Who-We-Are-Now

WhoWeAreNowJan16,20097:00PMESTWehaveanewpresident.Buthe,too,hasanewnationtolead,onethat'schangingalmostbeyondrecognition.Themessageseemedmixed.Itwas3o'clockontheafternoonofSunday,Oct.3,1965,andPresidentLyndonB.JohnsonhadcometothefootoftheStatueofLibertyinNewYorkHarbortosigntheunsexilynamedImmigrationandNationalityAct.ItwasagrandandsentimentalstageforJohnson,wholovedthegrandandthesentimental.Therehewas,lessthanayearintoatermhe'dwoninthegreatestoflandslidesoverBarryGoldwater,atthemythicgatewaytoAmerica,RobertandTedKennedyintheaudience,theeyesofthepressfixedonhimintheshadowsofthenation'smostfablediconoffreedom.OurbeautifulAmericawasbuiltbyanationofstrangers,Johnsonsaid,reachingforpoliticalpoetry.Fromahundreddifferentplacesormoretheyhavepouredforthintoanemptyland,joiningandblendinginonemightyandirresistibletide.Butthepresidentwasopenlyambivalent,too.Thebillthatwesigntodayisnotarevolutionarybill,hesaid,defensively,almostasthoughtoreassurewhiteAmericansthattheyhadnothingtofear.Itdoesnotaffectthelivesofmillions.Itwillnotreshapethestructureofourdailylives,orreallyaddimportantlytoeitherourwealthorourpower.ToborrowanoldlineaboutWinstonChurchill,whenLyndonJohnsonwasright,hewasright,butwhenhewaswrong,well,myGod.(See,forexample,War,Vietnam.)Onreflection,thebillLBJsignedonthatOctoberdaywasoneofthemostsignificantofhismomentouspresidency,andthevirtuallyforgottenlegislationplayedakeyroleincreatingtheAmericathatmadethisweek'sinaugurationofBarackObamapossible.Whyexhumethelong-deadJohnsonontheoccasionofoneofthemostengaginginauguralssinceGeorgeWashingtontooktheoathatFederalHallinNewYorkCityin1789?Becausewhowearenow—acountryinwhichtraditionalbarriersofraceandageandgenderarecrumbling—flowsinmanywaysfromwhatLBJdidthen.HisconflictinglanguageonthatOctoberday,meanwhile,underscoresthenation'soccasionallywaryviewofthechangeswroughtbyimmigration.Weliketosaywelovethenew,butthefamiliar,cometothinkofit,isawfullycomfortable,too.Sowhichwillitbeinthecomingyears:theAmericaofthemeltingpot,ortheAmericaofresentments?TheAmericaofLincoln'sbetterangels,ortheAmericaofNixon'sSilentMajority?TheanswerisalmostcertainlythatwewillbeoneoranotheroftheseAmericasatdifferenttimesdependingondifferentcircumstances.OnereasontothinkthatwemightfindourselveswithLincolnmoreoftenthanwithNixon,though,isthattheweisgettingevertrickiertodefinequicklyandeasilyintermsofrace,ethnicityandreligion.WethePeopleof2009arenottheWethePeopleof1959or1969oreven1979.AndthatisbecauseofLyndonJohnson.ThereissomethingquintessentiallyAmericanaboutalumberingwhitemanfromTexas—acomplex,giftedandultimatelytragicpolitician—transforming,howeverinadvertently,alargelyAnglo-Saxonnationintoacountrywhich,inroughlythesameamountoftimethatseparatesusfromJohnF.Kennedy'sinauguration,willhavemorepeopleofcolorthanwhites.(Theshorthandforthismilestone,projectedtotakeplaceinabout2050,isthearrivalofamajority-minoritycountry,butiftheminoritiesareactuallythemajorities,weshouldprobablyfindacleanerlinguisticwaytotalkaboutthecomingreality.)Storiesaboutdemographytendtobeprospectiveandgeneral,anditisalltooeasytoexaggeratethisturninthestatisticsorthattickintheprojections.Butthismuchisclearandcertain:thenationoverwhichObamawillpresideischanging,rapidly,andhistoryislikelytoconnecthispoliticalrisetotheshiftingnatureofacountrythatwaslargelyonethinginthewakeofWorldWarIIandthroughtheColdWarandintotheopeningyearsofthe21stcentury,andquiteanotherastheObamaerabegan.Intheunderstandablethrilloftheinauguralseason,alleyesareturnedtothissingleman,allearsattunedtohisvoice.Whateveryourpolitics,theelectionofthe44thpresidentrepresentsakindofredemptionfromthelongandtragichistoryofblacksinAmericasincethefirstslavesarrivedinJamestown,Va.,in1619.Eversince,asthebiographerTaylorBranchoncewrote,colorhasdefinedAmericanlifeasitdefinesvisionitself.YettheObamavictoryisaboutmorethanObama,andaboutmorethanblackandwhite.Inademocraticrepubliclikeours(aproduct,inlargepart,ofMadison'sinsight,Jackson'senergyandLincoln'sgenius),thepresidentisbothamakerandamirrorofthemannersandmoralsoftheelectoratethathasinvestedhimwithultimateauthority.Wehavenotreachedthepromisedlandinwhichraceandethnicitynolongermatter;historytellsusthatracism,tribalismandnativismwillbealwayswithus.TheAmericaof2009,though,isnottheAmericathatJohnsonfeltcomingintobeingtheyearbeforehespokeattheStatueofLiberty.AftersigningtheCivilRightsActof1964,hetoldanaidehehadjusthandedtheSouthtotheRepublicansforageneration.(Ifyoucountagenerationasroughly21years,hewasoffthemark,sincetheraciallyinspiredbacklashshapedpoliticsformorethan40years.)Forthemoment—anditcouldbeaverybriefmoment—thedivisionofvotersintousandthemalongracialandethniclinesisatoncemoredifficultandlesseffective.Astheelectoratechanges,votersthemselvesaremorelikelytocomefromdiversebackgroundsorliveinaworldinwhichdiversityistherule,nottheexception.NoteverypartofthecountryisliketheBronx,wherethereisa90percentchancethatanytwopeoplechosenatrandomwillbeofadifferentraceorethnicity.ButtherearenowHispanics,forinstance—thecountry'sfastest-growingpopulatio