Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism

William R. Fernekes

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666928594
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

Clifford P. Case was an exemplary "liberal Republican" during his 33 years in Congress, including 4 terms in the U.S. Senate. A strong advocate of civil and human rights, environmental protection, high ethical standards for public officials, and U.S. global leadership, Case was a highly respected member of the GOP from 1945-1979. Even so, GOP conservatives repeatedly sought to oust Case, finally succeeding as the Republican party moved inexorably to the right. This book tells Case's life story, his ascendancy in GOP politics, his achievements and disappointments in Congress, and his unexpected loss in the 1978 NJ GOP primary to Reagan protégé Jeffrey Bell. Case emerges as a courageous politician of principle who valued country over party and regularly formed coalitions with Democrats concerning major foreign and domestic policy issues: ending the Vietnam War, passing landmark civil rights legislation, and reasserting the Senate's role in foreign policy oversight. The biography also analyzes the gradual decline of liberal Republican influence in the GOP, culminating in Ronald Reagan's 1980 election and the triumph of movement conservatism. For readers who decry America's political polarization, Case's career demonstrates that electoral and legislative achievements need not rely on appeals to political extremes.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Development of a Public Servant
• Chapter 2: Mr. Case Goes to Washington
• Chapter 3: Case and the Challenges of Post–World War II America
• Chapter 4: The Senate Beckons
• Chapter 5: Case’s First Senate Term
• Chapter 6 : Successes, Disappointments, and the Goldwater Factor
• Chapter 7: The Civil Rights Struggle and Death of a President
• Chapter 8: Civil Rights, Congressional Ethics, and the 1964 Election
• Chapter 9: LBJ’s “Great Society” and Seeking a Third Senate Term
• Chapter 10: A Resurgent GOP and the 1968 Election
• Chapter 11: Battling Political Corruption and a Conservative Court
• Chapter 12: Case and Environmental Protection
• Chapter 13: The Case-Zablocki Act and Running for a Fourth Term
• Chapter 14: Case and Vietnam : From Supporter to Critic
• Chapter 15: Case and Vietnam : Nixon’s War
• Chapter 16 : The Case-Church Amendment: Ending the War
• Chapter 17: Watergate, the Ford Presidency, and Foreign Policy Challenges
• Chapter 18: The 1976 Election: Twilight of GOP Liberals
• Chapter 19: The End of an Era
• Chapter 20: Public Intellectual, Death, and Legacy
• Bibliography
• ‌‌Appendix‌‌: Alphabetical Listing of Members of Congress Mentioned in Text by State‌‌‌, Party Affiliation, and Years of Service‌‌‌
• About the Author