National Elections: Pyrrhic Victories

Thank God the election will soon be over! 

Yesterday I cast my absentee ballot. It was a very challenging vote. In addition to the national offices, in California we have to deal with a long list of initiatives, some pretty stupid and some incomprehensible. For example, we are asked whether actors in adult films should be required to wear condoms, whether we should increase taxes on others, whether people should be allowed to grow a limited number of marijuana plants for recreational purposes, whether our public schools should be told how to teach English to newcomers, and so forth. In most cases, these are technical issues that can be better decided by technical experts.

For the first time in presidential elections, I did not vote for someone I thought was the best option for the country. I voted against someone that I thought would be worse. This is a sad commentary on the two top choices … two flawed and unworthy candidates for president of our great country. Two individuals mistrusted by the majority of Americans.

Here you have two individuals who lack, on one side, honesty and, on the other, integrity. Voters, in essence, are being asked to rank order these two valued virtues. Is honesty more important than integrity or is it integrity more important than honesty: a kind of zero sum game. Depressing!

Lessons from History

Not many know the story of King Pyrrhus.  He was a general and statesman of the Hellenistic period in Ancient Greece. At one time he controlled much of Greece and Southern Italy. He was a strong opponent of the rising Roman power. As a result, he fought many battles against them. Some of his battles, though victorious, caused his army heavy losses.

Pyrrhus commented after one of his victories that if he won another battle he would surely be ruined. Why? The cost of his victory left his army much weakened. In the end, the Romans out maneuvered Pyrrhus’ army and defeated it.

Historians defined Pyrrhus lamentations a Pyrrhic Victory -- any victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Its heavy toll diminishes any sense of achievement.

The dustbin of history is full of such victories including but not limited to: the Battle of Bunker Hills (1775) during the American Revolutionary period, the battle of the Bulge during WWII (1945), the battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War (1950), the battle of Mogadishu during Operation Restore Hope (1993), and the occupation following Iraq's defeat (2003).

Mistakes Ignored Are Mistakes Repeated

Fast forward to 2016 primaries. 

Trump singlehandly defeated 17 other contenders for the nomination. A Pyrrhic victory? He emerged as a much-weakened candidate. Why? By shamelessly attacking, demeaning, and ridiculing his opponents, he ended up losing their support. By engaging in bombast and personalized attacks, many came to challenge his character and fitness.

Clinton, on the other hand, won the nomination by walloping Bernie Sanders. Her Pyrrhic Victory? She shamelessly trivialized Bernie Sanders’ policies and in the process alienated his supporters. She emerged from the primary with a large number of Bernie’s supporters still refusing to support her candidacy. By playing hide and seek with her email scandal, she fostered the notion that she is secretive, and not to be trusted.

What happened to the real issues and potential solutions? They have more or less disappeared from public view. Here are some of them:

·      Controlling the excesses of Wall Street

·      Fixing or replacing Obama Care

·      Creating new jobs and retaining existing ones

·      International fair trade policies

·      Social justice issues

·      Growing the country’s GNP

·      Reducing a suffocating national debt

·      Securing our borders and streamlining the immigration laws

·      More affordable college tuition

·      A more holistic energy policy

·      Fixing our decaying infrastructure

·      A clearer strategy for defeating ISL and terrorism

Tackling these issues would surely advance everyone’s wellbeing. We cannot ignore these facts:

·      We have the lowest worker participation in history

·      The poverty level is stubbornly high

·      The size of our national debt has doubled

·      Healthcare costs continue to skyrocket

·      Middle East and Libya in flames

·      Immigration system in disarray

·      Student loans’ exploding liability

·      Racial strife in urban areas

·      Perception that system is rigged  

·      Crumbling infrastructure

Fast forward to the 2016 General Election.

A hostile press has pilloried Trump mercilessly: his style, his policies, his business practices, and his peccadillos. His unorthodox approach and fiery temperament have contributed to potential defeat by his own hand.

The publishing of a video showing Trump in a so-called locker room dialog was the October surprise the Democrats had in store. The video did not just surface. It was in the hands of the press for months. The emergence of several women, who accused Trump of sexual harassment, was very well orchestrated to extract maximum pain. No one can in real conscience condone the kinds of behaviors and words used by Trump. Indiscriminate attacks on Moslems, immigrants, and war veterans surely have not helped his cause either. All adds up to self-destruction.

Clinton, on the other hand, has been hounded by multiple scandals, but has deftly managed the news with help from a more congenial press. However, the steady drip-drip of emails from Wikileaks, the continuing saga of the private server, and alleged pay-to-play scandal with the family foundation continue to dog her. The chicanery of her staff trying to do damage control has hurt rather than help. Lastly, disclosure of her private remarks casting dispersion on Bernie’s followers, "deplorable" GOP voters, private versus public policy positions, and her open border secret wish have heightened the level of mistrust folks have for her.

What Next?

With a mere 22 days to go, the two candidates are locked in a sort of death dance, and are separated by a few points, in the margin of error territory. 

Neither candidate enjoys the support of more than 50% of potential voters. Whoever will win might not be elected by the majority of voters.

This is ominous, because it portends another Pyrrhic Victory: winning the presidency without the support of the majority of Americans.

At a time when the country needs to be more united, the seeds of more animus will yield further divisions. This disunity will impact importantly needed legislation. 

Personal attacks and exposes will continue.

How Did America Become So Divided?

In this blog I want to explore how and why America became so divided. It is one man’s view, and I admit incomplete. You, the reader, might want to add your own spin and your own conclusions.

A Little Context

In two months I will celebrate 61 years in America. That’s about 80% of my total years on this planet. Although I did not aspire to leave Italy, my father decided that we should all come here.  You might say that father knew best. I have been blessed in many ways as a result of dad’s unilateral decision.

America has changed a lot since my arrival one cold evening in New York City. Some say for the best, others feel otherwise. They were different times. Having won the Second World War, America was in full boom while other countries were busy licking their war wounds and coping with rebuilding their infrastructure.

Change in Immigration Laws

In the late 1920’s, Congress passed a law limiting the immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.  A quota of 30,000 per year was set-aside for these less desirable Europeans. Asians and Africans fared even worse. No quota was set for Northern Europeans wanting to come here. A system of preference was also established to prioritize visas. 

My grandfather Antonio and my father’s brother were U.S. citizens. Therefore, my dad and his family were entitled to the family reunification preference. Dad applied for the visa in 1950! We were given a visa in November 1955, shortly after my 18^th birthday.

It was an unexpected birthday gift. My uncle was required to guarantee our financial well being for five years. The U.S. government would not provide any assistance to the newcomers. We had therefore to fend for ourselves. And so we did, glad to be given the chance to come.

Upon Arrival in America

It was a time when self-reliance and individual responsibility were lauded values. All work was celebrated as noble. No one wanted to be a burden on others.  It was frowned upon to be on the dole, to be on welfare, to be unpatriotic. Many worked 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet without complaining or trying to game the system.

We were discouraged to speak Italian at home and with our friends. We were told to assimilate, that America was a melting pot, and that it was a privilege to be an American. Patriotic fervor from WWII still permeated society at large. Wanting to do my part, at age 19, although a non-citizen, I volunteered for the U.S. Army Reserves and served six months of active duty prior to going to the university.

In 1960 while at San Jose State University, I had the opportunity to shake John F. Kennedy’s hand. He was visiting the campus while running for President. His ideals of freedom, solidarity, and patriotism touched me personally. I was indeed not asking, “what my adopted country should do for me, but rather what I should do for my adopted country.” I accepted his challenge as my own.  It was my admiration of JFK that encouraged me to apply for citizenship.  

Things Began to Change …

The assassination of JFK, his brother Bobby, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X exposed fissures in the nation’s fabric. The catastrophic war in Viet Nam fueled an explosion of anger and recriminations. The country began to breakdown into slices … those supporting the war and those against, those clamoring for justice and equality versus those wanting to keep the status quo, those self-proclaimed patriots and those choosing to burn their draft cards.

Southern States were unhappy with the civil rights legislation and what they considered an attack by Northern liberals on their way of life. Racial divisions and resentments started to heat up. African Americans struggled for equal access and social justice, long denied. A fracture emerged: those supporting racial equality and those wanting to dispense it at a much slower rate.

It was a common scene on the evening news to witness demonstrations, some peaceful, others violent. As the body count increased, so did the fury of those who opposed the war.  The riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago were one of several tipping points, and led to the election of Richard Nixon.

The Vietnam War brought another change. Self-appointed pacifists created a sub-culture of drugs, free love, and rock and roll. The silent majority watched with astonishment and disgust as they saw their treasured values ridiculed and mocked as square and uncool. The left’s animus toward Nixon added to the budding division between the so-called silent majority and the far left rabble-rousers.

The Watergate scandal was one of the first nails on the unity coffin. The opposition’s loathing of the Republican Party and its perceived dirty tricks fueled the notion that the opposition was the party of the rich, of warmongers, and corrupt politicians. Never mind that it was a Democrat President that had embroiled the country in all the wars of the 20^th century: WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War.

Nixon’s downfall ushered in Jimmy Carter in 1976. Soon after, the Middle East exploded. Iran revolted against the Shah and took hostage hundreds of Americans. It became an ugly sight watching the evening news report on their plight. The rise in oil prices followed. Americans had to queue up to fill up. A picture of an impotent giant came to describe America. Interest rates spiked up to over 20%. Americans saw their beloved country on the ropes. Everything was changing so fast and not for the better.

Jimmy Carter’s failures of leadership made it possible for the Republicans to retake the White House in 1980. President Regan, a staunch conservative, eloquently brought the nation closer together. But Democrats did not approve of his attempt to change the welfare laws. Regan succeeded where his predecessors had not, working across the isle. He worked cooperatively with Tip O’Neil to bring about major reforms. He also instilled an increased sense of patriotism by taking on the USSR and attacking it as the evil empire.

The fall of the USSR ushered in a period of instability in the world, but brought about a much-needed rise in international cooperation. Regan had managed to heal some wounds while opening up others. His trumpeted economic policies were attacked as anachronistic and ineffectual, although they had brought about increased prosperity, some claim, primarily for those at the top. The left’s clamor for a bottom up economic policy was seen the antidote the nation needed to lift people out of poverty.

The Beginning of the End

I view the 1992 presidential election as a blow against national unity. We elected President Clinton with 45% of the vote. A mere 51% of eligible voters voted. Russ Perot’s supporters contributed to the defeat of Bush. Only 23% of the electorate voted for Clinton. Many never accepted Clinton as their president.

Clinton went out of the way during his second term to work with Republicans with breakthrough legislation that ushered prosperity and national calmness. In the end, the impeachment of Clinton for lying to federal prosecutors contributed another blow to national unity.  

The election of Bush II proved controversial and extremely divisive. Many Democrats never accepted him as a legitimate president. Some felt that Gore was robbed by the Supreme Court’s ruling to stop what had become a national farce in Florida.  

The election of Barak Obama was hailed as a monumental victory. For the first time, Americans came together and elected an African American. Surely, his election would heal the racial divide and bring the nation closer. Surely, the young president will lift many poor folks out of poverty and eliminate racial discrimination. I, for one, saw in Barak Obama, a Black JFK – a projection of sorts that was far from reality, I learned later.

The final blow to national unity took place during the first two years of President Obama’s first term. Emboldened by a landslide victory, Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, plus the White house. They were eager to stuff down the Republicans’ throat legislation including a landmark change in our healthcare system. Short on magnanimity, Democrats cast their vote for Obamacare.

It was an opportunity lost! The law was so divisive that Democrat leaders refused to share it even with their own caucus. Fellow Democrats were told that they had to vote for the law first in order to find out what was in the proposed legislation. They felt that given their control of Congress, the opportunity was once in a lifetime chance to do something bold.

There was no question that the nation had to do something to combat rising healthcare costs, and provide baseline coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. With the support of the opposition the resulting legislation could have become a landmark example of national cohesiveness and solidarity.  Shortsighted political expediency would seed discord instead, and deeper division.

Closing

President Obama acknowledged that his inability to build national unity was his biggest regret.  He leaves behind in January, as a result, a nation in much need to come together.

I don’t know who will win in November: Clinton or Trump. The majority of Americans mistrusts both. I do not see the possibility that either will bring the nation together. They say that things have to get worse before they get better.

Maybe the next president? I surely hope so!