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 18th 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 20th
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!
