In his “Disagree Better” campaign to promote civil debate, Gov. Spencer Cox praised and promoted a county official who recently was lambasted for comparing environmentalists to Al-Qaeda and calling them the “scum of the planet.” Why it matters: Cox has enjoyed widespread national praise for his role in the campaign, launched through the National Governors Association, which he chairs He has appeared on national news outlets to discuss civility and cooperation alongside Democratic governors like Colorado’s Jared Polis and Maryland’s Wes Moore. Yes, but: In Utah, the campaign has been criticized by conservatives as too soft on liberals — and on the left as one-sided, fake centrism while right wing extremism goes mainstream in the GOP.