True Believer: Hubert Humphrey's Quest for a More Just America

ISBN: 1541619579

Author: Traub, James

Condition: New

A celebrated historian recounts Hubert Humphreys role as a liberal hero of twentieth-century AmericaHubert Humphrey was liberalisms most dedicated defender, and its most public and tragic sacrifice. As a young politician in 1948, he defied segregationists and forced the Democratic Party to commit itself to civil rights. As a senator in 1964, he made good on that commitment by helping pass the Civil Rights Act. But as Lyndon B. Johnsons vice president, his support for the war in Vietnam made him a target for both Right and Left, and he suffered a shattering loss in the presidential election of 1968.Though Humphreys defeat was widely seen as the end of Americas era of liberal optimism, he never gave up. Even after his humiliation on the most public stage, he crafted a new vision of economic justice to counter the yawning political divisions consuming American politics. This biography reveals a deep-dyed idealist willing to compromise and even fight ugly in pursuit of a better society. Elegantly crafted and strikingly relevant to the present, True Believer celebrates Hubert Humphreys long struggle for justice for all.