The Men and the Moment: The Election of 1968 and the Rise of Partisan Politics in America

by Aram Goudsouzian

The presidential election of 1968 forever changed American politics. In this character-driven narrative history, Aram Goudsouzian portrays the key transformations that played out over that dramatic year. It was the last "Old Politics" campaign, where political machines and party bosses determined the major nominees, even as the "New Politics" of grassroots participation powered primary elections. It was an election that showed how candidates from both the Left and Right could seize on "hot-button" issues to alter the larger political dynamic. It showcased the power of television to "package" politicians and political ideas, and it played out against an extraordinary dramatic global tableau of chaos and conflict. More than anything else, it was a moment decided by a contest of political personalities, as a group of men battled for the presidency, with momentous implications for the nation's future.

Well-paced, accessible, and engagingly written, Goudsouzian's book chronicles anew the characters and events of the 1968 campaign as an essential moment in American history, one with clear resonance in our contemporary political moment.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2019

Reviews

[Kimba Tichenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced introduction, based largely on published primary sources, to the 1968 US presidential election. What was most striking for me were the parallels between the populist and racist third-party candidacy of George Wallace and that of Donald Trump, including slogans and placards that read, “Liberalism is responsible for degeneracy in America and “Keep America Free.” Dixie was played at rallies, and “a good crowd got excited, angry even spiritually or sexually aroused.” Wallace, like Trump, used simple language to tap into festering resentments. The difference was that both mainstream parties steered clear of Wallace, rather than embrace him. Thus, his brand of right-wing, racist populism garnered momentum but not enough to seize the White House. Sadly that is no longer the case, since this form of populism has taken over the Republican Party.

[Porter Broyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick introduction to the 1968 election. The first 8 chapters are on the major Democratic, Republican, and Independent candidates that ran for their party's nomination (and/or for President) in 1968.

If you are looking for an in depth book on the subject, this isn't it---but that's a given given it's length. For what it is, it was very well done.

[Steve B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly wonderful and concise view of one of the most incredible presidential elections in the 20th century. 1968 was an exceptionally disruptive and chaotic year. The war in Vietnam was raging, anti war demonstrations erupted on college campuses throughout the country, the incumbent president(LBJ) announces he will not run for reelection, Martin Luther King is assassinated and the cities erupt, Bobby Kennedy is assassinated after winning the California Democrat primary and one of the most racist bigoted governor in America, George Wallace, runs a credible 3rd party candidacy threatening to throw the election to the House of Representatives.
Against this backdrop, Goudsouzian plots the election through the men who aspire to the presidency in 68. It was a collection of liberals(both Dem and Rep), conservatives and moderates. McCarthy: the anti war candidate; Bobby Kennedy: the passionate liberal and Cold Warrior; Nelson Rockefeller: liberal Republican governor of New York, George Romney: the brilliant centrist governor of Michigan; Ronald Reagan: the up and coming conservative governor of California;George Wallace: the demagogue from Alabama; and finally Nixon: the flawed but ambitious and politically connected master politician and Humphrey, the liberal from Minnesota who was running with anvil of being Johnsons VP and the taint of Vietnam. Goudsouzian weaves the story of the campaign and the personalities together brilliantly.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, well written but not groundbreaking work of modern history.

Remarkably short, and yet deftly sketches each of the main candidates and a good number of the minor figures in one of the most exciting elections in post war America.

The McCarthy portrait in particular is well done.

What is missing is the argument in the title--the rise of partisanship? Hardly. It's a case not made in this short book, and probably could not be made. Polarization, maybe. But partisanship had been an embedded feature of US politics for decades. If not more. Indeed, this was a partisan shifting election, if anything, as the FDR coalition disintegrated.

So, worthwhile for a generalist who doesn't know the election well, but not for the expert too much. It is entirely based on secondary sources, for one thing.

[Roger Kreuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent review of the personalities involved in the 1968 election. I had thought I was familiar with this story, but I learned a great deal. Goudsouzian's prose is very accessible, and his account reads more like a novel than history. Highly recommended.

[Kyle Etzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breezy but interesting overview of the major candidates and the election overall. It’s severely off topic, but the most interesting thing for me was finding out Nixon’s favorite snack was cottage cheese with ketchup—it’s just SO appropriate.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent review of the key players in the 1968 election.

9 votes out of 10.

[CC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough examination of the politics of influence in the year of 1968 and beyond. LBJ, Richard Nixon, Eugene McCarthy, Nelson Rockefeller, Bobby Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Hubert Humphrey, and George Wallace were the major players of that time. Goudsouzian's analysis enlightens us about how we became what we are today.

One major excerpt that makes my head spin is about candidate Richard Nixon, and his underhanded sabotage of the South Vietnamese peace talks negotiating a cease fire. It has been since confirmed by the NSA that there existed a liaison between the Nixon campaign and the South Vietnamese government in the fall of 1968. This is treason, according to the Logan Act of 1799, when an American citizen interferes with diplomatic negotiations. It certainly influenced the outcome of the election, as was Nixon's motive. (And, I think, how many more soldiers had to die because of Nixon's dark plotting?)

Another excerpt: "George Wallace did not win the presidential election of 1968, but he shifted the entire trajectory of American politics. He exposed the nation's foul underbelly of racism, violence, and fear, and he linked those impulses to a romantic nostalgia for the American past, a celebration of self-reliance, and an antipathy toward federal power. Amidst the turmoil of 1968, he forged a language of populist conservatism that never went away." This, to me, seems to be the language employed today of conservative leaders to normalize racism and xenophobia.

Having lived through 1968, I've often wondered, what if...? If a nation can turn on a dime, this was the year. 2020 turned out to be another one.