In the political thriller Seven Days in May, a novel published in 1962, the U.S. Vice President was named Giannelli. He had no first name nor was his character developed in either the book or the 1964 movie version with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. Yet, the authors assumed that an Italian American would eventually hold that high office. Now, sixty-four years later, an Italo near the Oval Office is still the stuff of fiction.
Geraldine Ferraro had a chance at the VP slot in 1984 but the whiff of organized crime—both in real life and in The Godfather—turned her campaign into a media circus. In 1988 and 1992, New York Governor Mario Cuomo agonized over a presidential run but opted out, possibly for fearing a redux of Ferraro’s run. Today, our nearest contestant for the White House is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a politician who barely acknowledges his Italian roots. Perhaps his discretion is well-founded.
Just as an exercise, I counted the number of members with Italian surnames in the current 119th Congress: 15 Representatives, 1 Senator. According to the last Census, Italian Americans make up 6% of the U.S. population, therefore, we are well technically “underrepresented.” On the positive side, Sen. John Barrasso, (R-WY) is the second in command (“Whip”) of the Republican majority in the Senate; and Rep. Steve Scalise is the Majority Leader of the Republican majority in the House.
I compared these figures with a report we did in 2002. At that time, we had 19 House members and 4 Senators. Clearly, Italian American voting blocs are a thing of the past, and that’s as it should be as good Americans. But it might also suggest that our political class may have little taste for national office, preferring local office or the business world.
That said, when we hear from Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) that he will spearhead an effort to build an Italian American Museum on the Washington Mall consider it empty bluster (quote: “to create a commission to explore the feasibility of a museum.“) Nor should you believe any of the slogans from organizations that claim to be “our voice” in the nation’s capital. Love him or hate him, our only “voice” in Washington these days is Donald J. Trump. It was he who just placed the statue of Columbus on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. It was on his orders that the National Park Service is restoring the grand Columbus Memorial Fountain in front of Washington’s Union Station at a cost of $12 million.
This fountain hasn’t worked in decades, but none of our organizations cared a wit about it. Even though it is a national landmark, only the Knights of Columbus coordinates an annual ceremony with both the Italian and Spanish ambassadors present. It wasn’t political lobbying that energized its restoration but a reverence at the top for the Great Navigator as a vital part of the coming 250th anniversary of the American Republic.
If you think I’ve lost faith in Italian American political action, you’re darn right. If we ever had political clout on a national level, you’ll have to convince me—I’ve been around too long. The reality is we have our hands full trying to find young people interested in more than Italian cuisine. –JLM
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