Minorities and women and the Political Process

Group Task - To what extent are some citizens in a world power

you have studied disadvantaged politically

• Each group will research a different aspect of political progress of minorities in the USA

• Task is to produce 1 or 2 PowerPoint slides with KNOWLEDGE and ANALYSIS

• Should be relevant to the question above• Group will present to the class• I’ll collate the slides produced and give

them to you as a hand-out

Not Disadvantaged (made progress)

Disadvantaged (lack of progress

1. Recent improvements in elections for minorities2008 and 2012 elections, first non-white President etc.More minorities participating

5. Representation of minorities politically – e.g. in 2015 (114th Congress, minorities are 34% of population but only make up 17% of elected representatives)

2. Influence in key statesHispanics in Texas, Florida etc.

6. Language barrier, Registration issues – research how this affects Hispanics and other minorities

3. Recent improvements for women – Clinton running for President, 114th Congress more representative than ever before ...signs of progress

7. Poor representation of women politically (population compared to representatives etc., never a female President etc.)

4. Influence of Black and Hispanic Caucuses – find out what these are and how they represent minorities

8. Link to poverty – reasons why minorities don’t vote, lack of role models etc.

Minorities and the Political Process

• In the exam, you may be asked about “influencing the political process and opportunities for participation”.

• This means you might get a question about groups which may have a lack of opportunity in terms of participating politically.

• If this question comes up, you would focus on how ethnic minorities face inequalities in the US political system.

Minorities and the Political Process

• With the election of President Obama it could be argued that a person’s ethnic background is no longer important in politics.

• However, despite winning the election, Obama’s opponent in 2008 (McCain) polled marginally more of the total white vote than he did. In 2012, Romney again won the white vote.

• Also, in many of the States of the South and Mid West, Obama attracted little support outside minority groups. Ethnicity is still, therefore, important in US elections…but to what extent?

• Historically, fewer Blacks and other minorities have turned out to vote than Whites (see graph below). In recent years, however, the number of Blacks and Hispanics registering and voting has increased.

• In 2008, around 64% of Whites voted but for the first time a greater number of Blacks voted (74%). In addition, 44% of Hispanics and 29% of Asians also cast their vote. Why?

• Obama – For the first time in history a non-White candidate was nominated by one of the two major parties. 95% of Blacks voted for Obama along with 66% of Hispanics. Obama was also seen by enough Whites as someone who would unite the country and bring economic stability.

Minorities and the Political Process

Minority Representation in the US Cabinet

Minorities and the Political Process

Apart from Obama, there are a number of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the US Cabinet including:

•Ken Salazar (Hisp.) – Sec. of the Interior (above)

•Eric Holder (Black) – Attorney General

•Hilda Solis (API) – Secretary of Labor

•Gary Locke (API) – Secretary of Commerce

•Steve Chu (API) – Secretary for Energy

•Eric Shinseki (API) – Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs

Overview of the 113th Congress

• The 113th US Congress was the 2014 meeting of the legislature of the US Federal Government. It was the most diverse Congress in US history.

• However, although minority representation has improved in Congress, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians remain under-represented in the US Congress. Most lawmakers are white men.

Minority Representation in 113th Congress

Black Senators - 1 out of 100 – Tim Scott, below (first Black Senator since 1979), Black Congressmen/women - 42 out of 435.

Hispanic Senators 3; Congressmen 29.

API Senators 1; Congressmen 10.

Native American Congressmen - 2

Minorities and the Political Process

114th Congress is most diverse ever

• This Congress began in January 2015• Overall, non-whites (including blacks,

Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans) make up 17% of the new Congress, but that is below these groups’ 38% share of the nation’s population.

• This is an improvement – the 107th Congress took office in 2001 and minorities only accounted for 12% of Congress

Minorities and the Political Process – The Supreme Court and

Elsewhere• There are nine Supreme Court judges. Until recently, only one was from a minority group – Judge Clarence Thomas. However, the first Hispanic Supreme Court judge was recently appointed - Sonia Sotomayor.

• There have only ever been four Black State Governors including NY State’s David Paterson. At the time of writing, there are no Hispanic Governors although there is one Indian-American - Louisiana Governor ‘Bobby’ Jindal.

• There are many people from ethnic minority groups who are city mayors including Douglas Palmer, Trenton New Jersey’s first Black mayor. Overall, however, minorities remain under-represented in US politics.

Potential Essay - To what extent are some citizens in a world power you

have studied disadvantaged politically?

• For this essay you can focus on ethnic minorities and/or women.

• Essentially you would give information showing that these groups are disadvantaged and also that perhaps they are not (or that situation is improving)

Disadvantaged?- Representation at Federal Level

• 114th Congress began in January 2015 and followed the 2014 mid-term elections.

• Overall, non-whites (including blacks, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans) make up 17% of the new Congress, but that is below these groups’ 38% share of the nation’s population.

• Analysis - This is an improvement – the 107th Congress took office in 2001 and minorities only accounted for 12% of Congress, however minorities still clearly under-represented. This suggests that whilst progress is slowly being made, minorities are still some way off equal representation.

Progress? - Representation at Federal Level

• However, 2014 saw the election of the first black senator in the south since the 19th century – Tim Scott in South Carolina (Republican)

• Mia Love became the first African American woman to be elected to the Senate.

• In total minorities make up 17% of Congress which is a 5% improvement since 2001.

• Analysis – this shows that there have been historic gains for minorities recently proving that some progress is being made politically.

Progress - Influence in Key States

• More recently, minorities have had a greater impact during elections, especially in certain states

• More and more Hispanic voters are registering to vote• Hispanic voters have huge influence in states bordering Mexico and

also in Florida• Minorities make up over one third of the US population and this

increases every year• For presidential elections, minority votes often concentrated in key

‘swing states giving minorities disproportionate influence in those states, e.g. California, Texas, New York and Florida.

• Hispanic vote crucial in closely divided states of Colorado, New Mexico, California, Arizona

• At the moment Democrats dominate minority vote although Republicans are making inroads in recruiting minority support

• Analysis – The growing population and voter registration of Hispanics means that they are beginning to have more of an impact on elections, especially in states with high minority populations.

Disadvantaged? - Influence in Key States

• However, there are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants (mostly from Mexico) in the USA

• Not allowed to vote (can’t register, always at risk of being deported)

• Analysis – Although Hispanics having more influence in certain states, the fact that many are illegal immigrants means that they have no voice politically. Unless an amnesty is given to these immigrants they will continue to be excluded.

Progress – Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

• This is a group made up of all black politicians in Congress (all Democrats bar one)

• Current leader of CBC is G. K. Butterfield. 46 members in total.• Aims are to positively influence decision-making relevant to

African-Americans and others of similar experience and situation, and achieve greater equality for persons of African descent

• Because the group vote together they are influential – winning the votes of the CBC means you have 46 votes

• Even though blacks are under-represented overall, the CBC has been able to give blacks a voice and put important issues on the agenda including civil rights

• Many are experienced senior representatives holding key positions giving them more influence

• Analysis – The CBC’s influence is evidence of progress made by African Americans politically. This organised group of representatives has been able to effectively represent the interests of blacks in the US for several decades.

Progress – Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

• The CBC have great influence.• At the moment Congress is controlled by

Republicans but because the CBC is a large group they have huge bargaining power

• If the Congressional leadership need votes, they may approach the CBC who would demand something in return. E.g. improved civil rights legislation, funding to help minorities in poor areas etc.

• Analysis – The ability of the CBC to influence decision-making is clear evidence that African Americans have made political progress.

Progress? – Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Hispanic

Conference• Similar groups in Congress representing Hispanics• Caucus is for Hispanic Democrats, Conference is for

Hispanic Republicans• Act in the interests of Hispanic Americans• However, not as influential as CBC – fewer in prominent

positions and therefore less influence. Also fewer Hispanics in Congress overall.

• Also, original single caucus split over party lines – no unified front like with CBC

• However, this may change with growing population and participation of Hispanics

• Analysis – Hispanics can exert influence through these groups in Congress. Although not currently as influential as CBC, the changing demographics in the US mean that their influence is likely to grow in the coming years

Lack of progress - Language Barriers

• Some reports suggest that 60 million Americans do not speak English at home

• Many Hispanic Americans speak Spanish as their first language

• In California, nearly half of children do not speak English at home

• Analysis - This could be a barrier to taking part in politics since candidates would require to have good English and voters would likely have to understand ballot papers written in English

Progress? - Language barriers

• However, the Democrats and Republicans have more recently realised the importance of winning the Hispanic vote

• Polling stations and ballot papers now have instructions in Spanish in some states like California

• Not unusual to see “Vote Aqui” (vote here) outside polling stations

• Analysis – the fact that some states help Hispanic voters to vote by having instructions in Spanish illustrates the fact that the so-called language barrier does not always prevent Hispanics from voting. As Republicans and Democrats compete for the Hispanic vote it is likely that more Hispanic voters will be more able to vote and therefore overall Hispanics will continue to make progress politically.

Progress? – Minority Candidates

• Democrats and Republicans are now more likely than ever to run minority candidates, particularly in states with large minority populations

• Today, many cities with large minority populations have elected minority mayors, including San Antonio (Texas) and Providence (Rhode Island)

• The Democrats have had many minority candidates in recent years, and indeed the current Democrat President is African American.

• The Republican Party now realise the importance of gaining minority votes and so are actively looking for minority candidates to run for office, for example Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio (both Hispanic) are Republican candidates to be nominees for the 2016 Presidential election.

• Analysis – With the growing population of minorities in the USA, more minority candidates are likely to achieve electoral success as the main two political parties compete for minority votes. For example, by selecting minority candidates to run for federal elections, the parties would hope to win more seats in Congress.

Progress - 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections

• 2008 election a historic one• First non-white President elected• Analysis of the way different ethnic groups voted

proves how influential the minority vote is• For the first time in history a non-White candidate

was nominated by one of the two major parties. • 95% of Blacks voted for Obama along with 66% of

Hispanics. • Obama was also seen by enough Whites as

someone who would unite the country and bring economic stability.

• Most whites voted for the Republican candidate John McCain.

Progress - 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections

• The story was similar in 2012 – this time most whites voted for Mitt Romney but Obama won overall.

• Looking at the changing demographics of the United States population and its effects on the electorate, it is easy to conclude that the Hispanic community is growing as a political force.

• In the 2012 presidential election, the Hispanic vote share reached an all time high of 10%, with the conclusion being that the community was decisive in deciding the outcome of the election.

• While taking note of this, both political parties courted minorities aggressively in the last election cycle, with President Obama even going as far as offering a controversial immigration policy

• Analysis – Although most whites voted against Obama in both 2008 and 2012, the fact that such high percentages of minorities voted Obama ensured his victory, showing that the minority vote was crucial in deciding the outcome of the election.

Disadvantaged - Women

• Women are still hugely under-represented politically in the USA.

• Women make up over 50% of the population, but…

• U.S. Senators 17.%

• Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 16.8%

• State Governors 12.%

• State-wide Elected Officials 22.4%

• State Legislators 23.6%

• Mayors of the 100 Largest Cities 12%

Disadvantaged - Women

• The UK, Argentina, Brazil and Germany have all had women as their top Leaders.

• Hilary Clinton may be one of the front runners for the 2016 Presidential election yet women are still vastly underrepresented.

• America now ranks ninety-eighth in the world for percentage of women in its national legislature, down from 59th in 1998. Just behind Kenya and Indonesia.

Reasons for Underrepresentation• The common reason that is given for women not taking

part in politics is family commitments. • Makes it more difficult for women to navigate around the

political arena. • It is true that female candidates are more likely to be

asked about family issues than their male counterparts. • However, some commentators have argued that this is

not really the main reason. • The critical factor is that women are less likely to be

encouraged to run and less likely to be considered as a potential candidate.

• Women believe that they wouldn’t do as well as men in an election.

• Candidates are often recruited within the male-dominated sphere.

Progress for Women

• Three out of the nine Supreme Court Justices are female.

• Nancy Pelosi has been speaker of the House of Representatives since 1992. (She is Democrat so now leads the minority)

• Hilary Clinton is the forerunner in the 2016 Presidential race, she was former Secretary of State for Obama. Has she paved the way for more women?

• During Obama’s first term, 36% of his appointments were women.

• Half of President Obama's White House staff is composed of women. This includes his highly-valued advisor, Valerie Jarrett, an African American woman.

• White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, recently said, "The president believes that diversity is important because having diversity increases the excellence of the pool of advisers around you”

Video Clips…

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEelLKhMteY – 2012 presidential election – end of the “White Establishment”?

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKfmcqv18iw – 2012 election by ethnicity

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aDqCwXBn_0 – Obama state of the union 2015

Possible Exam Question

1. To what extent are some citizens in a world power you have studied disadvantaged politically?

20 marks