Playing with Fire : The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics

The celebrated host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell presents an account of the 1968 presidential election to evaluate its lasting influence on American politics and the Democratic party, exploring the pivotal roles of RFK and McCarthy, two high-profile assassinations and the Chicago riots.;Seizing the moment -- Declaring war -- "Why isn't he a priest?" -- Sleepy Hollow -- "A hard and harsh moral judgment" -- Dump Johnson -- The general -- "We will never be young again" -- Old politics -- "A decent interval" -- Peace with honor -- Peter the hermit -- "Clean for Gene" -- The new Nixon -- "Nixon's the one" -- "Abigail said no" -- The poor people's campaign -- "Something bad is going to come of this" -- "Stand up and be counted" -- "It's not important what happens to me" -- "I've seen the promised land" -- The happy warrior -- Don't lose -- "Everything's going to be okay" -- Stop Nixon -- "Great television" -- The last liberal standing -- The peace plank -- "The whole world's watching" -- "The government of the people in exile" -- The perfect crime -- Epilogue.;"The 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O'Donnell's political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America's shrewdest political minds to understanding its dynamics, not just because it is fascinating in itself, but because in it is contained the essence of what makes America different, and how we got to where we are now. Playing With Fire represents O'Donnell's master class in American electioneering, embedded in the epic human drama of a system, and a country, coming apart at the seams in real time. Nothing went according to the script. LBJ was confident he'd dispatch Nixon, the GOP frontrunner; Johnson's greatest fear and real nemesis was RFK. But Kennedy and his team, despite their loathing of the president, weren't prepared to challenge their own party's incumbent. Then, out of nowhere, Eugene McCarthy shocked everyone with his disloyalty and threw his hat in the ring to run against the president and the Vietnam War. A revolution seemed to be taking place, and LBJ, humiliated and bitter, began to look mortal. Then RFK leapt in, LBJ dropped out, and all hell broke loose. Two assassinations and a week of bloody riots in Chicago around the Democratic Convention later, and the old Democratic Party was a smoldering ruin, and, in the last triumph of old machine politics, Hubert Humphrey stood alone in the wreckage. Suddenly Nixon was in the lead, having masterfully maintained a smooth façade behind which he feverishly held his party's right and left wings in the fold, through a succession of ruthless maneuvers to see off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and the great outside threat to his new Southern Strategy, the arch-segregationist George Wallace. But then, amazingly, Humphrey began to close, and so, in late October, Nixon pulled off one of the greatest dirty tricks in American political history, an act that may well meet the statutory definition of treason. The tone was set for Watergate and all else that was to follow, all the way through to today."--Dust jacket flaps. The Celebrated Host Of Msnbc's The Last Word With Lawrence O'donnell Presents An Account Of The 1968 Presidential Election To Evaluate Its Lasting Influence On American Politics And The Democratic Party, Exploring The Pivotal Roles Of Rfk And Mccarthy, Two High-profile Assassinations And The Chicago Riots. The 1968 U.s. Presidential Election Was The Young Lawrence O'donnell's Political Awakening, And In The Decades Since It Has Remained One Of His Abiding Fascinations. For Years He Has Deployed One Of America's Shrewdest Political Minds To Understanding Its Dynamics, Not Just Because It Is Fascinating In Itself, But Because In It Is Contained The Essence Of What Makes America Different, And How We Got To Where We Are Now. Playing With Fire Represents O'donnell's Master Class In American Electioneering, Embedded In The Epic Human Drama Of A System, And A Country, Coming Apart At The Seams In Real Time. Nothing Went According To The Script. Lbj Was Confident He'd Dispatch Nixon, The Gop Frontrunner; Johnson's Greatest Fear And Real Nemesis Was Rfk. But Kennedy And His Team, Despite Their Loathing Of The President, Weren't Prepared To Challenge Their Own Party's Incumbent.^ Then, Out Of Nowhere, Eugene Mccarthy Shocked Everyone With His Disloyalty And Threw His Hat In The Ring To Run Against The President And The Vietnam War. A Revolution Seemed To Be Taking Place, And Lbj, Humiliated And Bitter, Began To Look Mortal. Then Rfk Leapt In, Lbj Dropped Out, And All Hell Broke Loose. Two Assassinations And A Week Of Bloody Riots In Chicago Around The Democratic Convention Later, And The Old Democratic Party Was A Smoldering Ruin, And, In The Last Triumph Of Old Machine Politics, Hubert Humphrey Stood Alone In The Wreckage. Suddenly Nixon Was In The Lead, Having Masterfully Maintained A Smooth Façade Behind Which He Feverishly Held His Party's Right And Left Wings In The Fold, Through A Succession Of Ruthless Maneuvers To See Off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, And The Great Outside Threat To His New Southern Strategy, The Arch-segregationist George Wallace.^ But Then, Amazingly, Humphrey Began To Close, And So, In Late October, Nixon Pulled Off One Of The Greatest Dirty Tricks In American Political History, An Act That May Well Meet The Statutory Definition Of Treason. The Tone Was Set For Watergate And All Else That Was To Follow, All The Way Through To Today.--dust Jacket Flaps. Seizing The Moment -- Declaring War -- Why Isn't He A Priest? -- Sleepy Hollow -- A Hard And Harsh Moral Judgment -- Dump Johnson -- The General -- We Will Never Be Young Again -- Old Politics -- A Decent Interval -- Peace With Honor -- Peter The Hermit -- Clean For Gene -- The New Nixon -- Nixon's The One -- Abigail Said No -- The Poor People's Campaign -- Something Bad Is Going To Come Of This -- Stand Up And Be Counted -- It's Not Important What Happens To Me -- I've Seen The Promised Land -- The Happy Warrior -- Don't Lose -- Everything's Going To Be Okay -- Stop Nixon -- Great Television -- The Last Liberal Standing -- The Peace Plank -- The Whole World's Watching -- The Government Of People In Exile -- The Perfect Crime -- Epilogue. Lawrence O'donnell. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 431-470) And Index. From the host of MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell , an important and enthralling new account of the presidential election that changed everything, the race that created American politics as we know it today The 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O’Donnell’s political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America’s shrewdest political minds to understanding its dynamics, not just because it is fascinating in itself, but because in it is contained the essence of what makes America different, and how we got to where we are now. Playing With Fire represents O’Donnell’s master class in American electioneering, embedded in the epic human drama of a system, and a country, coming apart at the seams in real time. Nothing went according to the script. LBJ was confident he'd dispatch with Nixon, the GOP frontrunner; Johnson's greatest fear and real nemesis was RFK. But Kennedy and his team, despite their loathing of the president, weren't prepared to challenge their own party’s incumbent. Then, out of nowhere, Eugene McCarthy shocked everyone with his disloyalty and threw his hat in the ring to run against the president and the Vietnam War. A revolution seemed to be taking place, and LBJ, humiliated and bitter, began to look mortal. Then RFK leapt in, LBJ dropped out, and all hell broke loose. Two assassinations and a week of bloody riots in Chicago around the Democratic Convention later, and the old Democratic Party was a smoldering ruin, and, in the last triumph of old machine politics, Hubert Humphrey stood alone in the wreckage. Suddenly Nixon was the frontrunner, having masterfully maintained a smooth façade behind which he feverishly held his party’s right and left wings in the fold, through a succession of ruthless maneuvers to see off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and the great outside threat to his new Southern Strategy, the arch-segregationist George Wallace. But then, amazingly, Humphrey began to close, and so, in late October, Nixon pulled off one of the greatest dirty tricks in American political history, an act that may well meet the statutory definition of treason. The tone was set for Watergate and all else that was to follow, all the way through to today. Playing With Fire is the perfect holiday gift! From the host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, an important and enthralling new account of the presidential election that changed everything, the race that created American politics as we know it todayThe 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O'Donnell's political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America's shrewdest political minds to understanding its dynamics, not just because it is fascinating in itself, but because in it is contained the essence of what makes America different, and how we got to where we are now. Playing With Fire represents O'Donnell's master class in American electioneering, embedded in the epic human drama of a system, and a country, coming apart at the seams in real time. Nothing went according to the script. LBJ was confident he'd dispatch with Nixon, the GOP frontrunner; Johnson's greatest fear and real nemesis was RFK. But Kennedy and his team, despite their loathing of the president, weren't prepared to challenge their own party's incumbent. Then, out of nowhere, Eugene McCarthy shocked everyone with his disloyalty and threw his hat in the ring to run against the president and the Vietnam War. A revolution seemed to be taking place, and LBJ, humiliated and bitter, began to look mortal. Then RFK leapt in, LBJ dropped out, and all hell broke loose. Two assassinations and a week of bloody riots in Chicago around the Democratic Convention later, and the old Democratic Party was a smoldering ruin, and, in the last triumph of old machine politics, Hubert Humphrey stood alone in the wreckage. Suddenly Nixon was the frontrunner, having masterfully maintained a smooth fa©ʹade behind which he feverishly held his party's right and left wings in the fold, through a succession of ruthless maneuvers to see off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and the great outside threat to his new Southern Strategy, the arch-segregationist George Wallace. But then, amazingly, Humphrey began to close, and so, in late October, Nixon pulled off one of the greatest dirty tricks in American political history, an act that may well meet the statutory definition of treason. The tone was set for Watergate and all else that was to follow, all the way through to today From the celebrated host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, an important and enthralling new account of the presidential election that changed everything, and created American politics as we know it today. Long before Lawrence O'Donnell was the anchor of his own political talk show, he was the Harvard Law-trained political aide to Senator Patrick Moynihan, one of postwar America's wisest political minds. The 1968 election was O'Donnell's own political coming of age, and Playing With Fire represents his master class in American electioneering, as well as an extraordinary human drama that captures a system, and a country, coming apart at the seams in real time. Nothing went to script. LBJ was confident he'd dispatch with Nixon, the GOP frontrunner; Johnson's greatest fear and real nemesis was RFK. But Kennedy and his team, despite their loathing of the president, weren't prepared to challenge their own party's incumbent. Then, out of nowhere, Eugene McCarthy shocked everyone with his disloyalty and threw his hat in the ring. A revolution seemed to be taking place, and LBJ, humiliated and bitter, began to look mortal. Then RFK leapt in, and all hell broke loose. Two assassinations and a week of bloody riots in Chicago around the Democratic Convention later, and the old Democratic Party was a smoldering ruin, and, in the last triumph of old machine politics, Hubert Humphrey stood alone in the wreckage. Suddenly Nixon was the frontrunner, having masterfully maintained a smooth facade behind which he feverishly held his party's right and left wings in the fold through a succession of ruthless maneuvers to see off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and the great outside threat to his new Southern Strategy, the arch-segregationist George Wallace. But then, amazingly, Humphrey began to close, and so, in late October, Nixon pulled off one of the greatest dirty tricks in American political history, an act that may well meet the statutory definition of treason. The tone was set for Watergate and all else that was to follow, all the way through to today. "In this delightful combination of vivid storytelling and sharp political insight, Lawrence O'Donnell brings to life the most fascinating election of modern times. His book is filled with memorable anecdotes and colorful characters, from Roger Ailes and Richard Nixon to Bobby Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. But beneath the rollicking tale is a truly profound historical truth: how the Sixties still reverberates in our nation's soul." Walter Isaacson "But O'Donnell, a former aide to Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, understands politics and its impact. He writes with an assurance and steady sense of pace that makes much of this seem new." Ray Locker, USA Today I love the way Lawrence thinks, I love the way he writes. Playing with Fire is him at his best -- this is a thriller-like, propulsive tour through 1968, told by a man who is in love with American politics and who knows how all the dots connect. Brilliant and totally engrossing. --Rachel Maddow From the anguish of the Vietnam War to the dazzling minds and feverish ambitions of the 1968 presidential election, Playing with Fire not only tells the story of one extraordinary year in American politics, it brings back to vivid, riveting life the men and women who changed the course of history. -- Candice Millard, Author of Hero of the Empire A breathtaking, "buckle your seatbelt" ride through what might be the most dramatic and brutally consequential presidential election in modern U.S. history. Lawrence O'Donnell leaves no detail and no key historical player unexamined as he maps out the often treacherous route to America becoming its modern political self. Playing with Fire is a brilliant and necessary read for everyone who cares about politics, and loves history. --Joy-Ann Reid If ever there was a byg From the host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell Nothing went according to the script. LBJ was confident he'd dispatch with Nixon, the GOP frontrunner; Johnson's greatest fear and real nemesis was RFK. But Kennedy and his team, despite their loathing of the president, weren't prepared to challenge their own party's incumbent. Then, out of nowhere, Eugene McCarthy shocked everyone with his disloyalty and threw his hat in the ring to run against the president and the Vietnam War. A revolution seemed to be taking place, and LBJ, humiliated and bitter, began to look mortal. Then RFK leapt in, LBJ dropped out, and all hell broke loose. Two assassinations and a week of bloody riots in Chicago around the Democratic Convention later, and the old Democratic Party was a smoldering ruin, and, in the last triumph of old machine politics, Hubert Humphrey stood alone in the wreckage. Suddenly Nixon was the frontrunner, having masterfully maintained a smooth fac?ade behind which he feverishly held his party's right and left wings in the fold, through a succession of ruthless maneuvers to see off George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and the great outside threat to his new Southern Strategy, the arch-segregationist George Wallace. But then, amazingly, Humphrey began to close, and so, in late October, Nixon pulled off one of the greatest dirty tricks in American political history, an act that may well meet the statutory definition of treason. The tone was set for Watergate and all else that was to follow, all the way through to today The New York Times bestseller!'A thriller-like, propulsive tour through 1968, told by a man who is in love with American politics and who knows how all the dots connect. Brilliant and totally engrossing.'-Rachel Maddow'Delightful...brings to life the most fascinating election of modern times.'-Walter IsaacsonFrom the celebrated host of MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, an enthralling account of the presidential election that created American politics as we know it todayLong before Lawrence O'Donnell was the anchor of his own political talk show, he was a senior adviser to Senator Patrick Moynihan, one of postwar America's wisest political minds. The 1968 U.S. presidential election—marked by RFK's assassination, massive upheaval in the Democratic Party, and the first of Richard Nixon's dirty tricks—was O'Donnell's own political coming of age. In the decades since, the election has remained one of his abiding fascinations, as it set the tone for so much of what followed in American politics, all the way through to today. Playing with Fire represents his master class in American electioneering, as well as an extraordinary human drama that captures a system, and a country, coming apart at the seams.