Explore the vast range of titles available.

In January 2009, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. In the weeks and months following the election, as in those that preceded it, countless social observers from across the ideological spectrum commented upon the cultural, social and political significance of \"the Obama phenomenon.\" In \"At this Defining Moment,\" Enid Logan provides a nuanced analysis framed by innovative theoretical insights to explore how Barack Obama's presidential candidacy both reflected and shaped the dynamics of race in the contemporary United States. Using the 2008 election as a case study of U.S. race relations, and based on a wealth of empirical data that includes an analysis of over 1,500 newspaper articles, blog postings, and other forms of public speech collected over a 3 year period, Logan claims that while race played a central role in the 2008 election, it was in several respects different from the past. Logan ultimately concludes that while the selection of an individual African American man as president does not mean that racism is dead in the contemporary United States, we must also think creatively and expansively about what the election does mean for the nation and for the evolving contours of race in the 21st century.

Contrary to popular claims, religion played a critical role in Barack Obama's 2008 election as president of the United States. Religion, race, and gender entered the national and electoral dialogue in an unprecedented manner. What stood out most in the 2008 presidential campaign was not that Republicans reached out to religious voters but that Democrats did-and with a vengeance. This tightly edited volume demonstrates how Obama charted a new course for Democrats by staking out claims among moderate-conservative faith communities and emerged victorious in the presidential contest, in part, by promoting a new Democratic racial-ethnic and religious pluralism. Comprising careful analysis by leading experts on religion and politics in the United States, Gastón Espinosa's book details how ten of the largest segments of the American electorate voted and why, drawing on the latest and best available data, interviews, and sources. The voting patterns of Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and seculars are dissected in detail, along with the intersection of religion and women, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The story of Obama's historic election is an insightful prism through which to explore the growing influence of religion in American politics.

\"Campaigns cost money--a lot of money. In 2012, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and their allies collectively spent more than $2 billion in the race for the presidency, with both sides spending more than $1 billion. Looking just at money raised by the campaigns from individual donors, the Obama campaign outraised the Republicans by over $500 million in 2008 and over $250 million in 2012.1\"-- Provided by publisher.

The first edition of this book offered one of the first social science analyses of Barack Obama's historic electoral campaigns and early presidency. In this second edition the authors extend that analysis to Obama's service in the presidency and to his second campaign to hold that presidency. Elaborating on the concept of the white racial frame, Harvey Wingfield and Feagin assess in detail the ways white racial framing was deployed by the principal characters in the electoral campaigns and during Obama's presidency. With much relevant data, this book counters many commonsense assumptions about U.S. racial matters, politics, and institutions, particularly the notion that Obama's presidency ushered in a major post-racial era. Readers will find this fully revised and updated book distinctively valuable because it relies on sound social science analysis to assess numerous events and aspects of this historic campaign.

\"Much has been written about the historic nature of the Obama campaign. The multi-year, multi-billion dollar operation elected the nation's first black president, raised and spent more money than any other election effort in history, and built the most sophisticated voter targeting technology ever before used on a national campaign. But what is missing from these accounts is an understanding of how Obama for America organized its formidable army of 2.2 million volunteers -- over eight times the number of people who volunteered for democratic candidates in 2004. Unlike previous field campaigns that drew their power from staff, consultants, and paid canvassers, the Obama campaign's capacity came from unpaid local citizens who took responsibility for organizing their own neighborhoods months--and even years--in advance of election day. In so doing, Groundbreakers argues, the campaign enlisted citizens in the often unglamorous but necessary work of practicing democracy. Hahrie Han and Elizabeth McKenna argue that the legacy of Obama for America is a transformation of the traditional models of field campaigning. Groundbreakers makes the case that the Obama ground game was revolutionary in two regards not captured in previous accounts. First, the campaign piloted and scaled an alternative model of field campaigning that built the power of a community at the same time that it organized it. Second, the Obama campaign changed the individuals who were a part of it, turning them into leaders. Groundbreakers proves that presidential campaigns are still about more than clicks, big data and money, and that one of the most important ways that a campaign develops its capacity is by investing in its human resources\"-- Provided by publisher.

In the early twenty-first century, race still occupies a dominant role in American politics. Despite this truism, presidential candidate Barack Obama was uniquely poised to transcend both race and party as the first African American to have a realistic chance of winning the presidency. Previous contenders running in the traditional mode of the Civil Rights Movement based their appeal primarily on African American voters. Obama, on the other hand, ran a deracialized campaign in an effort to appeal to voters of different backgrounds and political parties. Clayton examines how race in American politics has changed over time and offers an explanation for why Obama’s candidacy offers a different roadmap for the future. The Presidential Campaign of Barack Obama provides students of politics, inside and outside of the classroom, a unique opportunity to explore the institutional and structural challenges an African American faces in becoming the president of the United States. This guide to major issues in Black politics and the ins and outs of the 2008 campaign provides the necessary contours for understanding how the highest elected African American official won office. Part 1: The Historical Nature of African Americans Running for Political Office, Coalition Politics and Obama’s Winning Coalition 1. Introduction 2. Descriptive and Substantive Representation 3. Obama’s Winning Coalition Part 2: The Dynamics of the Campaign Process 4. Obama and the Demographic Groups that Supported Him 5. The Clinton Factor: Hillary and Bill 6. The Campaign for the White House 7. Innovations in Technology and Media 8. Change Comes to America \" The Presidential Campaign of Barack Obama is a compelling examination of Barack Obama's successful 2008 campaign and its significance for racial politics and American politics. Professor Clayton's thorough examination of the concept of deracialization makes this book superior to other examinations of the Obama phenomenon. His book is a must read for teachers, students, and researchers with an interest in the role of race in American history and one African American candidate's ability to overcome insurmountable odds. I can't wait to use this book in my classes.\" — Sharon Wright Austin , University of Florida \"Clayton has produced a detailed account of the Obama campaign for the presidency, skillfully weaving into the account the historical background of realigning elections into which he situates the 2008 outcome. He is especially insightful about the role of campaign financing, racial dynamics, technology, and youth in this winning Democratic Party coalition. This account and Clayton’s critical assessment of it will be a resource for a long time to specialists and generalists alike.\" — K. C. Morrison , Mississippi State University \"Dewey Clayton’s treatment of Barack Obama’s ascendance to the presidency is foundational—it is required reading to truly appreciate the saliency of Obama’s feat. For the political novice, Clayton provides a clear narrative of the Obama campaign. For the more advanced students of politics, Clayton offers a comprehensive and precise analysis of the campaign which situates the accomplishment historically while providing the scholarly background for appreciating the Obama breakthrough. Clayton makes a major scholarly contribution.\" — Lawrence J. Hanks , Indiana University Dewey M. Clayton is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Louisville. He is the author of African Americans and the Politics of Congressional Redistricting and numerous scholarly articles.