“Playing the race card” will be just one of the tropes invoked by the right when African Americans suggest, no matter how innocently, that economic or racial disadvantage is a reason to support both the stimulus package and the president’s proposed budget.
Obama’s attempt to have the rich bear a larger—and fairer—share of the tax burden is being labeled “class war” by many on the right and a few so-called moderates.
I have been very worried about the mischief that the outgoing president could engage in during his final days in office. Now, I am mortified and angered by the destruction being done to democratic (small d!) politics much closer to home.
Michael C. Dawson is currently finishing an edited volume, Fragmented Rainbow: Race and Civil Society in the United States, as well as a solo volume, Black Politics in the Early 21st Century.
From the publisher — “This stunning book represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the complex relationships between black political thought and black political identity and behavior. Ranging from Frederick Douglass to rap artist Ice Cube, Michael C. Dawson brilliantly illuminates the history and current role of black political thought in shaping political debate in America.”
From the publisher — “Political scientists and social choice theorists often assume that economic diversification within a group produces divergent political beliefs and behaviors. Michael Dawson demonstrates, however, that the growth of a black middle class has left race as the dominant influence on African- American politics. Why have African Americans remained so united in most of their political attitudes? To account for this phenomenon, Dawson develops a new theory of group interests that emphasizes perceptions of ‘linked fates’ and black economic subordination.”