When U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Egypt’s leaders he noted that the road to democracy is long: 'I say with both humility and with a great deal of respect, that getting there requires a genuine give-and-take among Egypt's political leaders and civil society groups, just as we are continuing to struggle with that in our own country.'
He might have added that it took 180 years – from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – for the U.S. to establish a truly inclusive democracy. The commitment to an indivisible union and the struggle to free 4 million enslaved Americans cost 750,000 lives in a civil war that was followed by a century of American apartheid.
Today U.S. democracy hangs in the balance. Political partisanship has paralyzed the federal government. There are many causes for the dysfunction in Washington but a major factor is the seismic demographic and cultural shift that is occurring as a long-established majority becomes a minority.
By 2043, according to latest predictions, whites will no longer make up the majority of Americans. 'We as a society must begin to consider now what this change will mean for a nation mired in a majority/minority swamp of privilege, expectations, historical benefits and systematic discrimination,' writes columnist Charles Blow. 'The browning of America is very real and unrelenting. Our task is to find a way to move into this new Ecru Era [Ecru: grayish-yellowish-brown, Blow’s alliterative term to describe the demographic transition] with as much ease and grace as we can muster….What will it mean to be white after 'whiteness' no longer defines the mainstream? How should we consider a waning majority when their privilege of numbers gives way to what many other Americans have experienced as the minority plight?'
In the presidential elections last November Obama won 93 percent of the black vote, but the more than 70 percent Latino support was decisive. Blatant efforts to suppress the vote in several states backfired as minorities turned out in record numbers. The shift is not just racial. Young people and women voted Democratic by wide margins largely because of more liberal views on women’s rights and gay marriage.
But resistance continues. The Supreme Court is now considering a challenge by a district in Alabama to the Voting Rights Act. Several states are implementing more burdensome voter ID laws although there is virtually no evidence of voter fraud. And although a clear majority of Americans support a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, several states are now introducing restrictions that will make abortion virtually impossible.
Even a convincing electoral victory does not translate into political capacity to drive legislation. Although the framers of the constitution deliberately created checks and balances, they could not have imagined a scenario where a minority party could effectively block any legislation.
'Power is a precious commodity,' writes Blow. 'It is rarely voluntarily surrendered, particularly by those who believe they have earned it. The task is to expand the franchise without casting some people as givers and others as takers.'
The polarization in Washington reflects growing fragmentation in the country. In his book The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart Bill Bishop says that Americans are choosing to live in regions where neighbors share their political and culture biases. Gerrymandering by both Democrats and Republicans at state level means that congressional districts are entrenched within the camp of one party; politicians who show an inclination to compromise risk challenges by more extreme candidates in their own party.
What is the average American to do in this situation? How do we avoid simply affirming this pattern by our attitudes and behaviour?
It is important for liberals like me to recognize that a significant section of the country feels under threat as traditional values are challenged and as previously homogeneous communities experience an influx of new cultures. It is the responsibility of new majorities to understand the anxieties of groups that fear loss of identity and privilege, particularly in times of rapid change and economic stress. Mee Moua, the first member of the Hmong community to be elected to Minnesota’s state senate, says that in today’s political climate 'everyone has been given tacit permission to unleash their anxieties on those they believe to be the other'.
Obama has faced relentless opposition but he has not shown himself adept at dealing with Congress. Some Democratic leaders have been less them helpful. However, I believe the president still has an opportunity to bring the country together. His bi-racial family background gives him an instinctive understanding of the new America and the need to acknowledge and respect the many different stories that make this country.
Here’s an idea: Could Obama make a 'listening tour' of communities in the southern states? No speeches, just listening. With his perceived intellectual coolness and association with the liberal Harvard elite, the president has never connected emotionally with key constituents in the largely conservative South. Perhaps our Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (Democrats, but broadly respected), might play a role in facilitating such a tour.
A listening ear and a welcoming attitude might break down stereotypes. Some unexpected allies might emerge. Liberals often make the mistake of assuming that conservatives are monolithic in their views; many are committed to racial and social justice. Not all liberals are as enlightened as they would like to think. In his second term Obama has little to lose and much to gain by encouraging honest conversation to overcome racial, political and cultural divides.
Rob Corcoran is the national director of Initiatives of Change and founder of Hope in the Cities. He is author of Trustbuilding: An Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility. He writes here in his personal capacity.
NOTE: Individuals of many cultures, nationalities, religions, and beliefs are actively involved with Initiatives of Change. These commentaries represent the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Initiatives of Change as a whole.
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