Summer Reading for Potus Geeks: Conventions
Both of the two major political parties have now held their nominating conventions for the upcoming presidential election. I wondered how many people wish it was like it was in the old school, before primaries, when those seeking the nomination attended the convention without the certainty of knowing how things would turn out. Though less democratic (it put the decision of choice of candidate in the hands of a powerful minority), it was certainly more dramatic. Here are a few good books about some past nominating conventions that tell some dramatic stories.
The 103rd Ballot: The Incredible Story of the Disastrous Democratic Convention of 1924 by Robert K. Murray (reviewed here in this community): This was an amazing convention, and as the spoiler title suggest, in 1924 it took the Democratic Party 103 ballots to nominate compromise candidate John W. Davis, one of the least remembered presidential candidates from the two major parties ever. In the summer of 1924, a very divided Democratic Party met at Madison Square Gardens in New York City to select their candidate for President in the upcoming election. Two controversial issues divided the party: prohibition and the Ku Klux Klan. Two strong and stubborn candidates, on opposite sides of these issues, battled for the nomination, a battle that would last for sixteen days and 103 ballots. This is a fascinating tale of how ego and inflexibility sunk a party's chances for victory in the fall and injured the Democrats for years to come.
The First American Political Conventions: Transforming Presidential Nominations 1832-1872
by Stan M. Haynes: This book analyzes the birth of the presidential nominating convention process in the 1830s and follows its development over forty years, chronicling each of the presidential elections from 1832 to 1872. It includes a look at campaigns that involved the giants of the era including Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln. For each election, the leading candidates, key issues, and memorable speeches and events that occurred on the convention floor are evaluated, as well as back-room deal-making, "dark horse" candidacies, and an analysis of the meeting halls, the accompanying parades, rallies, and other political hoopla that took place in the convention cities.
The same author continues his analysis of presidential nominating conventions, this time focusing on the period from 1876 to 1900 in President-Making in the Gilded Age: The Nominating Conventions of 1876-1900. The so-called "Gilded Age" was an era when there were no primaries, no debates and nominees did little active campaigning. Unlike modern conventions, the outcomes were not predetermined. This was an era of political corruption, when party bosses controlled the conventions and chose the nominees. Yet often candidates nominated by both Republicans and Democrats during this period won despite the opposition of the bosses. This book analyzes the pageantry, drama, speeches, strategies, platforms, deal-making and often surprising outcomes of the presidential nominating conventions of the era.
Finally, fans of Norman Mailer may recall a time when he was a newspaper writer. In his 1976 work Some Honorable Men: Political Conventions, 1960-1972, Mailer writes about the presidential conventions of 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972). He provides an insightful and often humorous view of the transformation of the American political system over that period. The book begins with one of Mailer's better essays, called "Superman comes to the Supermarket" about the 1960 Democratic convention that resulted in the nomination of John F. Kennedy. Mailer shows us how the Kennedy glamour was used to defeat the efforts of Adlai Stevenson's supporters to win the nomination for their candidate. Critical of the Kennedys, Mailer describes how, for him as well as for the rest of America, the time of the Stevenson liberals had run its course. The second essay, "In the Red Light", contains Mailer's thoughts on the possibility of having Barry Goldwater as President. 1968 is represented in "Miami and the Siege of Chicago." Watching the violence at the Democratic convention, Mailer finds himself coming to doubt both the Democratic Party and the liberals themselves. While he is uninspired by the Republicans, Mailer records in vivid detail being in the middle of the chaos in Chicago. The book concludes with "St. George and the Godfather" which covers the '72 conventions. In this essay, Mailer admits being sick of the whole political process. He watches as the Democrats nominate George McGovern and as the Republicans nominate Nixon. The apathy he feels is reflected in his writing.
These are just four books to get the feel of political nominating conventions, old school, unless you've already had your fill of them!
The 103rd Ballot: The Incredible Story of the Disastrous Democratic Convention of 1924 by Robert K. Murray (reviewed here in this community): This was an amazing convention, and as the spoiler title suggest, in 1924 it took the Democratic Party 103 ballots to nominate compromise candidate John W. Davis, one of the least remembered presidential candidates from the two major parties ever. In the summer of 1924, a very divided Democratic Party met at Madison Square Gardens in New York City to select their candidate for President in the upcoming election. Two controversial issues divided the party: prohibition and the Ku Klux Klan. Two strong and stubborn candidates, on opposite sides of these issues, battled for the nomination, a battle that would last for sixteen days and 103 ballots. This is a fascinating tale of how ego and inflexibility sunk a party's chances for victory in the fall and injured the Democrats for years to come.
The First American Political Conventions: Transforming Presidential Nominations 1832-1872
by Stan M. Haynes: This book analyzes the birth of the presidential nominating convention process in the 1830s and follows its development over forty years, chronicling each of the presidential elections from 1832 to 1872. It includes a look at campaigns that involved the giants of the era including Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Abraham Lincoln. For each election, the leading candidates, key issues, and memorable speeches and events that occurred on the convention floor are evaluated, as well as back-room deal-making, "dark horse" candidacies, and an analysis of the meeting halls, the accompanying parades, rallies, and other political hoopla that took place in the convention cities.
The same author continues his analysis of presidential nominating conventions, this time focusing on the period from 1876 to 1900 in President-Making in the Gilded Age: The Nominating Conventions of 1876-1900. The so-called "Gilded Age" was an era when there were no primaries, no debates and nominees did little active campaigning. Unlike modern conventions, the outcomes were not predetermined. This was an era of political corruption, when party bosses controlled the conventions and chose the nominees. Yet often candidates nominated by both Republicans and Democrats during this period won despite the opposition of the bosses. This book analyzes the pageantry, drama, speeches, strategies, platforms, deal-making and often surprising outcomes of the presidential nominating conventions of the era.
Finally, fans of Norman Mailer may recall a time when he was a newspaper writer. In his 1976 work Some Honorable Men: Political Conventions, 1960-1972, Mailer writes about the presidential conventions of 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972). He provides an insightful and often humorous view of the transformation of the American political system over that period. The book begins with one of Mailer's better essays, called "Superman comes to the Supermarket" about the 1960 Democratic convention that resulted in the nomination of John F. Kennedy. Mailer shows us how the Kennedy glamour was used to defeat the efforts of Adlai Stevenson's supporters to win the nomination for their candidate. Critical of the Kennedys, Mailer describes how, for him as well as for the rest of America, the time of the Stevenson liberals had run its course. The second essay, "In the Red Light", contains Mailer's thoughts on the possibility of having Barry Goldwater as President. 1968 is represented in "Miami and the Siege of Chicago." Watching the violence at the Democratic convention, Mailer finds himself coming to doubt both the Democratic Party and the liberals themselves. While he is uninspired by the Republicans, Mailer records in vivid detail being in the middle of the chaos in Chicago. The book concludes with "St. George and the Godfather" which covers the '72 conventions. In this essay, Mailer admits being sick of the whole political process. He watches as the Democrats nominate George McGovern and as the Republicans nominate Nixon. The apathy he feels is reflected in his writing.
These are just four books to get the feel of political nominating conventions, old school, unless you've already had your fill of them!