America's Forgotten Majority Why The White Working Class Still Matters

by Ruy Teixeira, Joel Townsley Rogers

Ruy Teixeira and Joel Rogers tackle a central mystery of twentieth-century electoral politics—how did the Democratic party lose the vote of the white working class, which today constitutes roughly 55 percent of the electorate? And why do both parties continue to ignore the wants and needs of this critical mass of American voters?This "forgotten majority" has played a decisive role in federal elections and policy over the past thirty years, but its experience of declining prosperity and party neglect over the last several decades has left its loyalties unstable. Teixeira and Rogers argue that it is time for politicians to realize that this group will shape the nation's political fortunes in 2000 and beyond.

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at both The Century Foundation and American Progress. He is also co-director of the States of Change: Demographics and Democracy project, a collaboration that brings together the Center for American Progress, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution.

His most recent book is The Optimistic Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think. His other books include The Emerging Democratic Majority; America’s Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters; The Disappearing American Voter; and Red, Blue and Purple America: The Future of Election Demographics.

Teixeira’s book The Emerging Democratic Majority, written with John Judis in 2002, was the most widely discussed political book of that year and generated praise across the political spectrum, from George Will on the right to E.J. Dionne on the left. It was selected as one of the best books of the year by The Economist.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

published in 2000... partially outdated but very relevant

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book. One of my favorite college professors was a co-author. I found the value section to be particularly helpful, along with the section on values. I also thought it was an excellent read (from the turn of the millennium mind you) when read with the Tea Party and Trump-like candidates growing in popularity. I am reading it alongside Professor Katherine Cramer's book on the Politics of Resentment and James Scott's book Seeing Like a State. I like observing the common threads running through this set of books.