Eugene McCarthy: The Rise and Fall of Postwar American Liberalism

Undeniably, Eugene McCarthy remains one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century. A controversial figure within his own party, McCarthy can only be understood by the meticulously insightful probing into his Catholicism. Ironically, I found this part of the book somewhat complicated and difficult to understand-- especially Benedictine Catholicism. Fully comprehending what drove Eugene McCarthy remains unclear to me still, but Sandbrook offers a fair appraisal of his persona and influence. It is, to be sure, remarkably researched and extremely well written. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

With style and sophistication, Dominic Sandbrook's book traces the fortunes of liberalism through the career of former Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy. For anyone wanting to know why the Democrats have won the White House only three times since 1968: read this book. Along with liberalism's decline, Sandbrook also traces the rise of Reagan's conservatism and the rise of neo-conservatism, both of which have converged, with depressing results, in the current Bush administration. Moreover, McCarthy's eventful life itself makes for compelling reading. This is an outstanding example of political biography, a rare breed these days. Beuatifully written, tightly argued, and exhaustively researched, this is a must-read for anyone voting in November!

In this thoroughly researched and entertainingly written biography, British historian Dominic Sandbrook explores the highs and lows of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy's public life. Best know for his iconic 1968 presidential campaign and opposition to the war in Vietnam, Sandbrook places this well-known episode within the broader context of both McCarthy's own career and the shifting fortunes of Democratic Party liberalism. Sandbrook presents a nuanced explanation of how, by the middle 1960s, the party of Franklin Roosevelt had come to be deeply divided - with new black and radical constituencies pitted against old city bosses and organized labor; and the party itself increasingly out of touch with the 'bread and butter' concerns of white working class voters. While the story that Sandbrook tells is often a depressing one - charting failure at least as much as success, it is both an important tale, and one that is well told. His judgements on McCarthy's personality have been criticized by some as too harsh, but in fact Sandbrook goes to great lengths to be fair - dishing out praise as well as condemnation. Overall then, this is an engaging book, and essential reading for all who are interested in how modern American politics has come to be the way it is. Sandbrook's 'Eugene McCarthy', though, is unlikely to satisfy those who prefer to see the Senator as a heroic idealist, rather than as a flawed politician, who ultimately failed to fulfil his considerable potential and contributed significantly to the decline of his own party.

History will forever record Eugene McCarthy as the anti-war insurgent who felled a sitting President. But as Dominic Sandbrook demonstrates, McCarthy's legacy is much more nuanced and tortured than popularly imagined. If you fondly recall McCarthy's '68 campaign (this reader is too young to have any recollection of it whatsoever), Sandbrook's book is sure to give you pause. It portrays a reactionary eccentric often lost in the "Golden Age" of the Thirteenth Century; a lazy, often disengaged lawmaker with little to show for a 22-year legislative career; a spiteful, mean-spirited loner given to caustic mocking of friends and rivals alike; an untrustworthy person of questionable ethics despite strong Catholic convictions (a daily churchgoer who twice enrolled in the Benedictine order); a venal, self-absorbed politican who time and again puts himself ahead of loyalty to patrons and Party. This reader was struck by how thoroughly the Politics of Personality animates this book:* McCarthy supported first Humphrey then Stevenson in '60 because he believed that he -- not JFK -- deserved to be the first Irish Catholic President. ("I'm twice as liberal as Humphrey and twice as Catholic as Kennedy.")* McCarthy's personal animus for LBJ (his one-time patron) had its origins not in Vietnam policy, but McCarthy's treatment during the '64 VP selection process. ("What a sadistic son of a bitch.")* McCarthy's stated reason for launching his '68 campaign was to either compel LBJ to change his Vietnam policy or prod RFK to enter the race. When RFK finally did announce for President, McCarthy reneged on this commitment. (McCarthy's nonplussed reaction to news of RFK's murder: "He brought it on himself, demagoguing to the last.")* When Humphrey (a McCarthy patron dating back to '48) finally wrested the Democratic nomination, a brooding McCarthy refused to lift a finger in support, finally offering a desultory endorsement a week before the election. More vigorous support from McCarthy certainly could have been enough for Humphrey to close a 500,000 popular vote deficit. (Humphrey: "The only tender a politican has is his word and Gene's currency is devalued ... A strange man.")This book is filled with revelatory (for this reader) anecdotes. For example: Humphrey probably financially supported McCarthy's insurgency to brake RFK in the primaries. (Humphrey did not compete in the primaries.)In terms of engrossing storylines and powerful personalities, the Sixties represented the high war mark of Presidential politics. This new McCarthy biography is a terrific read for anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of that epoch, although readers will be hard pressed to come away with an enhanced opinion of McCarthy himself.

The Eugene McCarthy that emerges in the pages of Dominic Sandbrook's biography is a strange, unpleasant, embittered man. McCarthy's place in the liberal pantheon was forever secured by his challenge to Lyndon Johnson's renomination for the presidency in 1968. Yet Sandbrook argues persuasively that while McCarthy may have won the battle by forcing Johnson into retirement, he--and American liberalism--ultimately lost the war. This book is primarily a political biography, but Sandbrook gives us the basics of McCarthy's childhood, education, and pre-political career. He emphasizes the great role European Catholic thought played in shaping his values--an influence that was deeply felt throughout his political career. The Eugene McCarthy who was elected to the U.S. House in 1948 and moved up to the Senate a decade later was a classic postwar liberal, working to fulfill and extend the New Deal and the Fair Deal, and like his colleagues, unquestioning in his acceptance of the dogmas of the Cold War.In Sandbrook's view, 1964 was a pivotal year. It represented both the high tide of postwar liberalism and the apparent end of the political road for Eugene McCarthy. His hope to be the first Catholic on a successful presidential ticket had been dashed with John F. Kennedy's election. But 1964 seemed to pose a new opportunity, as Lyndon Johnson flirted for weeks with the possibility of choosing McCarthy as his running mate The eventual selection of McCarthy's Minnesota colleague, Hubert Humphrey, appeared to spell the end to his hopes for higher office.Then came the escalation of the Vietnam war and the summers of racial unrest. By 1967, the anti-war movement was casting about for a candidate with enough stature to challenge Johnson, and McCarthy offered himself, apparently at first never hoping for the top prize, but instead expecting to yield to Robert Kennedy or a chastened Johnson.Sandbrook chronicles that fateful campaign, along with McCarthy's many subsequent bids for office, all of which ended in failure. He credits McCarthy's 1976 independent presidential campaign as helping pave the way for John Anderson, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader; but his bid to return to the Senate in 1982 and his presidential campaigns in 1988 and 1992 only come across as sad exercises in self-delusional nostalgia.Those who wish to romanticize McCarthy's memory will be jarred by this book. But those who are willing to take a clear-eyed, unsentimental look at the man and his times will find much of value to consider regarding the postwar era of American politics.--William C. Hall