"Branded a crook, profiled three times by 60 Minutes, slammed in East Coast newspapers, Edwards embraced a maverick, gambling, womanizing reputation with comedic relish. But one day the laughter ran out. Was he a crook? Or did the feds seek to silence him? Here is an unvarnished, inside truth about American politics, the media, the punsters, campaign hacks, federal agents and the fickle public. This will answer many questions about why the system is so screwed up and why the Status Quo remains the status quo." --Cover, p. 4.

A corrupt old Democrat. A surging Republican populist. The Democrat, hounded by corruption allegations; the Republican, dogged by business failures and ties to white supremacists. The Republican turned out thousands of screaming supporters for speeches blaming illegal immigrants and crime on the Democrats, and the Democrat plummeted in the polls. Sound familiar? The '91 Louisiana Governor's race was supposed to be forgettable. But when former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke shocked the nation by ousting incumbent Republican Governor Buddy Roemer in the primary, the world took notice. Democrat Edwin Edwards, a former three-term governor and two-time corruption defendant, was left alone to face Duke in the general election—and he was going to lose. Then a little-known state committeewoman stepped in with evidence of Duke's nefarious past. Could her evidence be enough to sway the minds of fired-up voters, or would Louisiana welcome a far-right radical into the highest office in the state? Journalist Brian Fairbanks explores how the final showdown between Duke and Edwards in November 1991 led to a major shift in our national politics, as well as the rise of the radical right and white supremacist groups, and how history repeated itself in the 2016 presidential election. The story of these political "wizards," almost forgotten by history, remains eerily prescient and disturbingly relevant, and a compulsive page-turner.

Stressing the relevance of The Transformation of Southern Politics as a background for understanding the South into the next century, Jack Bass and Walter De Vries write that the "themes of change in southern politics still involve the rise of the Republican Party, black political development and the Democratic response to it--and the interaction of these forces with social and economic issues." The Transformation of Southern Politics examines the post-World War II political evolution of the eleven southern states and traces the effects of such influences as Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, urban migration, the growth of the Republican Party, and the rise of African Americans in the political landscape. Relying on the methodology that V. O. Key used in his 1949 classic Southern Politics in State and Nation, the work draws on interviews with more than 360 politicians, scholars, journalists, and labor leaders, and includes a wealth of data on voting trends, political perceptions, and population flow to present a comprehensive portrait of the region up to the 1976 presidential election. In the preface to the Brown Thrasher edition, Bass and De Vries offer an overview of the region's current political climate, including an analysis of the 1994 mid-term elections. They also provide excerpts from their interview with Bill Clinton during his first campaign for political office.

Big City Politics in Transition is a good reference volume packed with much important and up-to-date information. --Environment and Planning "A timely book that revisits the field so well described by Edward Banfield (Big City Politics, 1965) as of the early 1960s but which has changed greatly since then. . . . Each profile shows a high level of research, and the notes provide a thorough bibliography of the literature. A tremendously useful book for readers at all levels." --Choice "This book was inspired by Edward Banfield′s Big City Politics of 1965. [In Big City Politics in Transition] the introduction amply justifies the need for a new volume. . . . This multiauthored volume examines thirteen cities: Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Saint Louis, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Each chapter traces the economic, social, and political changes since 1965 and current political problems. . . . It is impossible to do justice to all thirteen studies in a short review but this book represents a very useful summation of the current state of the major US cities." --Environment and Planning C In 1965 Big City Politics ambitiously attempted to describe the workings of America′s big cities, using nine large U.S. cities as examples. By the time it was published, urban racial conflict, declining economic power, and growing concentrations of low-income populations had changed the face of the urban political scene. Big City Politics in Transition examines how government and administration in America′s largest cities have changed between 1960 and 1990. The contributors to this intriguing volume trace demographic and economic change over this vital and, at times, turbulent period, explaining what those changes mean for politics, policies, and the general quality of life. The chapters address the demographics and economic base of the cities under consideration, the role and structure of city government, including interaction with state houses, suburbs and Washington, DC, and the roles played by interest groups and political influentials. The cities profiled include: Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Underlying these concerns is an examination of the political character of the city, (the composition and cohesion of the coalitions, groups, organizations, and individual actors that shape major decisions). A balanced and insightful look at urban politics in the late 20th century, this volume will enlighten academics and professionals in urban studies, policy studies, and political science.