Gary James explores electoral politics from the 1960s to present day (2014), providing a portal to black American contemporary politics. His insightful book discusses the internal dynamic between the civil rights and black power juxtaposition. Two main characters animate the narrative, Spike and CadreUSA, who hold an informal dialogue on black politics from their respective points of view. Apart from the traditional perspectives that are contrasted in the political conversation of African Americans - from Africa to the Caribbean to the American mainland - the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 as the first African American president has overshadowed and colored the conversation among black Americans in particular. This stunning and politically earth-shattering event had an incendiary impact on the popular political imagination, igniting and inspiring many questions and speculations relative to the trajectory of American politics. Some of these questions, speculations, and perspectives are debated by the two main characters. The setting is Harlem, and the period is now. A product of the 1960s black consciousness generation by way of the civil rights and black power political movements, Gary James was a staff organizer based in New York City for the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) from 1965 to 1971. In addition to being a role player in the civil rights movement under the umbrella of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, he enjoyed a colorful political career as a leader of the grassroots activist wing of the Republican Party beginning in the 1980s. The story line and subtext of
Black Politics 2.0
is experientially based and offers a perspective of an expert witness as well as a role player. This is his fifth book.