HUBERT HUMPHREY: The Politics of Joy

by Paul Westman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 20, 1979

In standard easy-biography manner, Westman tells of Humphrey's early leadership qualities and sympathy for the poor, of his father's maverick status as an idealistic Democrat in a Republican town, and of Humphrey's own success in bringing honest government to Minneapolis and in uniting Minnesota's Democratic and Farm Labor parties. Westman's simple accounts of the Depression's effect on the Humphreys and of the then-Senator's role in passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act succeed in getting the picture across, but he does less well with the later, more controversial 1968 campaign and the Vietnam issue. Though glossing over Humphrey's own compromises is understandable at this level, projecting our involvement in the war as a response to prior Russian involvement in a ""takeover"" and to the wishes of ""other Asian countries"" only perpetuates the lie. As for Westman's subtitle, the phrase is never explained.

Pub Date: Aug. 20, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dillon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION