The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s

By Robert Weisbrot and G. Calvin Mackenzie

Book Overview

A vibrant and revelatory history of the liberal moment of the 1960s, one which argues that Washington was not simply a target of reform but was, in fact, the era’s most effective engine of change In most accounts of the 1960s, Washington is portrayed as a target of reform—a reluctant group of politicians coaxed into accepting the radical spirit the day demanded. In the newest volume in the award-winning Penguin History of American Life, Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot argue that the most powerful agents of change in the 1960s were, in fact, those in the traditional seats of power, not the counterculture. A masterly new interpretation of this pivotal decade, The Liberal Hour explores the seismic shifts that led to an era when demands that had lingered on the political agenda for years finally entered the realm of possibility. By the time John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960, the political system that had prevailed for most of the century was based on crumbling economic, social, and demographic realities. The growth of the suburbs meant power had shifted out of the cities, rendering urban political machines and party bosses increasingly irrelevant, which in turn allowed younger, more independent-minded politicians to rise. In Congress, Democrats retained their long held control, but the Southern wing of the party was finally loosening its grip. Postwar prosperity led many Americans to believe there was enough wealth to go around, an optimism that lent powerful support to antipoverty programs, not to mention civil rights. And for once the Supreme Court, which has traditionally served the country’s dominant interests, was aligned with the progressive spirit of the age. The 1960s all in all represented a rare convergence—a public ready for change, and a government ready to act. Liberal reform may have begun with JFK’s New Frontier, but his assassination only gave emotional urgency to his agenda. His successor, Lyndon Johnson, knew he had a brief window of opportunity before the forces of reaction would set in, an awareness that may have fostered his occasionally bullying tactics to push legislation through Congress. Still, the result was a burst in government initiatives—for civil rights, consumer protection, and environmental reform, among others—that has not been matched in American history. Ultimately, as our authors reveal, the liberal hour promised too much, and couldn’t afford both a costly and unpopular war abroad and a Great Society at home, but when it passed it left in its wake a vastly altered American landscape. With elegant and accessible prose, The Liberal Hour casts one of the most dramatic periods in American history in a new light, revealing that for all that has been written about the more attention-grabbing protest movements, the most powerful engine of change in that tumultuous decade was Washington itself.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594201706
• ISBN13: 9781594201707
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Scholarly Treatment of the Liberal Political Initiatives 1963-1966 But Slanted (Liberals are ALWAYS

The authors have done a creditable job in presenting the political initiatives effected by the liberal majority in Congress, the President (Johnson) and the Warren Court in the heyday of liberal control from 1963 through 1966. Unfortunately, there is liberal spin throughout the book such as when the authors describe Kennedy's legislative program as "hardly exceptional" when a better term would have been "dismal" or "greatly disappointing." There are also some errors of fact such as saying that Kennedy (due to his friendship and support of Joseph McCarthy) was the last senator to condemn McCarthy when he actually absented himself from the censure vote. There is also the problem of the authors' listing three great eras in American politics when liberal agendas were able to advance "the cause of mankind." Gee, how about including Lincoln and the Radical Republicans who pushed through probably the most far-reaching liberal agenda since the creation of the US and the adoption of the Constitution (which was also a great liberal breakthrough.) Oh, excuse me, neither of those two were done by the Democratic Party. There is also the problem that originally "liberal" meant the government was stand-offish in its treatment of the populace and was severely limited in its actions. Nowadays "liberal" stands for increasing the size of the Federal Government and its programs at the people's expense. Federal employees are now even privileged individuals -- they do not pay into Social Security, and are even more protected by law than ordinary citizens. What happened to the principle that "all men are created equal?" Oh, Federal employees are just more equal than others. The authors also follow the pervasive liberal propaganda line that all "progressive" changes that enlarge the Federal Government are good. Conservatives are treated as bad or downright evil except for those who see the light and aid in the promulgation of liberal bills like Everett Dirksen. Although few would refute the righteousness of the Civil Rights Act, there were many others that have greatly expanded the Federal Government to the injury of the American people. Unfortunately, the authors see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil when the issues are contemporary liberal doctrine. All that being said, there is much to learn from this book. The authors correctly marginalize the vocal radicals of the 60s as being all noise and having little effect on bettering America. Nixon comes in for some kudos, as well he might for supporting and maintaining Johnson's liberal policies. Kennedy comes off as ineffective, which he certainly was (except in myth), and the authors spend a great deal of words attempting to make him into a liberal which he certainly wasn't when he was elected. The reader is advised to remember that government by definition is a restriction of liberty and freedom, and although Americans still claim this land is the "land of the free", the ev

It's that time again?

The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s Forty plus years later it is possible (and helpful) to think of the 1960s as genuine "history." One can sort out what events and policies had impacts, judge them, and frame interpretations. This book does that. If you were born prior to about 1955 it will likely refresh your memory. The authors believe that the changes of the 1960s could not have occurred without the activists, but that it was the struggles within institutions (Congress, the Supreme Court, etc.) that ultimately mattered. "Government transformed American life in the 1960s, and politicians led the change," they write. "What distinguishes the 1960s is the mysterious and momentous convergence of a public ready for change and a government poised to act." They make a strong case for how impressive the legislative achievements were in the early Johnson presidency, how the constellations had aligned to make much possible then that was not possible before and otherwise would not have been so until much later, if at all. If you are looking for lessons helpful in our present predicament you need not reach all the way back to the Depression or the Lincoln presidency; you can find some here. Mackenzie and Weisbrot conclude that the tide against the liberal wave had begun to turn by 1966. The course of the Vietnam War and the cost of the Great Society programs led to growing doubts about the ability of the federal government to fulfill its promises. "[B]y the end of the 1960s the liberal hour was over," they say. Windows of opportunity for big political transformations - toward either the left or the right - are seldom open long.

Invaluable perspective

Although I lived through much of what MacKenzie and Weisbrot cover in this book, I needed the background and analysis they provide to fully appreciate the historical impact of these events. Their meticulous research backs up their cogent argument about the true reasons for the recent rise and fall of American liberalism, and forced me to correct several misconceptions I held about Kennedy, Johnson, Humphrey, Muskie, Nixon and others. This title offered me a chance to look back on the upheaval of the 1960s, and early 1970s, from a new, deeper perspective.

Gets it all about right

This is an excellent summary of the sixties. It has all the hope and the large vision of the many who meant so well and dreamed so big. It reminds us of how optimistic we were back then. And it makes you feel the pain of how it all came crashing down so quickly and with so many lasting reprocussions for the future of American politics. It depicts the many out-sized characters fairly and is particularly on target with LBJ. It is generous without holding back blame. The authors have a large story to tell and they certainly have to scrimp on many matters that could have used more coverage, but that is a small price to pay for getting so much right in under 400 pages!