tudy examined the effectiveness of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). The CBC was formed during the first Nixon Administration in 1971. Prior to the formation of the CBC, Black members of Congress had twice been denied access to President Nixon for the purpose of discussing the effects on Black Americans of administration policies and actions. The CBC was intended to maximize the collective influence of Black members of Congress. A decade later, however, "many Black legislators, including some of the CBC's original founders, became critical of the organization, viewing it as ineffectual and floundering." One of the problems encountered by the CBC was that, as its numerical strength increased, so did the diversity of the political interests and priorities of its membership.
In examining the effectiveness of the CBC, this study considered the numerical strength of the CBC, the organization's leadership, and the organization's legislative concerns, together with the CBC's effectiveness in addressing these concerns.
An hypothesis was formulated as a focus for this examination. It was hypothesized that the effectiveness of CBC is limited because it is perceived as a manifestation of interest group politics, as opposed to a competing political elite.
This examination was based in elite plural political theory. In defining the term "political elite," alternative models, of which there are several, that describe intrasocietal relationships were considered. Two such models relevant to this examination are the class model and the elite pluralist model.
The class model assumes divisions within a society along the lines of those present in British society, in which the working class, as an under class, is pitted against a business class, and even an upper class aristocracy. The elite pluralist model recognizes the presence in society of elites, and posits that classical democracy, as that ideal is embraced in the concept of ...