Description
Book SynopsisChallenges how we think about the relationship between race, political parties, and American democracy. This book shows that not all groups are treated equally, and that politicians spend most of their time and resources on white swing voters - to the detriment of the African American community.
Trade Review"The vast literature on American political parties has been immensely enriched and enhanced by this pioneering work on race and parties...This is a highly recommended work."--Hanes Walton, Jr., Political Science Quarterly "In a work that effectively challenges cherished notions of how the political system functions, Paul Frymer ... shows the centrality of race in the American political process. In addition, he makes a strong theoretical contribution to our analysis of the functioning of political parties in democratic regimes. Uneasy Alliances will be a valuable resource for scholars and students alike, for both its substantive arguments and its theoretical achievements."--Howard L. Reiter, American Political Science Review "Frymer makes a strong case that Democratic presidential candidates have distanced themselves from black voters and issues... The villain in the tale is the United States electoral structure, the two-party, winner-take-all system."--Sandra Featherman, Journal of Politics "Frymer argues that the failure to seriously address white racism's impact on the party system causes us to misunderstand how and why African Americans are and remain at the margins for reasons not related to their abilities and potential impact on the American political system."--Choice
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1. Introduction 3 Chapter 2. Competitive Parties and the "Invisibility" of Captured Groups 27 Chapter 3. National Party Competition and the Disenfranchisement of Black Voters in the South, 1866-1932 49 Chapter 4. Capture Inside the Democratic Party, 1965-1996 87 Chapter 5. Party Education and Mobilization and the Captured Group 120 Chapter 6. Black Representation in Congress 140 Chapter 7. Is the Concept of Electoral Capture Applicable to Other Groups? The Case of Gay and Lesbian Voters in the Democratic Party and the Christian Right in the Republican Party 179 Index 207 Afterword to the 2010 Edition. Obama and the Representation of Captured Groups 207 Index 237
