Monday, September 12, 2011

Nixonland

I'm reading Rick Perlstein's Nixonland.  It's the front-runner for book-of-the-year on my book list.  Here's the first paragraph of the preface:

In 1964, the Democratic presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson won practically the biggest landslide in American history, with 61.05 percent of the popular vote and 486 of 538 electoral college votes.  In 1972, the Republican presidential candidate won a strikingly similar landslide--60.67 percent and 520 electoral college votes.  In the eight years in between, the battle lines that define our culture and politics were forged in blood and fire.  This is a book about how that happened, and why.

You can expect an after-action report in about another week. 

3 comments:

  1. This period corresponds roughly with the plan hatched by Republicans to bring the South firmly and strongly into their camp by promoting a long term effort to blur the lines between church and state. To do it they used a catch phrase in various versions to scare the south, beware the "godless liberals". It will be interesting to know if the book addresses this. Perhaps it came just a bit later.

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  2. He goes into some detail about the "southern strategy." Hasn't really presented it the way that you suggest, though.

    You should read it. ; )

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  3. notacynic:

    Yes, there was some blood and a lot of fire. Keep us informed.

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