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Marathon: Pursuit of the Presidency 1972-1976

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Jules Witcover has written several excellent books on American politics over the last 35 years. Among them are a moving account of Bobby Kennedy's doomed 1968 presidential bid and a critical look at Reagan's election to the Presidency in 1980. In "Marathon" Witcover attempts to pull a Teddy White and write the definitive account of the 1976 presidential campaign. White became famous in 1961 with the publication of "The Making of the President 1960", his bestselling account of the legendary Kennedy-Nixon presidential campaign. White had the advantage of being the first journalist to write an entire book about how we elect (or elected) Presidents in this country so soon after the election he covered. White then wrote an entire series of "Making of the President" books, covering the campaigns of 1964, 1968, and 1972. By 1976 White was tired of writing about campaigns that he felt made less and less sense and which seemed to be dominated more by primaries and photo ops than by the old-fashioned back-room dealing and campaign barnstorming that he loved to write about. So in 1976 White took a break from covering presidential politics to write his memoirs. That left the field open to other journalists, and Witcover took up the challenge. And while "Marathon" never equals White's eloquence or gift for grasping the overall theme, or meaning, of a campaign, Witcover does provide an entertaining account of a close, hard-fought race. And 1976 truly provided a wealth of stories - Jimmy Carter's rise from almost total obscurity to defeat a host of better-known Democrats and claim the Democratic nomination, thus proving the power that the primaries now had over the nominating process; George Wallace's last presidential campaign, his former racism and Archie Bunker-type qualities now hobbled or changed by his paralyzing gunshot wound suffered four years earlier; the thrilling fight between President Ford and Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, a race which was so close it wasn't decided until the actual balloting at the Republican Convention; and Ford's spectacular comeback from a 33-point deficit in the polls in August 1976 to a dead-even race by Election Day in November. Witcover does a marvelous job of explaining the "little moments" that can mean victory or defeat for a campaign - the consistent bad luck of Morris Udall, an Arizona Congressman and Carter's main rival for the Democratic nomination; Ford's complacency after beating Reagan in the first 4 Republican primaries, allowing himself to ease up on Reagan in the North Carolina primary - which allowed Reagan to pull off a stunning upset, save his campaign, and make a comeback to nearly defeat Ford at the Republican Convention; and Carter's verbal gaffes in the fall campaign - including the famous "lust in my heart" remark he made to "Playboy" magazine which led to weeks of ridicule in the national press. My chief problem with this book is its' length - at 700 pages in the paperback edition it is far longer than any of White's books, and includes a great amount of tedious detail that could easily have been left out (does anyone really need to know that George Wallace liked to dump ketchup over everything he ate?). Basically, this book could have used a better editor. However, even given its' length and overattention to detail, "Marathon" is still the best book you'll find on how television and the primaries allowed Jimmy Carter to become President - something that would never have happened just a few years earlier.

Though it is often overshadowed by the author's own later collaborations with Jack Germond (as well as the then-contemporary efforts of Hunter Thompson), Jules Witcover's Marathon is one of the unheralded classic works of the political nonfiction genre. Covering the twists and turns of the rather bizarre 1976 Presidential election, Witcover follows the campaign from the very first stirrings of Jimmy Carter's longshot candidacy at the '72 Democratic Convention all the way to the photo finish that finds the nation faced with a choice worthy of Samuel Beckett -- Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Lester Maddox, or Eugene McCarthy? In between, Witcover provides excellent, insightful coverage of the now-forgotten efforts of such diverse men as the tragically witty Mo Udall, the endearingly spacey Jerry Brown, the bizarrely sympathetic George Wallace, and the deliberately enigmatic Ronald Reagan to take their respective nominations away from these men and change the course of American history. If you ever wondered how America eventually produced a political system that could see everyone from Pennsylvania's hapless Gov. Milton Shapp to Oklahoma's radical former Sen. Fred Harris transformed, however briefly, into a legitimate presidential contender, this is the book for you. Years after it was written and, unfairly, neglected, Marathon stands as one of the best books ever written on the subject of how we occasionally stumble into selecting our nation's leader.

Theodore H. White's "Making of the President" series set the standard for campaign books. White ended his string after the 1972 campaign, and it is from there that Whitcover picks up the torch. Witcover is a excellent journalist and a fine writer. He chronicles the chaos of the 1976 campaign on the Democratic side and shows how a determined darkhorse named Jimmy Carter was able to outlast his many rivals in part by getting an early jump start on them. He also documents the bitter nomination fight between Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford that almost tore the Republican party apart. Lastly, there is the general election in which Carter started with a huge lead and blundered his way into winning by the closest margain of any election since 1960. This is an excellent book for politics junkies.

Journalist Jules Whitcover gives readers a comprehensive look at the 1976 Presidential campaign. Whitcover aptly describes the events, issues, candidates, and the state of the U.S.A. in 1976. President Gerald Ford was an unelected incumbent whose popularity dipped due to a sluggish economy and his pardon of Richard Nixon. Readers see how this made Ford ripe for a strong primary challenge by Ronald Reagan, and then the underdog in the fall campaign. The author shows how former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia swept to the nomination over several contenders via adroit primary strategy, luck, and a message of decency and trust. Then the author describes a fall campaign punctuated by mud-slinging, political manipulation, and quite a bit of foolishness. Finally, Carter won narrowly (after losing his big lead in the polls) due largely to his Southern roots and Ford's modest appeal. Readers get a strong feel for politics circa 1976, as well as a look at also-rans like Sargeant Shriver, Nelson Rockefeller, Birch Bayh, Frank Church, Jerry Brown, Henry Jackson, Morris Udall, etc.

Whitcover has written a thorough and very readable political narrative. He doesn't quite match the four MAKING OF THE PRESIDENT (1960-1972) editions by journalist Theodore H. White, but this is a vivid narrative.

For those who think Jimmy Carter was a pious Christian and never said a bad thing about anyone, read this book.

For those who think Gerald Ford was right - or wrong - in his pardon of Nixon, read this book.

For those who remember the far left policies of Muskie, McGovern, and Humphrey, read this book.

For those who barely remember Frank Church, Morris Udall, and Fred Harris, read this book.

For those who want to understand how Reagan learned from his 1976 mistakes - particularly in his selection of a running mate - and won four years later, read this book.

In short, if you like politics, read this book.

As other reviewers have said, Witcover picks up in 1976 where White left off in 1972. But Witcover's coverage is less grand than White's. Witcover deals with each primary candidate and the blow by blow of every twist and turn of the campaign. As White's "Making of" series went on he focused less and less on the little events and more and more on his own interviews with the candidates and grand thoughts. Witcover's story is far more focused. With so many primary candidates and such a close election, Witcover's close in coverage is a good fit.

Some of the highlights include:

1. Discussion of the four wild cards in the Democratic race: Humphrey, McGovern, McCarthy, and Muskie. Had any of these four run (as Democrats), the race would have been shaken up greatly.

2. The late entry of Frank Church and Jerry Brown. Given the requirements of a presidential campaign, this tactic would be almost unthinkable now. In 1976, in the case of Jerry Brown, it almost worked.

3. Hearing about the first presidential debates since 1960. These became a model for debates in every subsequent election.

If you have the time, consider giving this book a read for a blow by blow account of the '76 campaign.

The product arrived on time, in great condition, and exactly as described. Would buy from this provider again. Good, informative book about the 1976 election.

What bothered me most about "Marathon" was that through 700 pages author Jules Witcover never gets underneath the major candidates' skin (Carter and Ford). This book is much more a long newspaper article than a biography of the powers of 1976. There is little depth, but it is heavy on names and numbers. Witcover seems happy to point out seeming inconsistencies in Jimmy Carter's public statements, but as a scholar he never gets to the nuance. I'm still not sure what Gerald Ford ran on in 1976, how could the author leave this out? As a review of 1976, Marathon is barely adequate--and it is a very far cry from quality leisure reading.