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9 reviews for:
1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon--The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies
David Pietrusza
3.65 AVERAGE
9 reviews for:
1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon--The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies
David Pietrusza
3.65 AVERAGE
1960: two young men sought after the highest office in the land. John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Two names that need no introduction to most Americans, tho the events that made them so well-known are not until the future. It was a close election, the closest in modern history in terms of the popular vote. Some claimed fraud, others snapped back at the notion. It was the first election with televised debates. 1960 was the first modern presidential election.
David Pietrusza takes the reader through those tense months in 1960 and behind-the-scenes in the Kennedy & Nixon camps. His style is engaging and flowing, though it does get muddled some during the conventions with a flurry of names, meetings, etc. His star shines bright during the debates, the shining moment of 1960.
While it's never explicitly stated, it's noticed that the author does have a bit of a bias toward JFK in terms of approach & coverage within the book. In the whole book, probably 60% of it is dedicated to Kennedy, 30% to Nixon, and the remaining 10% to Johnson (why he was included in the title is somewhat intriguing to me considering he gets an opening chapter, and then only appearances in the rest of the book.) The author also seems to come at the story with a pre-disposition against Nixon, not commenting on whether it is correct or not, but that is the attitude I picked up from the book.
Regardless, the book is a good one to add to anyone looking to pick up presidential election history books. It provides insight into the campaigns, tho it does not really analyze the claims of election fraud or other irregularities (if such existed) with only brief explanations in rhe final chapter. I would recommend it, but I personally would not re-read.
David Pietrusza takes the reader through those tense months in 1960 and behind-the-scenes in the Kennedy & Nixon camps. His style is engaging and flowing, though it does get muddled some during the conventions with a flurry of names, meetings, etc. His star shines bright during the debates, the shining moment of 1960.
While it's never explicitly stated, it's noticed that the author does have a bit of a bias toward JFK in terms of approach & coverage within the book. In the whole book, probably 60% of it is dedicated to Kennedy, 30% to Nixon, and the remaining 10% to Johnson (why he was included in the title is somewhat intriguing to me considering he gets an opening chapter, and then only appearances in the rest of the book.) The author also seems to come at the story with a pre-disposition against Nixon, not commenting on whether it is correct or not, but that is the attitude I picked up from the book.
Regardless, the book is a good one to add to anyone looking to pick up presidential election history books. It provides insight into the campaigns, tho it does not really analyze the claims of election fraud or other irregularities (if such existed) with only brief explanations in rhe final chapter. I would recommend it, but I personally would not re-read.
informative
fast-paced
Loved the story about how Nixon spent Election Day in 1960.
A great look at a key election, impacting more than 15 years of U.S. history.
This is more than just The Great Debate and Papa Joe. The backroom dealings begin with the primaries, and the mistakes made by all.
Adlai Stevenson dithers, Nelson Rockefeller jumps in late and Hubert Humphrey isn't up to the task.
Kennedy takes on Nixon, and both sides have their pros and cons. And Nixon led deep into the election season. Then The Great Debate. Then Nixon battled back and took the lead again - which isn't widely remembered.
A lot of interesting characters populate this tale, and coming off worst of all were Eleanor Roosevelt (pretty much a racist), Bobby Kennedy (pretty much a profane bully) and Dwight Eisenhower (pretty much a disconnected president).
You'll likely find a lot of new information here, and new takes on old facts. Worth your time.
More reviews at my WordPress site, Ralphsbooks.
This is more than just The Great Debate and Papa Joe. The backroom dealings begin with the primaries, and the mistakes made by all.
Adlai Stevenson dithers, Nelson Rockefeller jumps in late and Hubert Humphrey isn't up to the task.
Kennedy takes on Nixon, and both sides have their pros and cons. And Nixon led deep into the election season. Then The Great Debate. Then Nixon battled back and took the lead again - which isn't widely remembered.
A lot of interesting characters populate this tale, and coming off worst of all were Eleanor Roosevelt (pretty much a racist), Bobby Kennedy (pretty much a profane bully) and Dwight Eisenhower (pretty much a disconnected president).
You'll likely find a lot of new information here, and new takes on old facts. Worth your time.
More reviews at my WordPress site, Ralphsbooks.
Great book, and not a boring page among the lot. Learned a ton about all 3 presidents, none of it was too flattering. I already knew most of the stuff about Nixon, but Kennedy and LBJ's sheer amount philandering was stunning. Neither could be president today, nor should they be. Supposedly JFK and Jackie would have separated if he hadn't won the nomination in 1960...and I also had no idea the enormous influence that Joe Kennedy had, and the large amount of distaste that everyone outside the Kennedy circle had for RFK...
I learned a lot, which is the sign of a good book!!
I learned a lot, which is the sign of a good book!!
The 1960 U.S. presidential election is largely viewed today as an era-defining election, with JFK coming into power on an irresistible wave of change. Well, this book does nuance that idyllic view quite significantly and that's what make it an interesting and enjoyable read. For starters, the election was anything but a landslide for Kennedy, who barely squeezed a tiny 100,000 votes majority over Nixon on a total 70 millions votes cast. Secondly, for all its charismatic and telegenic proprieties, JFK only really won the first of the four TV debates, although it's the only one people remember now.
One of the thing that I found so difficult to do throughout the book: not seeing Nixon distorted by what we now know about Watergate. But I am not alone as I found the author David Pietrusza himself seemed to have a tendency to portray Nixon as quite a dark man, even though 1974 hasn't arrived yet. Pietrusza does a good job of carrying the story starting more or less a year before the election, going chronologically thought the main highlights of the election campaign.
I removed a star because the sub-heading of this book (The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies) made me expect much more development and thought around the connections between those 3 presidencies (Kennedy 1960, Johnson 1964, and Nixon 1968). But Pietrusza doesn't really do that, except in a few rushed pages in the last chapter. He does explore in more details the complicated Kennedy-Johnson relationship, especially as it happened at the Democratic convention when Kennedy, to the surprise of everyone and himself too, selected LBJ as his running mate.
One of the thing that I found so difficult to do throughout the book: not seeing Nixon distorted by what we now know about Watergate. But I am not alone as I found the author David Pietrusza himself seemed to have a tendency to portray Nixon as quite a dark man, even though 1974 hasn't arrived yet. Pietrusza does a good job of carrying the story starting more or less a year before the election, going chronologically thought the main highlights of the election campaign.
I removed a star because the sub-heading of this book (The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies) made me expect much more development and thought around the connections between those 3 presidencies (Kennedy 1960, Johnson 1964, and Nixon 1968). But Pietrusza doesn't really do that, except in a few rushed pages in the last chapter. He does explore in more details the complicated Kennedy-Johnson relationship, especially as it happened at the Democratic convention when Kennedy, to the surprise of everyone and himself too, selected LBJ as his running mate.
Did not finish. Did not even get far. 600 plus pages, but the first few reveal it could be 300 if it was edited.
This book was fascinating. It's not something I'd typically read--I prefer fiction, and the nonfiction I do read is never related to politics--but I was taken in by the author's engaging writing style. It was at times a bit too distractingly metaphorical, but that made it all the more fun to read. I learned a lot about the election, and about the three candidates vying for presidency. At times the book may have been a little too thorough--I learned more than I ever needed to know about people I hadn't heard of--but as it presented a very detailed account of the events leading up to the election, I was okay with that.
My favorite (darkly amusing) parts: JFK proclaimed that the vice-presidency doesn't matter because he's young and isn't going to die in office. And, just before becoming vice president, LBJ said that one in four presidents have died in office and that he's "a gamblin' man."
My favorite (darkly amusing) parts: JFK proclaimed that the vice-presidency doesn't matter because he's young and isn't going to die in office. And, just before becoming vice president, LBJ said that one in four presidents have died in office and that he's "a gamblin' man."