenix. The county, its regulators and its election staff have been repeatedly targeted by election conspiracy theorists in recent years.

Gates and his family have been threatened by people who believe false allegations of election fraud.

We wanted to remind people that those overseeing our elections are our fellow citizens, Kramer said. Some of them told stories almost heartbreaking about the threats they faced.

He said he hoped the joint statement would generate widespread support, but added, it is hard to say whether or not it will in these polarized times.

Melissa Giller, head of marketing at the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute, said the decision to apply was made quickly. The foundation was approached shortly after launching a new initiative, the Center on Public Civility in Washington, DC. She said the statement represents everything our center will stand for.

We must help end the serious strife and division in our society, Giller said in an email reply. America is experiencing a decline in trust, social cohesion and personal interaction.

Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to former President Obama and now CEO of the Obama Foundation, said the former president supported the statement.

This is a time when we can all come together and show that democracy is not about party politics, she said. “It’s about making our country strong, making our country more decent, kinder and more humane.

Jarrett said one of the foundation’s priorities is to restore trust in the institutions that are the pillars of society. To do that, it is necessary to tackle disinformation and create opportunities where people believe our democracy is on the rise.

She said Obama has led a democracy forum and is planning a new forum in Chicago this year.

I think part of it is the recognition that we are very vulnerable right now, Jarrett said, citing the fact that we didn’t have a smooth, orderly transition of power in the last election, along with people’s mistrust of the justice system and elected officials.

The wheels on our democracy bus,” she said, are feeling a little wobbly right now.