Electoral Capture

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Electoral Capture

Introduction

Competition is an inherent aspect of politics and has far reaching implications on democracy and various institutions. In a society that is characterized by increased cultural, social religious and economic diversity, this competition tends to disadvantage certain parts of the opulation as they are not given utmost attention. Emergent research ascertains that the most affected individuals are usually the minority populations and especially those that are accorded a negative public perception by the entire society.

They suffer the double effect of being minority groups and at the same time being accorded a negative perception by the society that could have otherwise been instrumental in protecting them against the societal ills. It can not be disputed that party politics are heavily influenced by the racial attitudes that the society assumes. Thus is it is inevitable for the minority groups to suffer devastating effects especially considering the fact that political decisions made at different levels have various implications on their holistic wellbeing. It is against this background that this paper provides an explicit analysis of the concept of electoral capture of the African Americans as explored by Frymer.

Electoral capture is a concept that is applicable to a two party system within a country. It constitutes the political dilemma that a certain group of persons experiences when it is compelled to vote overwhelmingly for one political party while the other main party shows no concern of competing for their votes. Frymer implicates this system for being responsible for the inherent marginalization that the Black Americans are currently facing in America (32). It is because of the negative implications that it has on the respective political system. In his review, Mendelberg indicates that this is undesirable because it undermines democracy and makes it difficult for all individuals to actively participate in the given mode of governance and be treated in a just manner (45). Although political studies argue that the urge to win elections always makes the political leaders to treat all individuals equally, Frymer maintains that “this rarely happens in a society that is heavily influenced by racism” (34).

In his research, Frymer contends that African Americans are so far the only population that has been effectively captured and suffered the implication of the same. To begin with, it is argued that this population has suffered widespread social prejudice since historical times. The implications of slavery and especially the social discrimination have spilled over to the modern times and have disadvantaged this population in various ways. This has been evident in the political sphere as this population has been openly discriminated against. Mendelberg ascertains that Black votes have always been critical in national elections (57). Indeed, it is certain that the election successes of the Democratic Party since historical times have been greatly depended on the contribution of the Black votes. Without this, political analysts ascertain that it would have been difficult for the respective democratic parties to win the elections.

Black leaders have been frustrated over time by the indifferent attitude that the Democratic Party leaders accord them. In particular, it is indicated that despite citing the numerical contribution of the black votes to the success of this party, the leaders of the same have increasingly failed to appreciate the elemental role that this population plays. In other instances, Black voters and leaders have attempted to defect from this party and join the opposition because of the inherent frustrations. In such cases, the leaders of the opposition party have often expressed minimal interest in this and therefore made no appeals to this population to further its interest.

Electoral Capture of Christian Groups

Religion is an important aspect of social life and Christianity groups have played a critical role in politics since historical times. Religious values and ideals not only guide behavior, but they are also used to determine the morality of the society. Before the American society became secularized, Christian values dominated the social arena and were employed as a benchmark in choosing political leaders. Of great importance is the fact that they were mainstreamed in the national constitution. This implies that the values assume an elevated position in the society and are held in high regard by the same.

To date, these are still held in high regard and respective groups can be considered to be influential in politics. The participation of Christians in politics dates back to the early 1900s and was perpetuated by the need to support various social values. In particular, social changes with regard to immigration prompted these groups to take align themselves to specific political parties. Since the 1970s, Mendelberg indicates that Christians have increasingly supported the republicans because of their conservative nature (45). At this juncture, it is worth noting that the republicans supported most of the ideals that the then Christian groups advocated for. Emergent social concerns such as the rights and privileges of the gays also saw the Christian groups rally behind the republicans who maintained conservative positions in this respect.

In the recent past, the Christian populace has participated in elections and politics in different ways. Mitchel indicates that their support for the Republican Party as not ceased and in recent elections, the Christian groups were cited to have made telephone calls to more than three million voters in a bit to encourage them to vote for the republican faction (56). In addition, they participated actively in the distribution f voter information as well as congressional scorecards. Statistical evidence shows that the Christian groups have more than 1.6 million voter members who diligently vote for the Republican Party leaders. It is indicated that irrespective of the fact that the Republican Party has not owned its pledges of supporting the group financially, this group has religiously voted for the party.

The group advocates for various issues that differ considerably from those advocated by the public. In particular, it calls for restriction of pornography, privatization of arts, promotion of school choice, abolition of abortion and respect for human life. The issue of same sex marriages and abortion has been a bone of contention between the political factions, public and Christian groups. Most states have gone ahead to ingrain these in the legal sphere despite the oppositions from the Christian groups. Another public and political issue that has raised various concerns amongst the Christian groups but which over time has been reconciled includes the role of politics in public defense. This has long been considered fundamental for the spread of the gospel and therefore is currently acceptable by the group.

These concerns are contained in the contract with the Republican Party. Notably, they have been ignored by both parties as the society as continued to become more secularized than before. Despite not having them effected, this religious group has remained committed to the party. Political leaders that have enjoyed Christian support in the past include Senator John McCain and Governor Mitt Romney. Generally, Mendelberg asserts that most republican leaders have been supported by the Christian groups regardless of their competence (71).

Their position on social issues such as abortion and same sex marriages has been used to determine the support that these religious groups accord them. Nevertheless, despite having conflicting perspectives in this regard, Christians have continued to support the respective leaders. The Christian groups and communities can be considered to have been victims of electoral capture. Statistical evidence shows that Christian support for the republicans has increased in the recent past. However, it is notable that the Republican Party has in the past continued to distance itself with the prepositions put forth by this group. It can not be disputed that the have publicly disagreed to several social issues.

Obama’s Presidency

The participation of the Black population in politics has always been limited by various complexities that seem to stem from racism. It can not be disputed that since the 1960s, the Black population has been a great supporter of the Democratic Party, irrespective of the fact that it has continually been a victim of electoral capture. In his study, studies recount that the Black population supported the Democratic Party since the 1960s. The republicans in this regard have been implicated for perpetuating racial segregation and employing the same as a strategy to win elections since historical times. This according to studies explains why the Blacks have over time resented this political segment.

Being a democrat nominee, Obama’s won the elections because of the high numerical representation of Black American voters that turned up to vote during elections. Furthermore, it is posited that his grass root approach to campaigning played a critical role in enhancing his popularity (Mitchel 57). His employment of the internet in campaigning was equally instrumental in enhancing the participation of the youth in the elections. Of great importance is the fact that the democrat party made significant efforts in ensuring that there was a huge turn out during voting especially in the states that had a higher percentage of Black population.

It is contended that the interests of the African Americans were effectively addressed in the 2008 national elections (Mitchel 59). The Democrat placed its faith in the African American vote because of the support that it has enjoyed since historical times. The likelihood of its winning was further perpetuated by the selection of Obama as a sole nominee.

Through their representative, there publicans promised to address the issues of economic prosperity and education. McCain is cited to have appreciated the inherent inequalities between these populations and therefore promised to address the same accordingly. Further, the republicans promised to involve the Black population actively in governance through the principle of straight talk. Having won the confidence of the Black population, Obama on the other hand took an emotional approach and indicated that the interest of the Black population were at the heart of the Democratic Party.

Obama’s heroic win can be posited to contravene the hypothesis that was put forth by Frymer. In this, he indicated that political leaders of African origin have a negative implication not only on their political party but also on the holistic welfare of the coalition. He asserts that African American political leaders are prevented from participating in the national elections because of their adverse implications on the perceptions of the voters. However, it is certain that Obama’s win was necessitated by his ability to enhance a huge turn out on the Election Day. Notably, as much as the democrats made efforts to enhance the Black representation especially in States that have a higher percentage of this population, it is notable that Obama won in certain states that had a higher representation of the Whites. This implies that unlike the initial preposition that speculates that most Whites would have quit the party, they instead supported their candidate, regardless of his racial background.

Conclusion

From this analysis, it is certain that election competition has adverse effects on certain segments of the population. Coupled with racism, this undermines the ability of the minority groups to participate actively in governance. Moreover, it denies them justice because of their exclusion in formulation of vital decisions that have a direct impact on their welfare. The Black Americans had been victims of the electorate capture since historical times. This was occasioned by the negative racist perceptions that the society accorded them. Although they struggled to find an elevated niche within the Democratic Party, their efforts were frustrated by party leaders. More over, the opposition did not respond to their threats to quit the Democratic Party. However, the situation changed during the 2008 elections as Obama, besides being an African American scooped the top leadership seat.

Works Cited

Greg, Mitchel. Why Obama Won. USA: Booksurge Publishing, 2009.

Paul, Frymer. Uneasy Alliances. Princeton: University Press, 1999.

Tali, Mendelberg. The Race Card. Princeton: University Press, 2001.