The nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights who was
dumped by President Clinton in the face of right-wing pressure
offers the academic writings that were distorted into soundbites
and led to her being labeled a "quota queen" by the Wall Street
Journal and others. Guinier (Law/Univ. of Pennsylvania) proclaims
herself a "democratic idealist," and in her introductory chapter
she claims credibly that her ideas are not out of the mainstream.
Unfortunately, as Yale law professor Stephen Carter (The Culture of
Disbelief, 1993) states in a savvy preface, the withdrawal of
Guinier's nomination deprived us of a chance at a "national
seminar" on race and politics. Guinier's footnote-laden essays,
aimed at academics, are heavy going, but her points are
challenging. The Voting Rights Act, she argues, has been more
successful in achieving the election of black officials than in
altering the conditions of their constituents. She cogently
suggests that winner-take-all voting systems that consistently
exclude minorities are undemocratic. But she argues against remedy
by gerrymandering, calling attention, in an example, to the status
of blacks and Asians in New York City's new, geographically
distorted "Latino" congressional district. Instead, she advocates
cumulative voting, which is used in corporate elections. Thus, in
at-large races for several seats, a minority voter can wield
influence by clustering his or her several ballots for a preferred
candidate. Yes, Guinier's view of the ideological homogeneity of
African-Americans calls for debate, but her much-lambasted critique
of who is an "authentic" black leader is actually fairly subtle, if
murkily expressed. More an artifact than a full exposition of the
issues involved, but a primary source response to a craven episode
in nomination history. (Kirkus Reviews)
At last...the public hearing she was denied...These essays reveal keen powers of analysis applied to some of the most obdurate problems that bedevil electoral politics. Anyone who cares about the mechanisms of democracy should be engaged by her tough-minded explorations. It doesn't matter where you think you stand: it's all here, to argue or agree with.
-- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Lani Guinier's fascinating book is a prophetic intervention into a public conversation we desperately need to rejuvenate. There is no doubt that her powerful voice will produce good consequences for our nation and world.
-- Cornel West, Author of Race Matters
Intriguing and desperately needed...
-- The San Francisco Chronicle
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