The United States of Suburbia

There was a time when cities were the dominant force in politics, controlling who was elected and what those candidates fought for in office. Roosevelt and Truman could not have reached the White House without crucial help from urban bosses, and Kennedy would have remained a senator forever without the powder keg of Chicago voters. But those days, like the conditions of our once prized cities, have changed! This book shows clearly that we have entered the "Suburban Century", when the voting muscle lies within the quiet, tree-lined streets of "the burbs", far away from the dangers of city life. The 1996 presidential race cemented the suburbs' control over politics with Clinton and Dole pressing the issues of the Baby Boomers taxes, medicare, business, and the environment while poverty, drug abuse, and crime were nearly swept under the campaign platforms. How did this dramatic power shift occur? What does it mean for the future? Noted journalist, demographer, and political analyst G. Scott Thomas has examined almost sixty years of elections and population shifts to illustrate suburbia's blueprint for the forces that will shape politics for the next century.