In His Own Right: The Political Odyssey of Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Kennedy's role in American politics during the 1960s was pivotal yet has defied attempts to define it. He was a junior senator from New York, but he was also much more. The public perceived him as possessing the intangible qualities of his brother, the slain president. From 1965 to 1968 Kennedy struggled to find his own voice in national affairs.\ In His Own Right examines this crucial period of Robert Kennedy's political career, combining the best of political biography with a...
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Based on never-before-seen documents, this book chronicles RFK's extraordinary transformation from Cold Warrior to grass roots activist. Palermo focuses on the crucial nexus between '60s social activism and Kennedy's role as national leader, demonstrating how civic groups and individual activists educated him about the conflict in Southeast Asia and racial and class injustice at home. Walter LaFeber Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years . . . deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPrologue: The Odyssey Begins11On His Own: Kennedy's Evolving Critique of the War, May 1965-February 196682A Slow Path to Peace: Kennedy Calls for a Negotiated Settlement, March 1966-March 1967323At the Center of the Storm: Kennedy and the Shifting Political Winds of 1967574"The Hottest Place in Hell": Kennedy, the Democrats, and the McCarthy Candidacy775The Collapse of the Myths: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Tet Offensive, January-February 19681006The Breaking Point: Kennedy Responds to Tet, February 8, 19681177Fifteen Days in March: Kennedy Challenges Johnson, March 19681308Civil Rights and the Urban Rebellions: Kennedy, King, and the Politics of Race, 1965-19681619Building a Coalition: Kennedy and the Primaries, March 16-May 28, 196818810California: Kennedy's Last Campaign, May 1-June 6, 1968220Conclusion: A Potential Unrealized250Notes259Bibliography323Index337
\ Journal of American HistoryAn important contribution to Kennedy scholarship, a highly readable and sympathetic portrayal of RFK.\ \ \ \ \ \ The BookpressJoseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.\ — Walter LaFeber\ \ \ \ American Historical ReviewThis agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.\ — James W. Hilty\ \ \ \ \ \ Rhetoric and Public AffairsPalermo does a fine job of attempting to link Kennedy to social movements and grass-roots mobilization by groups in this country. His book is a well-researched, clearly written study that is well worth reading.\ \ \ \ \ \ The Bookpress\ - Walter LaFeber\ Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.\ \ \ \ \ \ American Historical Review\ - James W. Hilty\ This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.\ \ \ \ \ \ Walter LaFeberJoseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years . . . deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalRobert Kennedy used his position as senator from New York (1965-68) to lead a coalition of grass-roots voters members of the peace and Civil Rights movements, African Americans, members of the working class in a fight for the liberal soul of the Democratic party while making a credible challenge for the 1968 presidency, notes Palermo (Cornell Univ.). He struggled with President Johnson, who attacked his patriotism because he was an early advocate of a negotiated peace settlement in Vietnam, and with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's hawkish surrogate, who continued the fight over Vietnam during their battle for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination. "Peace candidate" Eugene McCarthy is portrayed as an indifferent senator with a poor record on civil rights who lost many votes and credibility when Kennedy replaced the Vietnam issue as his focus. Evan Thomas's Robert Kennedy: His Life (LJ 8/00) and Jeff Shesol's Mutual Contempt (LJ 9/15/97) offer more lively accounts of Kennedy's feuds, but Palermo provides a thorough investigation of RFK as political leader that is a worthy continuation of the years covered in James Hilty's Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector (LJ 4/15/98). Strongly recommended for academic collections and recommended for larger public libraries. Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsDiscusses Senator Robert Kennedy's tenure as an elected official, from January, 1965 through his presidential campaign, which was cut short by his assassination in June of 1968. Palermo's (Cornell U. and Colgate College) analysis focuses on correspondence to Kennedy from peace activists, African Americans, and Latinos and the effect they had on Kennedy's political stance. Particular attention is paid to Kennedy's critique of the Vietnam War and his views on racism and poverty. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
