It has been 233 years since 55 brave men made the pact to put themselves out there with an act of treason in declaring their independence from Great Britain. July 4th, 1776 brought us the Declaration of Independence and 13 years later the steps and gears were put in motion with the Constitutional Convention. It would take 2 short years after the Constitutional Convention when General George Washington would be elected unanimously the 1st President of the United States. [Side note: Washington still stands and most likely will stand the test of time as the only president elected unanimously not once but twice. James Monroe, the 5th President of the United States, came extremely close winning all but one vote because someone wanted to perserve Washington's legacy.] For over 200 years after Washington was sworn into office, those who have served look fairly similar. The majority of them lawyers. The majority of them from the east of the Mississippi River. And all of them white, older men. There are only a few things that are mandated for an individual to run for president. However, it took up until last year for things to get shaken up. In 2008, we saw a groundbreaking election season include a woman and a black man battle for the Democratic nomination and the second female and first for the Republican Party nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate. On November 4th, 2008, overwhemlingly Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. It was the first time a black man was elected president. It provided us with another prominent moment in the ever changing complexity of the United States.
Earlier today, roughly around 3:15pm EST, Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor was officially confirmed by the United States Senate by a 68-31 vote. It was doubly important in terms of a historic nature. Like the Presidency, the Supreme Court since its inception has been a club reserved for white, older men. It was not until 1981 that a woman was appointed and confirmed to the Supreme Court with Sandra Day O'Connor joining the highest bench. About ten years later, Ruth Ginsberg joined her. A few years ago O'Connor retired and within the last couple years Ginsberg's health has not been especially well and her time on the bench is persumingly in its last years. So, with the confirmation of Sotomayor today we now have two women again on the bench perserving what I feel is an important diverse nature. However, this is even more important for diversity purposes with her being an hispanic; the first to serve on the Supreme Court. This like the election of Barack Obama last November is another movement toward positive change in how we see our highest leaders. That leads me to my reason for this blog: what is the complexity of today's politics and those who govern? This isn't George Washington's America, but where do we truly stand in terms of urging more than those white, older men to be the nation's leaders?
This country has been constantly referred to as a melting pot, but it sometimes I wonder if that can be applied to all facets of America. In particular: the political arena. First and foremost, as I have stated we elected our first African American president. In terms of the presidency, we have seen an evolution and movement forward from "the politics as usual;" to quote former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Millions of Americans who grew up during the 1950s and 1960s were witnesses to civil rights movements by African Americans, Latin Americans, women, and homosexuals for their deserving equality. The election of Barack Obama is sometimes lessened in terms of "some people voted for him because he was black." Granted, I cannot nor can any candidate control how voters vote for their elected officials. He won mostly because the country felt he was the most qualified to lead the nation. His election, though, allowed us to now feel that "it can happen." For over two centuries, all we have seen is those white, older men being elected president. They defeated another white, older man in the election and many thought that trend would continue for a while. I will not declare that things are completely different. I will not declare that the "Berlin Wall" of politics has fallen, but a chunk has been eliminated and that is the biggest thing.
We live in a democracy run by three branches of government, so how does the progress in Congress and the Supreme Court compare? The two houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, have had histories as different at times as they are. The Senate until 1916 was a non-publicly elected body. The House was always intended to be the "people's" body. For that reason, we have seen greater diversity and with a larger body naturally would come many more types of backgrounds and ethnicities. It wasn't until shortly after the Civil War in 1870 that an African American was elected to both houses. Ironicially, this took place two years after the African American community; several of them being freed slaves; were given the same rights as whites including the right to vote. 50 years later, women received the right to vote themselves and they too in the following years would see themselves elected to Congress. As America progressed through the Great Depression and through the Great Society, things were reletively the same as ever. Minorities were getting elected, but in terms of having a body consisting of a few hundred elected officials their percentage of the body was low.
As I analyze where we stand, I go back to the 2008 election; the same election that saw an African American elected; and see what the 111th Congress looks like and if Congress resembles the country. Well, the Senate currently has 17 women and the House has 77. However, how does the current Congress's women representation compare to recent Congresses. The 109th Congress (2005-2007) had 14 women in the Senate and 68 women in the House. The following Congress, the 110th (2007-2009) showed increases in both with 16 women in the Senate and 73 in the House. As I like to say, progress is doesn't come in big strides but small steps. The 1992 election was coined the Year of the Woman and since then we have seen more and more women get interested and involved in politics and that is seen in the consistent increases in their election rates. African Americans are much less represented with only 42 members in the House and with Barack Obama, the only African American in the Senate, leaving for the White House and until Roland Burris' confirmation as Senator; the Senate for a time had no African American representation. Only three members of the Senate are of Hispanic descent and 25 members in the House, which was increased by 1 from the previous Congress. The two senators from Hawaii are the only members of Asian descent and the amount of Asian members in the House increased from 5 to 7 this past election. There is only one American Indian in Congress on the House side.
The judicial branch like the executive and legislative branches has come to be seen as a place for the same generic individuals. The offices of Presidency, Senator, and Representative are only for so long. If the public does not like someone, they are removed by not getting reelected. The Supreme Court is completely out of the control of the general public. The president decides who he (so far) wants to replace a retiring judge. If the Senate approves, that individual is confirmed. Once all that occurs, they are there for life. There are only nine judges on the highest court. For that reason, it not often that we see changes and the new person often resembles the previous individual for the most part in all facets besides certain ideologies. Today's confirmation of Sonya Sotomayor is only the third time that a woman has been confirmed to the Supreme Court. All occurrences, as I mentioned, have taken place in the last 30 years. However, this is a step forward towards an even different outlook. Despite the fact that two women have previous been confirmed; one still there; none of the previous individuals have been non-white. Confirming the first Hispanic to the high court allows the Supreme Court to continue to forward with changes like the other two branches.
So, looking at the diacotomy of the three branches of government in 2009, what can we say about it all? We continue to move forward and accept the different individuals who step up to serve our country as President, Senator, Representative, or Supreme Court justice. More and more people are slowly moving away from close-minded thinking. We now accept the fact that African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, and any other minority can serve and do the job as well as any white man. We see minority candidates winning mayoral elections. There are several minority governors. Over the years, we have seen presidential administrations with diverse cabinet members. Women have served as Secretary of States, including Hillary Clinton currently. The current administration displays a true "political melting pot." We are still years away from seeing true diversity in politics. We are moving forward and 1776 is a long time ago. Progress continues to made in all areas and I look forward to what progresses occur in politics. The chunks of the wall keep falling and today's confirmation of Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court allowed another chunk to fall. Sotomayor and Obama before him are two cases of if anyone is willing to put the time in; they can succeed as much as anyone. The more minorities that realize that, the more of them we will see in politics. The purpose of elected officials is to represent those they serve. Doesn't it make sense for the individual to be able to relate to "their people." The face of politics is changing and its about time people have had the audacity to want to see that happen...I know I do.
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