Identity Politics by Al Sikes

“France is never greater than when its great for all people.” Andre Malraux, French Novelist

France is in the spotlight, especially Paris. A Canadian, Celine Dion, singing Hyme a l’amour (Hymn of Love) opened the 2024 Olympics with a musical gift to the world. To borrow from Malraux, Dion’s gift was to “all people.”

Back home, a Saturday headline in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) read: “Democrats Bet America Is Ready to Elect a Black Woman President.” The article that followed parsed a WSJ poll conducted 7/23-7/25. Premature is the first word that comes to mind. Error is the second.

Is Kamala Harris a black woman? She is only if an offspring of an East Indian mother and Jamaican father is. And to that I say, look around.

Several days ago I was at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC for a minor procedure on my knees. The hospital employees are a kaleidoscope of colors — ethnic variations—the melting pot that is America.

Curious, I went to Wikipedia and learned that the phrase “melting pot” was first coined by Israel Zangwill, an author and playwright, describing “America’s absorption of immigrants.” Zangwill was Jewish and born in London, the son of Latvian and Polish immigrants.

My heritage is European: English, German, and Irish. Love conquered the divisions, as the English were not enamored of the Irish—it was reciprocal. And, well, the Germans were prepared to follow several of their 20th-century leaders into war.

But here we are. America was built with the blood, sweat, tears, and moxie of virtually all nationalities. Sub-dividing our political candidates and then describing them along bloodlines is a curse of identity politics.

I don’t know Donald J. Trump’s ethnic background and don’t care. I only know Harris’s because it is frequently pointed out. To me they are both Americans and should be judged by what they tell us about how they intend to improve our nation. Or, given hyperbole, how they are going to try.

America’s strength results from its diversity paired with freedom. The freedom to start things. To fail or succeed. Look around. Study the diverse combinations that are busy improving health care, communication networks, manufacturing processes and so much more.

Humans are by nature and experience pulled toward being judgmental. And marketing amplifies our preferences in food, cars, sports teams and on and on.  Good; it would be beyond boring to live and work in a narrow culture with few choices. But, when bloodlines or skin color shape negative prejudices we are yielding to a distortion of the senses.

The politics of the United States, maybe today more then ever, reflects our diversity. We are not bored. We should celebrate this fact — the fact of our diversity. And the last thing we should do is to let ethnic divisions guide our choice of leaders.

I see Kamala Harris as an American and beginning about a week ago, I started getting to know how she wants to lead us. Surely she will now run not as a subordinate of President Biden’s or those who head the Progressive political wing. If she does she will lose the middle and thus the electoral college. More to follow.

If France is “never greater than when its great for all people”, America is never wiser than when it recognizes our greatness is “out of many one.”

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.