Clean for Gene: Eugene McCarthy's 1968 Presidential Campaign

by George Rising

Overview

Most scholars agree that 1968 was a watershed in U.S. political history. And Senator Eugene McCarthy's anti-Vietnam War presidential campaign was a main catalyst for the year's events. McCarthy's near upset of President Lyndon B. Johnson in the first presidential primary in New Hampshire dramatically illustrated the divisions within the Democratic party, brought Senator Robert F. Kennedy into the race, led to Johnson's withdrawal, and undercut the radical New Left antiwar movement. This work has two main purposes. First, it seeks to delineate Eugene McCarthy's conservative-liberal ideology and, in so doing, contrast it to the ideology of the New Left antiwar movement. And second, it seeks to describe the historical context, causes, important events, and effects of McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275958411
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/19/1997
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)
Lexile:	1460L (what's this?)

About the Author

George Rising is a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: "Dump Johnson"
Eugene McCarthy and Conservative Liberalism
The Early New Left's Critique of Liberalism
Vietnam, Counterculture, and "New Politics"
"McCarthy for President"
Epilogue: 1968 and Beyond
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

[T]he book is worth reading as a synthesis, summary, and reminder of the causes, events, and putative effects of McCarthy's presidential campaign. It effectively compares and contrasts McCarthy's views with those of the New Left and the counterculture and peace movement. Anyone interested in the period will find a cornucopia of sources and references.” —Choice

From the Publisher

Explores the divisions that existed between liberals and leftists within the anti-Vietnam War movement by examining Senator Eugene McCarthy's 1968 antiwar presidential campaign. Traces the roots of McCarthy's political philosophy, analyzes the critique of moderate Cold War liberalism by the early New Left, examines the failure of Johnson's attempt to maintain the status quo of Cold War liberalism, and details the campaign and its impact on the Democratic Party. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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