Mr. DeMoss, a former aide to Moral Majority founder Rev. Jerry Falwell and an unpaid adviser to Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2008 presidential campaign, said that he was particularly surprised by the hostility to the civility pledge from conservatives.

The worst e-mails I received about the civility project were from conservatives with just unbelievable language about communists, and some words I wouldnt use in this phone call, he said. This political divide has become so sharp that everything is black and white, and too many conservatives can see no redeeming value in any liberal or Democrat. That would probably be true about some liberals going the other direction, but I didnt hear from them.

Mr. DeMoss said he was not convinced that there is a link between vicious political attacks and violent acts, but he added, Whether or not theres violence, whether or not incivility today is worse than its been in history, its all immaterial. Its worse than it ought to be.