Elections from 2008 through 2020 have demonstrated that the power of the Black vote in the U.S. Steadfast Democrats makes an insightful and useful contribution to American politics by guiding us toward a modern understanding of the Black voting bloc. Specifically, White & Laird address the concept of Black Democratic unity at a time when the Black community is quite diverse in its political and social perspectives. In this book, they delve into the different conditions necessary for Black conservatives to stay with the group, voting Democrat instead of Republican, which would be the rational choice. This is an insightful contribution to American Politics because electoral politics continues to show us the power of the Black vote.
White & Laird challenge previous theories that have been developed and tested to explain Black voter behavior but that have not done an accurate job in clarifying why Blacks who are ideologically conservative continue to vote Democratic. Specifically, they provide a lengthy and effective discussion regarding the theory of linked fate. They meticulously describe why it does not provide a significant connection between the Black electorate that is made up of voting Democrats even though some of them are not ideological liberals, and it is this concept of group solidarity that binds this voting community together. Using the American National Election Survey (2008–2016) they empirically demonstrate a lack of effect of linked fate among Black voters, which leads them to argue that it is not a useful explanation for why Black conservatives continue to vote Democratic.
As an alternative, White & Laird present their novel theory of racialized social constraint (RSC). They explain that due to RSC theory, Black voters choose not to deviate from the norm of identifying with the Democratic party. They define their theory as a process that works to enforce the norms of Black political behavior. In order for the RSC theory to be effective, there have to be well-defined, and racially specific rewards and punishments that can be utilized in order to make people abide by the group-based expectations of political behavior. In other words, White & Laird theorize that it is necessary for Black individuals to understand that there are sanctions for choosing to break from the group norm, meaning that a Black voter who would choose to vote based on the personal gain as opposed to voting based on the betterment of the larger group would face consequences. There are also four social conditions that have to be met. First of all, there needs to exist a well-defined norm of Black political behavior. Otherwise, there is no mechanism through which people can be held accountable. Second, there has to be public or verifiable behavior that others in the Black community know about. There need to be social networks where the well-defined norm is echoed, and lastly, there needs to be social sanctions or rewards for acted upon political behavior.
With these four conditions met, RSC theory provides current insight into the conflict that is faced by many Black voters—that of having to decide between personal gain or the social benefit that is gained when individual Blacks vote consistently in favor of candidates and policies that are in the interest of the Black community.
Throughout the remainder of the book, White & Laird further define and provide evidence for the four conditions necessary for RSC theory to function. They begin by explaining the importance of Black social networks. With the use of data from various surveys that span over 30 years, White & Laird are able to demonstrate the homogeneity in the social network of Black Americans. This is a key component for the theory because they contend that these networks give us insight regarding whether or not an individual will comply with the norms surrounding Black political behavior. Furthermore, this finding helps us see that RSC theory does hold as an explanation for the lack of defection by Black conservatives out of the Democratic Party.
In addition to demonstrating the composition of the social networks of Black Americans, the authors (White & Laird) also provide evidence for the psychological and social processes necessary for their theory to be maintained. Through the use of role identity theory, they provide evidence for how and why there continues to be compliance with the party identification norm when it comes to Black political decision-making. Role identity theory allows an individual to consider their own sense of self as the outcome of their interactions with others and the expectations held by in-group members regarding how the individual should behave, thus allowing for Black political behavior to be centered on the internalization of shared experiences, understandings, and expectations that have resulted from these experiences.
Lastly, White & Laird show the powerful role of institutions, such as the Black church and Black Twitter, as spaces where norms are further reinforced and as locations where there can be the implementation of social sanctions or rewards for deviating from or sticking with the in-group. Through clear, detailed, and accessible explanations, they provide evidence for their theory. They conclude by discussing the future of the Black voting bloc and pointing out the rise of social media as well as other factors such as the decline of membership in the Black church as examples of the possibility of a weaker voting bloc in years to come. However, as they note, these changes are coming slowly allowing the possibility for future research as well as more opportunities to test their theory.
The book did leave me wondering about whether there is any variation in the effects of RSC theory based on gender. Is there a gender gap here too? Additionally, there is no discussion regarding specific policy issues. Understanding the importance of specific policy issues for individual Blacks would also provide a more profound understanding of whether and how RSC theory actually influences political choices.
Overall, however, White & Laird provide a keen explanation for the Black voting bloc and the continual support of the Democratic Party despite the ideological deviation of some in the community. This book is a great and accessible addition to our understanding of Black politics.
