The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s

In most accounts of the 1960s, Washington is portrayedas a target of reform—a reluctant group of politicianscoaxed into accepting the radical spirit the day demanded. Inthe newest volume in the award-winning Penguin History ofAmerican Life, Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot arguethat the most powerful agents of change in the 1960s were, infact, those in the traditional seats of power, not the counterculture. A masterly new interpretation of this pivotal decade, TheLiberal Hour explores the seismic shifts that led to an era whendemands that had lingered on the political agenda for yearsfinally entered the realm of possibility. By the time John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960,the political system that had prevailed for most of the centurywas based on crumbling economic, social, and demographicrealities. The growth of the suburbs meant power had shiftedout of the cities, rendering urban political machines and partybosses increasingly irrelevant, which in turn allowed younger,more independent-minded politicians to rise. In Congress,Democrats retained their long held control, but the Southernwing of the party was finally loosening its grip. Postwar prosperityled many Americans to believe there was enough wealthto go around, an optimism that lent powerful support to antipovertyprograms, not to mention civil rights.