From PRIMO’s Editor Truby Chiaviello…
PRAGMATIC PELOSI
No matter what your view is about the recent financial bailout package that passed Congress and signed by President Bush, one thing is for sure: Italian American lawmakers had a considerable part to play in the passage of the historic legislation.
Italian American senators, congressmen and women were at the forefront of supporting and opposing the bill, titled the Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008.
Leading the fight for passage in the House was of course the Speaker herself, Nancy Pelosi. As the daughter of three-term Baltimore Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., and sister of one term Baltimore Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro III, Pelosi knows well the art of politics. She was the cover feature in the January/February 2007 edition of PRIMO where we highlighted her pragmatic style. We also noted that she is not one to repeat a mistake. A case in point: She failed at the first attempt in the bill’s passage by making a rare partisan speech on the House floor vilifying President Bush and conservative economic policies. By doing so, she alienated a number of Republicans and fence sitting Democrats. With defeat and the stock market tumbling, Pelosi acted differently when the bill came up again for passage. She was silent.
For Pelosi, pragmatism always wins out.
POPULIST DEFAZIO
If you think Pelosi’s major opponent in the bailout package debate was a conservative Republican from the Deep South, think again.
Fellow westerner, liberal Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio was the most vocal of any who opposed the bill.
First elected to Congress 20 years ago, DeFazio is now the senior member of the Oregon delegation. Not one to shy away from casting a controversial vote, DeFazio has voted in the past to criminalize OPEC, legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in the District of Columbia, and allow Americans to travel to Cuba, just to name a few.
Like all good populists, DeFazio can sometimes convey truth amidst a deluge of class warfare hyperbole. After voting “no” he said, quite perceptively I might add, “The golden parachutes…were exchanged for camouflage parachutes. The executives on Wall Street are still going to get millions.”
DOMENICI’S CAUSE
Like all things in Washington, this bailout package contained revisions and mandates not related to the main purpose of the bill.
Besides $700 billion to help banks and other financial institutions get back on their feet, the bill also included tax credits for wind, solar and alternative energy companies; tax deductions for college tuitions and real property taxes; limits on the reach of the Alternative Minimum Tax, etc…
And the bill was not all about finance. It mandates medical insurance companies to cover mental illness as they would other afflictions. This part of the bill was drafted by retiring Senator Pete Domenici, Republican from New Mexico and longstanding proponent of helping the mentally ill. It took over 10 years for Domenici to get this bill passed. He was the voice in the wilderness regarding the mentally ill. What kept him going? Love of family. Domenici and his wife have first-hand experience dealing with the mentally ill. Their daughter Clare, one of eight children, is schizophrenic.
ROLL CALL
Here’s how Italian American lawmakers voted regarding the bailout package. (For full disclosure: Congressman Mike Ferguson is my cousin once removed.)
Yes
Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY)
Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)
Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA)
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ)
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY)
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH)
Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL)
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT)
No
Rep. Jerry Francis Costello (R-IL)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (R-OR)
Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL)
Rep. John Mica (R-FL)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
***
RECONSIDERING AGE
A question that often arises when discussing 72-year-old John McCain’s presidential bid is whether he is too old to be president.
Actor Ernest Borgnine doesn’t think so. The living legend of Hollywood wants Americans to reconsider what age is.
The current edition of PRIMO contains a feature article on Borgnine. At 92, he just completed two films and is now promoting his new autobiography “Ernie,” an excellent book I highly recommend.
Like so many elderly people today, Borgnine is nothing like the 80 and 90 year olds we knew when we were kids. In speaking with him this past summer I found Borgnine energetic, articulate and insightful. He was full of new ideas and profound comments about fame, acting, what makes a great film and Hollywood’s future. He recalled at ease events from 50 years ago in his career such as the time he met Spencer Tracy or when he played opposite Bette Davis, one of my favorite actresses. Speaking with Borgnine was a highlight of my career. A fan of classic movies, I was enthralled conversing with a living link to Hollywood’s golden era.
Borgnine made me reconsider what age is. With new drugs, dieting and exercise, today’s elderly are perhaps 10 or 15 years younger than they were two decades ago. Like my father, now 86, and so many other PRIMO readers, in their 80s and 90s, Borgnine is working and living life to the fullest.
For him, McCain and others, age is no longer the obstacle it once was.
You have heard from me, now I want to hear from you. Please reply with your questions and comments. Thank you for reading PRIMO.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
WHY GIULIANI’S CAMPAIGN FAILED
One of the most popular editions ever of PRIMO happened last November.
We featured a cover story on Rudy Giuliani and his historic presidential bid. That issue sold out on both the newsstand and by special order within a couple of weeks from when it came off the press. We also received numerous calls from readers all over the country expressing their support and enthusiasm for his campaign.
No doubt, Italian American pride was at its peak at the prospect of having Giuliani the country’s first Italian American president.
I too was excited about Giuliani’s quest for the White House. He was the first political hero I witnessed in my lifetime. His courageous and inspiring leadership during 9/11 was truly exemplary. Growing up in the New York City metropolitan region, I can attest to the vast improvements the city witnessed under his mayoralty. I thought he had the qualifications and experience to be president. Although I doubted he would get his party’s nomination because of his stand on specific social issues, I thought his high poll numbers was proof enough that he would be in the top running for some time; at least through the spring.
Hence, I was stunned to see Giuliani at the bottom of the heap when he bowed out in late January. His drop in the polls was perhaps the steepest of any candidate in American political history.
The question arises as to what went wrong. In looking back at Giuliani’s campaign demise, I have come to a disturbing conclusion that ethnic bigotry may have been the overriding cause.
Most political pundits and commentators would probably disagree with my assessment. If asked, they would tell you that poor tactics and performance by Giuliani and his staff were the root causes of his campaign’s freefall. His high poll numbers in December were a shill. His candidacy was inherently weak. Being socially liberal, he really never had a chance to win over the socially conservative GOP. His strategy of a Florida firewall made him non-competitive in the Iowa caucus and early primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina. He was out of the headlines too long to gain a following among voters.
All that may be true.
But those reasons do not go far enough in my opinion to explain the unprecedented collapse of Giuliani’s campaign. Something else had to be at work that helped to cause a shocking 20 percent drop in his poll numbers within a month’s time.
Subtly reinforced in voters’ minds by critical reports in mainstream media, bigotry of his Italian ethnicity may have been the overlooked but major reason for Giuliani’s defeat.
If you go back and review articles and reports on Giuliani during the fall, you will see his character repeatedly attacked.
Giuliani was described in a number of newspapers, magazines, and television programs as “harsh,” “petty,” “cruel,” “vindictive,” “mean-spirited,” “hot tempered,” “an ego maniac,” “a bully,” “arrogant,” “simple minded,” etc…
He was admonished by critics for his two failed marriages and the estranged relationship he had with his children.
One’s character is inherently tied to one’s ethnicity. Be it intentional or not, Giuliani’s critics linked him to the negative stereotypes most often associated with the Italian American male.
What the reports and commentaries together showed was not Giuliani, the former two-term mayor of New York who possessed an excellent legal mind, who made law review at NYU, who was a respected former federal prosecutor, but rather Giuliani the rogue figure, a misogynist, a deadbeat dad.He was made out to look like Tony Soprano.
No wonder his drop in the polls was so dramatic. He was the first Italian American to make a serious bid for the presidency. The first caucus and primaries were in some of the states with perhaps the least number of Italian Americans in the country. If voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina knew Italian Americans only by what they saw in film or on television, then the criticisms of Giuliani would have reinforced the negative stereotypes and prejudices they may have had about Italian Americans.
How could they elect Giuliani to represent the United States on the world stage when mainstream media made him out to be a thug?
They didn’t.
It is sad to see how Giuliani was treated in the media when compared to another milestone candidate Democratic Senator Barack Obama. Reports on Obama have mostly been positive. Why? Because African Americans demanded it. They defended Obama when his character was unfairly attacked and maligned earlier this year.
When members of his opponent’s team brought up Obama’s past drug use, as he wrote in his autobiography, the African American community, some of whom supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, rose up to defend him. The message was clear: Back off! Obama’s critics had to publicly apologize as a result. The senator was judged from then on not by his past indiscretions, but on his record and where he stood on the issues. He went on to win South Carolina and a number of primaries and caucuses that followed. He may make history as the first African American elected president.
Italian Americans must do for future Italian American presidential candidates what African Americans did for Obama. No matter if they are Republicans or Democrats, we must defend them when the character attacks ensue. By doing so, we help to stop false and misleading perceptions of our Italian ethnicity.
In Giuliani’s case, for example, his passion and combativeness was not atypical of Italian Americans. And yet, he was criticized for such behavior as being “mean” and “insensitive.” As Italian Americans, we know that sometimes our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters may come across as overly expressive and didactic. We also know, however, that when it comes to making important decisions, they are as reasonable, thoughtful and fair-minded as is everyone else in America, no matter their ethnicity. Those who are not Italian could easily misinterpret or misconstrue traits unique to Italians as negative attributes of a person’s character. This is what happened to Giuliani, not to mention other Italian American political figures, both Democrat and Republican, in the past.
Therefore, it is important that we unify in future elections when Italian American candidates come under personal attack. We do not have to vote or support candidates simply because they are Italian Americans; but we must defend them. Only then can we ensure that America is truly a land that accepts all ethnic groups, especially those among us who run for president.
We featured a cover story on Rudy Giuliani and his historic presidential bid. That issue sold out on both the newsstand and by special order within a couple of weeks from when it came off the press. We also received numerous calls from readers all over the country expressing their support and enthusiasm for his campaign.
No doubt, Italian American pride was at its peak at the prospect of having Giuliani the country’s first Italian American president.
I too was excited about Giuliani’s quest for the White House. He was the first political hero I witnessed in my lifetime. His courageous and inspiring leadership during 9/11 was truly exemplary. Growing up in the New York City metropolitan region, I can attest to the vast improvements the city witnessed under his mayoralty. I thought he had the qualifications and experience to be president. Although I doubted he would get his party’s nomination because of his stand on specific social issues, I thought his high poll numbers was proof enough that he would be in the top running for some time; at least through the spring.
Hence, I was stunned to see Giuliani at the bottom of the heap when he bowed out in late January. His drop in the polls was perhaps the steepest of any candidate in American political history.
The question arises as to what went wrong. In looking back at Giuliani’s campaign demise, I have come to a disturbing conclusion that ethnic bigotry may have been the overriding cause.
Most political pundits and commentators would probably disagree with my assessment. If asked, they would tell you that poor tactics and performance by Giuliani and his staff were the root causes of his campaign’s freefall. His high poll numbers in December were a shill. His candidacy was inherently weak. Being socially liberal, he really never had a chance to win over the socially conservative GOP. His strategy of a Florida firewall made him non-competitive in the Iowa caucus and early primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina. He was out of the headlines too long to gain a following among voters.
All that may be true.
But those reasons do not go far enough in my opinion to explain the unprecedented collapse of Giuliani’s campaign. Something else had to be at work that helped to cause a shocking 20 percent drop in his poll numbers within a month’s time.
Subtly reinforced in voters’ minds by critical reports in mainstream media, bigotry of his Italian ethnicity may have been the overlooked but major reason for Giuliani’s defeat.
If you go back and review articles and reports on Giuliani during the fall, you will see his character repeatedly attacked.
Giuliani was described in a number of newspapers, magazines, and television programs as “harsh,” “petty,” “cruel,” “vindictive,” “mean-spirited,” “hot tempered,” “an ego maniac,” “a bully,” “arrogant,” “simple minded,” etc…
He was admonished by critics for his two failed marriages and the estranged relationship he had with his children.
One’s character is inherently tied to one’s ethnicity. Be it intentional or not, Giuliani’s critics linked him to the negative stereotypes most often associated with the Italian American male.
What the reports and commentaries together showed was not Giuliani, the former two-term mayor of New York who possessed an excellent legal mind, who made law review at NYU, who was a respected former federal prosecutor, but rather Giuliani the rogue figure, a misogynist, a deadbeat dad.He was made out to look like Tony Soprano.
No wonder his drop in the polls was so dramatic. He was the first Italian American to make a serious bid for the presidency. The first caucus and primaries were in some of the states with perhaps the least number of Italian Americans in the country. If voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina knew Italian Americans only by what they saw in film or on television, then the criticisms of Giuliani would have reinforced the negative stereotypes and prejudices they may have had about Italian Americans.
How could they elect Giuliani to represent the United States on the world stage when mainstream media made him out to be a thug?
They didn’t.
It is sad to see how Giuliani was treated in the media when compared to another milestone candidate Democratic Senator Barack Obama. Reports on Obama have mostly been positive. Why? Because African Americans demanded it. They defended Obama when his character was unfairly attacked and maligned earlier this year.
When members of his opponent’s team brought up Obama’s past drug use, as he wrote in his autobiography, the African American community, some of whom supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, rose up to defend him. The message was clear: Back off! Obama’s critics had to publicly apologize as a result. The senator was judged from then on not by his past indiscretions, but on his record and where he stood on the issues. He went on to win South Carolina and a number of primaries and caucuses that followed. He may make history as the first African American elected president.
Italian Americans must do for future Italian American presidential candidates what African Americans did for Obama. No matter if they are Republicans or Democrats, we must defend them when the character attacks ensue. By doing so, we help to stop false and misleading perceptions of our Italian ethnicity.
In Giuliani’s case, for example, his passion and combativeness was not atypical of Italian Americans. And yet, he was criticized for such behavior as being “mean” and “insensitive.” As Italian Americans, we know that sometimes our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters may come across as overly expressive and didactic. We also know, however, that when it comes to making important decisions, they are as reasonable, thoughtful and fair-minded as is everyone else in America, no matter their ethnicity. Those who are not Italian could easily misinterpret or misconstrue traits unique to Italians as negative attributes of a person’s character. This is what happened to Giuliani, not to mention other Italian American political figures, both Democrat and Republican, in the past.
Therefore, it is important that we unify in future elections when Italian American candidates come under personal attack. We do not have to vote or support candidates simply because they are Italian Americans; but we must defend them. Only then can we ensure that America is truly a land that accepts all ethnic groups, especially those among us who run for president.
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