To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his immaculate "I Have A Dream" speech, today's program was dedicated to the status of the American Dream and what it means. The funny thing is that not one of the guests nor the moderator actually described what it is, as if assuming that everyone watching has the same idea of what it is. So what is the American Dream?
It used to be: a family with two kids, two cars, and a house, which is really to say that the American Dream was to have a little bit better life for you and your kids than your parents had. But that's not what is is now. Now, the American Dream is seen as achieved only if you've gotten rich, if you've 'made it,' what ever that means. The American Dream for most Americans today, is simply that... a dream.
And by the fact that there are few rich people relative to the rest of the popular, , the dream becomes harder to obtain, or at the very least the perception of that achievement is skewed and hence unrealized. More and more you're seeing that kids today will not be better off than their parents were, and this notion has reached the level of general consensus.
Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), the only living speaker from the 1963 March, outlined many positive changes in our country, but most of them have been social. That's not to say they aren't significant. The United States, like it or not, is much more socially progressive than other countries and we'll be the better for it. We say with full knowledge that there are times, like with the George Zimmerman trial, that will make it seem like that progress has collapsed, but it's not the case.
He also said that there are forces that create a sense of fear, that our country needs to be taken back, and he rhetorically asked, "Taken back to where?" This is a notion we could never reconcile with the Sarah Palin-types leading the Tea Party Movement. The say that we need to take the country back, and to Mr. Lewis' point - to where. Back to a false notion of the 50's when the social and economic order seemed more secure? That's what it always seemed like they meant. But the fact is that in the 1950's income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans were twice as high as they are today and because of that, social services were more robust and public service positions (teacher, policeman, fireman) were realistic vital options for families to get a solid leg up. However, the same people who are demanding their country back are also saying that the government shouldn't have to help you because government is inherently bad. In cities and town all across this country you're seeing the laying off of public workers as tax revenues for municipalities are cut.
With what we've just said, Congressman Raul Labrador (R-ID) would accuse this column, as on the program he accused black political leaders, of only talking about hopelessness and despair instead of hope. It was a disingenuous shot he took that basically went without rebuttal. But what would he say to those people? How do you say to someone, "Hey, continue to have hope even though you should never expect anyone to help you." Ms. WuDunn cited a statistic that in the United States, 1 in 12 people move economically. Given that statistic, how can you agree with Congressman Labrador that the American Dream is alive and well?
Newark Mayor and Senatorial candidate Cory Booker said he's been disappointed on how difficult it is to get young people to think of public service and a cause bigger than themselves, but that's the kind of climate this country has created. Why would someone want to join government when all they've been told all their lives is that government is the problem.
If we continue to collectively believe that the achievement of the American Dream is directly tied to how much money you have in your wallet, it will be forever harder to obtain. It's about much more than that. It's about being able to live one's life with dignity and with the knowledge that if you play by the rules and work hard, you'll have the intrinsic sense that you've achieved a successful American life.
One of the greatest notions that makes up this American nation is a sense of optimism, that the American Dream is not just a dream, but something that can actually be realized. Right now, we're afraid, for most Americans today, that simply isn't the case.
Round table: Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID); business executive and author,
Sheryl WuDunn; President and Founder of the National Action Network,
MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton; New York Times Columnist David Brooks; and
presidential historian and author of “Lyndon Johnson and the American
Dream,” Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Postscript: At the end of the hour, Mr. Gregory interviewed Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and lauded him for taking on his own party with regard to education, who said at one time that Republicans can not be the 'stupid party.' The governor talked briefly about education and then immediately after said something stupid, which was that Obamacare should be repealed and replaced and that Republicans in Congress should do everything they can to defund the law. The reason we call this stupid is because not once have we heard a thoughtful alternative solution from Republicans on how to lower healthcare costs while insuring more people. When you ask them, "Replace it with what?" all you get are crickets...
More on Syria in a later column.
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