Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006
Nash, Jere and Andy Taggart. Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006.
Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2006.
403 pp. $20.80 (hardcover)
Nash and Taggart started out to tell the story of the quest for political power and the use of justice to govern the state of Mississippi. The authors readily admitted their goal was too narrow to deal with the reality of political change in Mississippi between 1976 and 2006, and they recognized the need to expand on that original purpose. What resulted is a comprehensive, well documented political history of that period. As early as 1890, white Democrats began actively pushing a wedge between
the white and black citizens of Mississippi and effectively allowing the Democratic party to hold control of state offices. Mississippi Politics documents the shift in political power from the Democrats to the Republicans beginning in 1976 when the state gave its last electoral votes to a Democratic presidential candidate. Until the shift of power away from Democratic control, Republicans and African-Americans held little political power in Mississippi. After seventy years, the Democratic stronghold began to weaken. Now, under Governor Haley Barbour, Republican elected officials at both the state and federal levels far outnumber elected Democrats. Nash and Taggart explore numerous issues associated with the shift in political affiliation in Mississippi, including educational commitment, the creation of jobs, protection and conservation of the environment, maintenance and expansion of the state’s roads and bridges, criminal prosecution, assistance to residents below the poverty line, casino gambling, health care, the tobacco industry, and the insurance industry. While this book is scholarly in its treatment of the subjects covered, it is intended for a general audience with an interest in politics and history. The book offers well written coverage of the stated issues of the acquisition and exercise of power, the growth of the Republican Party, the legislative struggle for power, the influence of voting rights on these power struggles, and the empowering of African-American Mississippians. The authors have been successful in their efforts to encompass these issues and to present them in a way for a general audience to explore. Mississippi Politics is well written and well documented. The authors have cited numerous sources from other written works, court documents, newspaper articles, and government reports. Quotes are used carefully and effectively throughout the work. This book is highly recommended for university, college, community college, and larger public libraries.
Elizabeth M. Doolittle
Public Services Librarian
University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park
Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: June 26th, 2008
