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Patrick J. Buchanan

The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose from Defeat to Create the New Majority Paperback – May 26, 2015

by Patrick J. Buchanan (Author)

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Patrick J. Buchanan, bestselling author and senior advisor to Richard Nixon, tells the definitive story of Nixon's resurrection from the political graveyard and his rise to the presidency.

After suffering stinging defeats in the 1960 presidential election against John F. Kennedy, and in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Nixon's career was declared dead by Washington press and politicians alike. Yet on January 20, 1969, just six years after he had said his political life was over, Nixon would stand taking the oath of office as 37th President of the United States. How did Richard Nixon resurrect a ruined career and reunite a shattered and fractured Republican Party to capture the White House?

In The Greatest Comeback, Patrick J. Buchanan--who, beginning in January 1966, served as one of two staff members to Nixon, and would become a senior advisor in the White House after 1968--gives a firsthand account of those crucial years in which Nixon reversed his political fortunes during a decade marked by civil rights protests, social revolution, The Vietnam War, the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King, urban riots, campus anarchy, and the rise of the New Left. Using over 1,000 of his own personal memos to Nixon, with Nixon’s scribbled replies back, Buchanan gives readers an insider’s view as Nixon gathers the warring factions of the Republican party--from the conservative base of Barry Goldwater to the liberal wing of Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney, to the New Right legions of an ascendant Ronald Reagan--into the victorious coalition that won him the White House. How Richard Nixon united the party behind him may offer insights into how the Republican Party today can bring together its warring factions.

The Greatest Comeback is an intimate portrayal of the 37th President and a fascinating fly on-the-wall account of one of the most remarkable American political stories of the 20th century.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Crown Forum
Publication date

May 26, 2015
Dimensions

5.3 x 0.87 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0553418653
ISBN-13

978-0553418651
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“An evenhanded insider take on Nixon's storied political rebirth…Buchanan deals the story with a great deal of humility…Much more a balanced history than a me-me-me memoir.” –Chicago Tribune

"Should be required reading for RNC staff and everyone across the country trying to help the GOP win the Senate… A fun read not only for the opportunity to see Nixon in such a personal, behind-the-scenes way, but also for the lessons it offers us today.” -Newsmax

“A fast-moving account of those comeback years, written in strong, clear prose…An upbeat portrait of Nixon as a surprisingly compassionate man, but a tough politician, energetic and well-informed, with a deep knowledge of world affairs and ideas about how to reset the balance of power and restore America’s international standing.” –Washington Times

“Buchanan’s book performs the useful service of describing a populist triumph from the inside.” –The Economist

“A conveniently incisive study guide to the 1968 presidential election… In his own unsparing way, Buchanan sums up the political tumult of the era—tumult signaling that the long reign of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society were coming to an end.” -Breitbart

“Offers memories and insights on the meetings, memos, stump speeches, and conversations Nixon waded through to get to the White House. Details and factoids abound for politics junkies…Buchanan is a capable writer and skilled at providing succinct summary of the complex politics of the era.” –Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Patrick J. Buchanan, America's leading populist conservative, was senior adviser to three American presidents, ran for the Republican nomination in 1992 and 1996, and was the Reform Party's presidential candidate in 2000. The author of twelve previous books, many of which were New York Times bestsellers, Buchanan is a syndicated columnist and founding member of three of America's foremost public affairs shows: NBC's The McLaughlin Group and CNN's The Capitol Gang and Crossfire.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Forum; Reprint edition (May 26, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553418653
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553418651
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.87 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,686,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,408 in Elections
- #4,391 in US Presidents
- #10,012 in Political Leader Biographies

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Robert B

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021

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This is a really well written account of RNs comeback and eventual election to the presidency. Buchanan is very even handed with his handling of some pretty questionable behavior by RN. If anyone wonders where Donald Trump got his strategical blueprint for his election it came directly out of Nixon’s 68 strategy of claiming that crime in America was running rampant and he was the only one who could keep America Safe. Or in DT words MAGA!!! The one misleading claim from a strategy perspective is Buchanans belief that Nixon could have beaten RFK easily. I don’t understand the rational for this belief for the following reasons; RFK was against the war in Vietnam; Nixon claimed he had a plan to end the war honorably which he didn’t and his misguided foreign policy (bombing Cambodia) only extended the war by a number of years. His biggest fear was that LBJ would negotiate a peaceful settlement before the election. That’s why RN had a back channel to the communists telling them not to negotiate with LBJ ;that he could offer a better deal. The communists knew that the RVN couldn’t win the war with Frances help so all they had to do was wait out the Americans. Second RFK would have owned the black vote as well as the hispanic vote which RN struggled with because of his failure to reach out to MLK wife when he was in jail in Birmingham.
RN was at his strongest in 1960 and couldn’t beat JFK and he certainly would not have beaten RFK had he not been assassinated. Having won the election it’s easy to say you would have but I seriously doubt it.

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Lee T

Nixon from an alternative viewpoint.

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2020

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I’m a baby boomer who enjoys reading books about the Vietnam war. Nixon resurrected his political career and won presidency in 1968 in part because of his vow to get troops out of a bungled military initiative to slow the spread of totalitarian communist insurrections in Southeast Asia. If he hadn’t have got caught then tarred and feathered for his efforts to cover up questionable tactics at home, a good case could be made that he would have won a lasting partition of North and South Vietnam as was done with Korea.
He found common ground with the two major suppliers of the North, USSR and China.
Say what you will about Pat Buchanan but he worked very closely with Nixon as a gifted speech writer and advisor.

I’m not finished with the book but it is a refreshing revisit of turbulent times in the US. Learning a lot about what made Richard Nixon so influential and cunning as a VP and Pres. I suspect he will be seen more as a brilliant world figure and less as the caricature he has been. Later generations will re-examine his legacy after baby boomer hysteria fades.

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Kindle Customer

A Superb Historical Account

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2017

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This book is a terrific historical accounting of the political life of Richard Nixon from his time as the vice-president under Eisenhower into the 1960 election against JFL. After his defeat there we go into his defeat in 1962 in the California gubernatorial election and his "last press conference" through the disastrous presidential election of 1964 and the rise of the political stock of Ronald Reagan. All of this, and Nixon is out there building bridges and maintaining links and, more importantly, political goodwill. We are introduced to men whose political careers began under Nixon, men whose names became common knowledge in Nixon's presidency. We see the goings-on and the activities in the background in the political arena. This book will give you a lesson in politics and history as few other books would. Extremely worthwhile reading!!!

4 people found this helpful

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Robert Bolton

The Man With the Will to Win

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016

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2016 is certainly the presidential race in my own lifetime that has seen the broadest ideological diversity, with everyone from socialists, moderates, to libertarians running. The only election I can view with faint tones of similarity is the election of 1968, and in that case the ideologies were all rolled into one man. That man is the subject of The Greatest Comeback by Pat Buchanan, and it chronicles Richard Nixon’s resurrection from political defeat in 1960 to win the presidency eight years later.

To be clear, Pat Buchanan has some nutty views on certain historical topics (his idea that Hitler would have stopped if the Allies has only let him have Poland comes to mind), but when it comes to chronicling his former boss’s campaign of redemption, he is a top-notch writer. After his defeat in 1960, Nixon supported Barry Goldwater’s campaign in 1964; it ended disastrously with the Republican candidate winning only six states. Nixon, however, earned renewed loyalty from the party faithful for his support at a time many liberal Republicans had refused to endorse Goldwater. The book really begins, however, in 1966 when Nixon takes Buchanan onto his staff as an analyst and speechwriter. Buchanan portrays himself as having an easy intimacy with the former vice president, but Nixon never struck me as the type to engage in much small talk. The book does, however, include an appendix with Buchanan’s political memos and Nixon’s insightful annotations, which shows the two were closer than many of Nixon’s other employees.

What really makes the book fascinating is its ability to show a different political era. There was a time in the mid-1960s when Nixon received advice to outflank the Democratic Party by being even more liberal in expanding LBJ’s Great Society, and he took the suggestion seriously, although he ultimately rejected it. Similarly, compared to Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace, Nixon was the figure viewed as racially moderate and most likely to end the Vietnam War quickly. With riots occurring in major cities almost every summer, Nixon remained calm and was always planning ahead. Most people do not realize how disciplined a candidate must be to run a campaign. Nixon in the 1966 mid-term elections campaigned for hundreds of candidates across the country, and when his party performed well, he reaped the dividends with delegate loyalty at the 1968 convention. Ultimately, despite a closer margin, Nixon won the presidency with a majority of states and 43% of the popular vote.

Nixon is perhaps the most protean figure in American political history. A brilliant man with a successful foreign policy record, he could also be petty and capable of substantial dishonesty in the domestic sphere. The book ends with the 1969 inauguration, but like any narrative with Nixon, Watergate remains a distant cloud on the horizon. Buchanan hints in the final sentence of his book that he might write another one about those years, and I certainly hope so. This volume was a glimpse at an interesting man relevant even today.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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J. Rupp

Im zweiten Anlauf

Reviewed in Germany on November 5, 2017

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„The story of Nixon’s comeback has been told many times in the sprawling, though still nascent, literature surrounding our 37th president. Buchanan’s unique access to RN in this period and their rich correspondence deliver a wealth of intimate detail available nowhere else, making The Greatest Comeback indispensable reading for all students of Nixon, the presidency, the Cold War, and the upheavals of the 1960s.“
Diese lobenden Worte stammen aus der Buchbesprechung von James Rosen, die unter dem Titel „Nixon Rises Again“ am 11.08.2014 im konservativen Magazin „National Review“ erschienen ist. Der Rezensent verweist zu Recht auf die einzigartige Perspektive, die Patrick J. Buchanan zwischen 1966 und 1968 einnahm, als er zum engsten Beraterkreis von Richard Nixon gehörte.
Die hier zu besprechende Arbeit basiert zu einem großen Teil auf Dokumenten, die sich noch im Privatbesitz des Autors befinden und die es ihm ermöglichen, einen detaillierten Rückblick auf jene Zeit zu werfen, in welcher er als junger Mann die einmalige Gelegenheit erhielt, einen erfahrenen Politiker aus nächster Nähe in Aktion zu erleben.
Buchanan hatte Nixon schon in den fünfziger Jahren kurz kennengelernt, als er dem damaligen Vizepräsidenten beim Golfen als Caddy diente. Buchanan war und blieb von Nixon derart beeindruckt, dass er sich Mitte der sechziger Jahre dazu entschloss, "Tricky Dick“ zu unterstützen, falls sich dieser auf eine erneute Präsidentschaftskandidatur einlassen sollte. Bei einem Treffen mit Nixon sagte er diesem: „If you’re going to run in ’68, I’d like to come aboard early.“

Nixon hatte zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits zwei schmerzhafte Niederlagen verkraften müssen: 1960 verlor er den Kampf um die Präsidentschaft gegen John F. Kennedy und 1962 schaffte er es nicht, Gouverneur von Kalifornien zu werden. Außerdem befand sich die Republikanische Partei in einem beklagenswerten Zustand. Nicht ohne Grund spricht Buchanan deshalb von „einem Verlierer in einer Partei von Verlierern“, wenn er die Befindlichkeiten von Nixon und der „Grand Old Party“ in der ersten Hälfte der sechziger Jahre charakterisiert.
So hatte Barry Goldwater bei der Präsidentschaftswahl von 1964 ein historisches Debakel erlitten. Nixon setzte sich während des Wahlkampfes für den konservativen Kandidaten ein. Er vermied damit den groben Fehler von Nelson Rockefeller, der sich als führender Repräsentant des liberalen Flügels der GOP demonstrativ von Goldwater distanzierte.
Der ehemalige Vizepräsident positionierte sich damit als ein Mann des Zentrums, auf den man sich in der Stunde der Not verlassen konnte. Dementsprechend stieg seine Reputation bei vielen Republikanern deutlich an. Für ein politisches Comeback musste er allerdings noch zwei entscheidende Hindernisse überwinden: Zum einen war es für ihn zwingend notwendig, dass er sein Image als „Verlierer“ überwand. Zum anderen musste er die breite Öffentlichkeit davon überzeugen, dass sie es von nun an mit einem neuen und moderaten Richard Nixon zu tun hatte, der nicht nur als Kommunistenhasser und Hardliner bekannt war.

Für Buchanan, der sich als Journalist frühzeitig einen Namen als scharfzüngiger Konservativer gemacht hatte, war es daher nicht einfach, den pragmatischen Kurs von Nixon gegenüber rechten Intellektuellen zu verteidigen. Diese hatten ihre Schwierigkeiten mit der Tatsache, dass sich "Tricky Dick“ nicht mit ganzem Herzen ihrer Bewegung anschloss. Er verfügte zwar über „konservative Instinkte“, wie Buchanan anerkennend feststellt, in der Praxis hatte er aber am Ausbau des modernen Verwaltungs- und Wohlfahrtsstaates nichts auszusetzen. „Small Government“ war kein Konzept, mit dem Nixon etwas anfangen konnte.
Dass es dennoch zu einem Ausgleich mit der konservativen Bewegung kam, lag nicht zuletzt auch daran, dass es zu Nixon keine sinnvolle Alternative gab. Buchanan tat seinerseits alles, um ein Bündnis zwischen seinem Boss und den Konservativen zu schmieden. Dabei stand für ihn außer Frage, dass seine Loyalität bei Nixon lag. „Are you Nixon’s ambassador to the conservatives, or our ambassador to Nixon?“, fragte ihn der konservative Publizist William Rusher einmal direkt. „The former, always“, lautete die passende Antwort von Buchanan.
Trotz ideologischer Differenzen und persönlicher Spannungen blieb die Allianz zwischen dem konservativen Lager und Richard Nixon bis zur Präsidentschaftswahl von 1968 relativ stabil. Sie trug wesentlich dazu bei, dass der einstige „Verlierer“ zum 37. Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten gewählt wurde.

Nixon glückte die erfolgreiche Rückkehr auf die politische Bühne allerdings schon zwei Jahre zuvor. Wie Buchanan überzeugend argumentiert, waren es die Zwischenwahlen von 1966, in denen Nixon seine Fähigkeiten als Wahlkämpfer eindrucksvoll unter Beweis stellte. Unermüdlich reiste er durch die USA und setzte sich mit seiner ganzen Kraft für die republikanischen Kandidaten ein. Das politische Kapital, welches er hierbei investierte und die persönlichen Beziehungen, die er dabei aufbaute, zahlten sich bei seiner zweiten Kandidatur um das Präsidentenamt mehr als aus.
Außerdem schaffte er es, Präsident Johnson auf dem Gebiet der Außenpolitik herauszufordern. Der Krieg in Vietnam machte LBJ zunehmend das Leben schwer, so dass "Tricky Dick“ in diese offene Wunde stoßen konnte. Er tat dies in einer staatsmännischen Weise, die ihn kompetent und sachlich erscheinen ließ. Hierdurch unterschied er sich auch von seinen innerparteilichen Konkurrenten, die über keine außenpolitischen Erfahrungen verfügten. Nelson Rockefeller, George W. Romney und Ronald Reagan, der 1966 erstmals zum Gouverneur von Kalifornien gewählt worden war, konnten Nixon nicht in den Schatten stellen.
1967 bereitete er sich systematisch auf den Kampf ums Weiße Haus vor. Sein Team wurde erweitert und er war immer daran interessiert, sich möglichst viele und unterschiedliche Meinungen anzuhören, bevor er sich auf einen eigenen Standpunkt festlegte. Für Buchanan, der stets konservative Positionen vertrat, konnte die Vorgehensweise seines Chefs gelegentlich nervenaufreibend sein.

Im Vorwahlkampf setzte sich Nixon dann gegen seine innerparteilichen Rivalen durch. Der von den Medien zunächst als Favorit gehandelte George Romney musste erkennen, dass er gegen den ehemaligen Vizepräsidenten keine reale Chance hatte. Die Lage bei den Demokraten war geradezu verzweifelt. Ihr Präsident hatte auf eine Wiederwahl verzichtet und bei ihrem Parteitag in Chicago spielten sich im August 1968 bürgerkriegsähnliche Zustände ab.
Buchanan, der sich in der Stadt aufhielt, schildert sehr anschaulich die dramatischen Ereignisse. Hier offenbarte sich die Zerrissenheit der Demokratischen Partei in voller Breite. Dennoch warnte er vor einem verfrühten Siegesrausch bei den Republikanern. Sollte es den Demokraten trotz allem gelingen, ihre Wählerschaft zu mobilisieren, könnte es für Nixon im November des Jahres doch noch eng werden.
Wie sich dann zeigte, waren seine Befürchtungen nicht unbegründet. Dennoch gelang es Nixon und seinem Team, einen Wahlkampf zu führen, der sich durch Sachverstand und Erfahrung auszeichnete. Gravierende Fehler wurden vermieden und wichtige Themen, welche die Wähler bewegten, wurden vom republikanischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten ansprechend besetzt. Dies galt insbesondere für die innere Sicherheit, die durch Unruhen und Attentate massiv in Mitleidenschaft gezogen worden war. Nixon vertrat dabei eine harte Haltung, die bei der Mehrheit der Amerikaner gut ankam.

Es war gerade jene „neue Mehrheit“ von amerikanischen Normalbürgern, die Nixons Wahlsiege überhaupt erst ermöglichten. In seiner Rezension des Buches, die am 08.07.2014 in der Washington Times publiziert wurde, führt John R. Coyne hierzu treffend aus:
„After a close-run win in 1968, that New Majority spoke loudly in 1972, defeating Sen. George McGovern — a good and decent man whose candidacy was captured by the radical left and its loonier fringes — and delivering Nixon, who gave them a voice and a historic 49-state landslide victory.“
Zum Schluß gibt Buchanan noch einen kurzen Ausblick auf die Präsidentschaft von Richard Nixon, die bekanntlich ein böses Ende nahm. Buchanan ist jedoch davon überzeugt, dass sein alter Boss ganz anders bewertet würde, wenn er vor Watergate aus dem Amt geschieden wäre. Er schreibt: „Had Nixon stepped down in January 1973, he would be ranked as one of the great or near-great presidents.“
Auf die Zeit, die er mit Nixon im Weißen Haus verbrachte, geht der Autor in einem anderen Werk ausführlich ein. Es ist 2017 unter dem Titel „Nixon's White House Wars“ veröffentlicht worden.
Insgesamt gesehen ist es Patrick Buchanan hervorragend gelungen, die politische Wiedergeburt von Richard Nixon herauszuarbeiten. Das Buch ist für Leser, die sich für amerikanische Zeitgeschichte begeistern können, uneingeschränkt empfehlenswert.

Jürgen Rupp

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Katherine L. Gerak

Five Stars for this most informative and brilliantly written first-hand account of an era in U

Reviewed in Canada on August 14, 2014

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Five Stars for this most informative and brilliantly written first-hand account of an era in U.S. political history. Patrick Buchanan is surely the foremost political writer and commentator of the generation born while WW!!, the most horrific war of all time was raging. His humor and brilliant analysis of current events, as well as past events is second to none.

Terry Ott

PAT BUCHANAN STILL FIGHTING CULTURE WARS 50 YEARS ON

Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2014

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Former Richard Nixon PR hatchet man and strategist Pat Buchanan is also an excellent writer and with his latest book has produced his usual very readable tome.

However, for many versed in non-Nixonian history and spin, this book may be better placed in the "nonfiction novel" category, and that is being kind.

In Pat's view, "America need not have lost the Vietnam war." I guess in some other-worldly scenario that is technically true, but the belief that more B52 strikes on Hanoi and (more and earlier) mining of Vietnam's harbors as a path to "victory" borders on the strategically delusional.

Buchanan describes the mainstream US media as a "Fifth Column," pollster Lou Harris as "being in the bag" for JFK, and continuously describes African Americans as "Negroes."

Of course to Pat, Watergate was a left wing-loony-media "coup d'etat", the "Checkers" scandal was "phony," and Nixon was a "near great president."

OK, those are (some) of the bad parts.

The good parts over the 370 pages are juicy insider anecdotes about Milhous which one wished Buchanan would have focused more on than trying another Alice in Wonderland revisionist version of Nixon's self-destructive career.

Pat should leave that to Canadian author (Lord) Conrad Black.