The Democrats' Dilemma [Paperback]

Steven M. Gillon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Columbia Studies in Contemporary American History | Publication Date: April 15, 1992

What does Walter Mondale's career reveal about the dilemma of the modern Democtratic party and the crisis of postwar American liberalism? Steven M. Gillon 's answer is that Mondale's frustration as Jimmy Carter's vice president and his failure to unseat the immensely popular President Reagan in 1984 reveal the beleaguered state of a party torn apart by generational and ideological disputes.

The Democrats' Dilemma begins with Mondale's early career in Minnesota politics, from his involvement with Hubert Humphrey to his election to the United States Senate in 1964. Like many liberals of his generation, Mondale traveled to Washington hopeful that government power could correct social wrongs. By 1968, urban unrest, a potent white backlash, and America's involvement in the Vietnam war dimmed much of his optimisim. In the years after 1972, as senator, as vice president, and as presidential candidate, Mondale self-conciously attempted to fill the void after the death of Robert Kennedy. Mondale attempted to create a new Democratic party by finding common ground between the party's competeing factions. Gillon contends that Mondale's failure to create that consensus underscored the deep divisions within the Democratic Party.

Using previously classified documents, unpublished private papers, and dozens of interviews -including extensive conversations with Mondale himself- Gillon paints a vivid portrait of the innerworkings of the Carter administration. The Democrats' Dilemma captures Mondale's frustration as he attempted to mediate between the demands of liberals intent upon increased spending for social programs and the fiscal conservatism of a president unskilled in the art of congressional diplomacy. Gillon discloses the secret revelation that Mondale nearly resigned as vice president. Gillon also chronicles Mondale's sometimes stormy relationships with Jesse Jackson, Gary Hart, and Geraldine Ferraro.

Eminently readable and a means of access to a major twentieth-century political figure, The Democrats' Dilemma is a fascinating look at the travail of American liberalism.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Walter Mondale, Minnesota's attorney general at the age of 32, transformed a ceremonial office into a center for activist government. In another epoch, suggests Yale historian Gillon in this brisk, hard-hitting political biography, the ambitious senator who helped shape national policy on education, welfare, civil rights and child care would have been a sure bet to win the presidency. Yet, in Gillon's appraisal, Mondale failed to develop a political strategy for reaching middle-class voters, and Reagan's gospel of individualism had far greater appeal to the electorate than the philosophy of shared responsibilities that guided Mondale's disastrous presidential bid in 1984. Gillon discloses that Mondale, frustrated as Carter's vice president, flirted with the idea of resigning in 1979. He credits Mondale as the major force in building a consensus among warring factions of the Democratic Party, but faults his increasingly irrelevant political vision. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

The era should be labelled: Liberalism from Franklin Roosevelt to Walter Mondale, A Half Century of Enlightened Thought. Steve Gillon makes a vital analysis of Walter Mondale's pivotal role in this historic political saga. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231076312
• ISBN-13: 978-0231076319
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,606,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well recommended political book on a great leader, June 21, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Democrats' Dilemma (Hardcover)

This book on the life and times of Walter Mondale is, simply put, a grand tale. Here, Walter Mondale is seen as what he is, a man whose ideological conflits tell us all too much about our political situation.

Here we see the ideology of traditional labor liberalism. This is the 'hard hat' liberalism which sought to implement labor protections, universal health care, free public education and progressive taxation on the rich. Yet, this 'old liberalism' was taken by the New Left which made Mondale feel uncomfortable.

Yet, as the author does not note all too much, the conflict within the Democratic party over the issues and ideology does go much further than simply 'new' and 'old' left. There are a variety of Democrats within the left or left leaning spectrum. There are Labor Democrats and New Deal Democrats, who are culturally conservative or moderate but economically left leaning. There are civil libertarian Democrats, who tend to emphasize social issues and civil liberties. There are "New Left" Democrats, as the book notes. Within the center, there are Moderate Southern Democrats, who are New Democrats, who tend to be conservative on cultural issues than slightly progressive on economic issues and then there are New Democrats of the North and East who are more liberal on social issues but fiscally conservative or right of center. Then, alas, there are truly Southern Democrats, who are conservative on most issues, and Blue Dog Democrats as well. This is a huge party with many conflicts - yet, the party is united on the agenda of activist government to the benefit of the masses. That is Mondale's ultimate agenda. The author paints it quite well.

Very recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mysterious Walter Mondale, August 19, 2005

By 

Richard M. Marano - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Democrats' dilemma: Walter F. Mondale and the liberal legacy (Contemporary American history series)

The Democrats' Dilemma is a very readable, little-known book by respected historian Steven Gillon about Walter Mondale and the Democratic party from Truman to Clinton. Although it starts off slowly with the obligatory background information and early years discourse,the reader soon gets to know a very human Walter Mondale--a man consumed, in thought, word, and deed, by political motivation. Gillon's Mondale is a completely virtuous fellow with has less depth than one might expect. Gillon offers a thoughtful political analysis of the post-Watergate era. We learn--from Mondale's vantage point--what makes Jimmy Carter tick, both personally and within his White House. Discussion of the 1976 election and Carter's Foreign Policy are the best parts of the book, second only to Mondale's tormented time during the "Crisis of Confidence" speech and Cabinet purge. The book is not without flaws, however. There is little coverage of Mondale's challengers for the 1984 Democratic nomination-- except Gary Hart--and how they influenced his positions and him as a candidate. Gillon completely ignores the candidacy of George McGovern (in 1984) and how Mondale both differed and was influenced by McGovern on foreign policy. There is no mention that Mondale-Ferraro's "new realism" theme had been George McGovern's primary campaign theme. Hart's position on military spending is not completely accurate. The man that emerges is less than courageous. Let's just say that Mondale is no risk-taker. The final chapter on the liberal legacy should be a "must-read" for any serious student of the Democratic party.