Sep 21, 2009 — See The Washington Post
Race has leapt back into the political conversation following former president Jimmy Carter's assertion that many of the attacks against the White House were motivated by the color of President Obama's skin. The debate underscores not only the country's racial sensitivities but also the American political divide. Authors Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler offer a perspective in their book "Authoritarianism & Polarization in American Politics," published last month by Cambridge University Press. Hetherington is a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University and Weiler is director of undergraduate studies and adjunct assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
