Why do so few Italian-Americans run for the presidency?

[Hart2008]

I am just curious. There are a lot of them.

Cuomo would have had a good chance, but he didn't run.

LsGardia didn't either. They just named the airport after him.

We have had several African-Americans run, i.e., Chisholm, Jackson, Sharpton, Keyes, but so few Italian-Americans.

Columbus was Italian, right?

Why is it that they don't run for the presidency?

:dilemma:

[TwilightGardener]

1. Rudy ran. Didn't end well.

[Hart2008]

4. Rudy's three marriages don't go over well with Italian-Americans. Family is important to them.

It was very hard for Rudy to run when his kids wouldn't even talk to him.

I think Rudy makes a bad case study.

Holding a press conference to announce you are divorcing your wife?

:spray:

I am glad Rudy is done.

[LeftyMom]

2. In most of the country, Italian-Americans are sufficiently integrated

that they do not benefit from bloc voting as some other groups do (and in the case of younger people, they also tend not to be exclusively or Italian extraction or identity, which is both a symptom of and further cause of integration.)

[TheCool]

3. I'm curious what you mean by this

Because it almost seemed like a swipe at Obama and African Americans.

[Kolesar]

5. It was fine

Welcome to our forum :hi:

[TheCool]

7. Thank you!

I hope I last :)

[LeftyMom]

6. I haven't even looked at the numbers for this election (honestly, I barely care)

Voting by ethnic bloc is a long tradition in this country. It was a key factor in urban politics during the Industrial Revolution, though voting became more ideological in most of the twentieth century on a regional level it's still a very important influence in some areas.

[Hart2008]

8. If they are so integrated then more should run for president.

I have heard Hispanics refer to all whites as "Anglos", which ignores the fact that there are ethnic divisions among whites. (Just as there are among Hispanics.)

It is not as insidious as racism, but ethnic bigotry still remains among whites. There still are Irish mothers who don't want their kids marrying Italians, and vice-versa. The skin heads in Sweden don't think Italians are white. Some ethnic Germans have contempt for Poles, etc.

Bigotry isn't limited only by race.

[LeftyMom]

13. I know that (I'm Italian and Hungarian, my g'parents dealt with a lot of bigotry)

But having a built in base is a huge advantage, and as there really aren't many significant enclaves of people in this country who identify as Italians (outside of NY/NJ, there's what, six blocks in San Francisco?)

Anti-Italian bigotry really isn't much of a factor anymore in most of the US (though anti-Catholic bias might be a larger one.)

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. "Ethnic bigotry" among whites rarely results in structural disadvantage

[goodgd_yall]

9. Prejudice and stereotypes

There's always this "Cosa Nostra" suspicion following them. Add to that an East Coast connection and an Italian-American candidate has a lot to overcome just as far as bias goes.

LaGuardia was living in a time when it REALLY would have been unlikely he'd win.

It's only been in the past 40 years or so that Italians, as a group, began being looked on in a positive light.

[zonkers]

10. And I thought it was because it took time away from their extortion and loansharking operations.

[JVS]

11. Or German-Americans. Gephardt is not enough! We are under-represented,

[Hart2008]

17. Has there even been one Polish-American run for president?

The Greeks had Dukakis and Spiro Agnew.

[nonconformist]

12. As an Italian-American myself, I'd love to see more run. nt

[suston96]

14. Run for what? And give up the lucrative Waste Management Business? nt

[nonconformist]

15. Wow, that is incredibly offensive. nt

[suston96]

20. Why is it "offensive"? nt

[CreekDog]

16. Think quality not quantity

Oh, crap, nevermind. :eyes:

[Hart2008]

18. So Pelosi shouldn't run then? n/t