Double Trouble: Black Mayors, Black Communities, and the Call for a Deep Democracy

J. Phillip Thompson III, an insider in the Dinkins administration, provides the first in-depth look at how the black mayors of America's major cities achieve social change. Black constituents naturally look to black mayors to effect great change for the poor, but the reality of the situation is complicated. Thompson argues that African-American mayors, legislators, and political activists need to more effectively challenge opinions and public policies supported by the white public and encourage greater political inclusion and open political discourse within black communities. Only by unveiling painful internal oppresssions and exclusions within black politics will the black community's power increase, and compel similar unveilings in the broader interracial conversation about the problems of the urban poor. Tracing the historical development and contemporary practice of black mayoral politics, this is a fascinating study of the motivations of black politicians, competing ideologies in the black community and the inner dynamics of urban social change.

About the Author :
J. Phillip Thompson, III is Associate Professor of Urban Politics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked for a decade in New York City government, serving as Deputy General Manager of the New York Housing Authority and as Director of the Mayor's Office of Housing Coordination and principal mayoral liaison to the 1991 New York City Council Re-Districting Commission during the Dinkins administration.

Review :
"It is, quite simply, impossible to understand the evolution of the racial foundations of urban politics--and, indeed, all of contemporary urban politics in America--without reading Double Trouble."--David N. Dinkins, 106th Mayor of New York City "Double Trouble's transformative and incisive critique challenges conventional wisdom from both the right and left: Forgo blind faith in identity politics, overcome the myth of expert racelessness and re-engage the urban poor in revitalizing not only our cities but also our democracy." --Lani Guinier, co-author of The Miner's Canary "J. Phillip Thompson's Double Trouble is an outstanding piece of scholarship that combines astute analysis of race and politics in America's cities with deep reflections on the theory and practice of democracy in the United States. It has much to offer not only students of American politics, but also those who are concerned about how deliberative democracy and pluralism works, or should work, in the nation's cities."--Michael Dawson, author of Behind the Mule and Black Visions "Thompson provides an original and compelling way to think about the possibilities inherent in urban politics. His call for deep democracy shows why broad civic engagement in the black community is a necessary first step in creating a genuinely new politics in America."--Margaret Weir, Professor of Political Science and Sociology, University of California, Berkeley "Double Trouble brilliantly and bravely dissects the central paradox facing black mayors: pushing too hard for racial justice will cost the support of white elites, while pushing too little will further alienate black voters. The compelling portrait of the Dinkins administration is the best description now available of this paradox in operation. This is a path-breaking book."--John Mollenkopf, author of The Contested City> "This theoretically bold and analytically brilliant book is an immediate classic. Double Trouble simultaneously exposes the vacuity of the liberal retreat from race and the savagery of the conservative manipulation of race. Anyone concerned with what politics and public policy can do to reduce inequality and to heal racial frictions must consider Thompson's indictment of both routine party politics and of black politics and heed his hopeful prescription for moving beyond the current stalemate."--Lawrence D. Bobo, Professor of Sociology, Stanford University "...a sharp analysis ...rich in detail... Overall, I found Thompson's argument persuasive and engaging. Double Trouble makes a fine contribution to the scholarly literature on black and urban politics and is a must read for all those who have a concern for the practicing of true democracy in our nation's urban politics."--Contemporary Sociology