Race and the Obama Administration (EPUB) von Andra Gillespie

Did African Americans benefit from the election of Barack Obama? This book explores Obama's successes and failures on race policies by comparing his record to those of previous presidents, and explains why black support of Obama remained strong throughout his presidency.

Introduction1 The triple bindPart I: Substance2 How he did: the racial successes, failures and impact of the Obama presidency3 Executive orders4 Winks, nods and day-to-day bureaucratic work: a case study of three Cabinet departmentsPart II: Symbols5 Race, appointments and descriptive diversity6 Rhetoric and racial eruptions7 Artistic representation and the presidency: an examination of PBS performances8 Michelle ObamaPart III: Hope9 Public opinion10 Race, Obama and the fourth quarterConclusion: was it worth it? Index

The election of Barack Obama marked a critical point in American political and social history. Did the historic election of a black president actually change the status of blacks in the United States? Did these changes (or lack thereof) inform blacks' perceptions of the President?This book explores these questions by comparing Obama's promotion of substantive and symbolic initiatives for blacks to efforts by the two previous presidential administrations. By employing a comparative analysis, the reader can judge whether Obama did more or less to promote black interests than his predecessors. Taking a more empirical approach to judging Barack Obama, this book hopes to contribute to current debates about the significance of the first African American presidency. It takes care to make distinctions between Obama's substantive and symbolic accomplishments and to explore the significance of both.

Andra Gillespie is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Emory University