A Kinder, Gentler Racism?

This title was first published in 1993. One of the tests to which we subject our presidents concerns their capacity to lead, their ability to achieve their political and policy goals. This is the test of whether presidents make a difference to their institution, their government, and their country. Professor Steven A. Shull applies this test to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. His focus is on their civil rights policies, not only in theory and rhetoric, but also in practice. Shull examines this area of public policy as a measure of presidential leadership and substantive policy change. The objective of this volume is to document how two conservative presidents confronted and confounded a policy they opposed: the primacy of the national government in ensuring social and economic equity, particularly among minorities and women.