Richard Nixon and the Quest for a New Majority
by Robert Mason
I know it makes me incredibly unpopular, but I don’t hate President Nixon as much as other people do. I actually think he was a really good president. I’ve read his memoirs and two biographies, but not any books that will blatantly paint him in a bad light. So, if that’s your aim, find another book.
Many political scientists credit Nixon with the modern Republican party; Robert Mason dedicates this book to this hypothesis. He dissects the Silent Majority speech that Nixon famously made, but doesn’t praise him entirely. Like many politicians, Mason writes, Nixon had high aims, but didn’t really achieve what he set out to achieve. Mason discusses Nixon’s shaping of the party at the time, and his legacy through the decades. The title uses the word “quest” because he doesn’t believe Nixon really and truly shaped the Republican party for the rest of the twentieth century.
All in all, it’s stimulating and thought-provoking. You might not agree with every argument in the book, but if you’re interested in the course of the GOP, this is an interesting book.
Many political scientists credit Nixon with the modern Republican party; Robert Mason dedicates this book to this hypothesis. He dissects the Silent Majority speech that Nixon famously made, but doesn’t praise him entirely. Like many politicians, Mason writes, Nixon had high aims, but didn’t really achieve what he set out to achieve. Mason discusses Nixon’s shaping of the party at the time, and his legacy through the decades. The title uses the word “quest” because he doesn’t believe Nixon really and truly shaped the Republican party for the rest of the twentieth century.
All in all, it’s stimulating and thought-provoking. You might not agree with every argument in the book, but if you’re interested in the course of the GOP, this is an interesting book.