Liberalism No More: How it all Unravelled.
Unfortunately for Kennedy and Johnsonian liberals, it all fell apart in 1968. Stemming from, as Johnson once so eloquently put it, “That bitch of a war”, the rise of the New Left and the Conservative Revolution in protest to the Vietnam War created too much tension with the country, and led too significant political pressure on Johnson from both his ideological right and left. The liberalism, which had once dominated the postwar period, had given way to a new war; this time however, the entire nation did not buy into the “war effort.” Things were so bad, that despite his winning by the biggest margin in American history in 1964, Johnson choose not to seek the democratic nomination for President in 1968. What happened?
In all likelihood, if a young man by the name of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had not been fatally shot shortly after winning the California Democratic Party Presidential Primary election, I would not be writing this stakeholder page about the fall of American liberalism in 1968. However, RFK was shot and the Democrats had no significant challenge for the Republicans in 1968. Richard Nixon won relatively easily, and the Republican from California was the President of the United States- the conservative revolution was born and the swing right had begun, a political shift right that we have still not seen the end of.
To many, it is perplexing how in just four years the tide of American liberalism shifted from so high to so low. I believe the answer can be found in studying the Counterculture and the “New Left.” Suddenly, opposition to Vietnam created an entire swing in the political views of the baby boomers. The kids of the postwar period were now adolescent activists, and their views had become so radical that the platform of Kennedy and LBJ had simply become outdated. The New Deal spirit of their parents generation had been replaced with discontent over the war, and the counterculture provided a means of resistance to the established politics of the day. The rising of radical organizations like the “Yippies” and “New Left”, their ridiculous platforms and all, speak not only to the political discontent of the day, but the desire for something new.
To the silent majority, Richard Nixon was that “something new”, and his policies promised a return to the tranquility of the Eisenhower years. To the counterculture, Nixon promised to end the war in Vietnam (that didn’t quite work out), and in the big picture, Johnson was our last liberal president. The fall of American liberalism is perhaps the biggest political legacy of the 1960’s. A system which had been in place since the 1930’s, facilitated the recovery of a nation from the worst economic depression in our history, and won a world war had fallen. The beginnings of our shift to the political right had taken root, and the legacy of Kennedy was gone.
In all likelihood, if a young man by the name of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had not been fatally shot shortly after winning the California Democratic Party Presidential Primary election, I would not be writing this stakeholder page about the fall of American liberalism in 1968. However, RFK was shot and the Democrats had no significant challenge for the Republicans in 1968. Richard Nixon won relatively easily, and the Republican from California was the President of the United States- the conservative revolution was born and the swing right had begun, a political shift right that we have still not seen the end of.
To many, it is perplexing how in just four years the tide of American liberalism shifted from so high to so low. I believe the answer can be found in studying the Counterculture and the “New Left.” Suddenly, opposition to Vietnam created an entire swing in the political views of the baby boomers. The kids of the postwar period were now adolescent activists, and their views had become so radical that the platform of Kennedy and LBJ had simply become outdated. The New Deal spirit of their parents generation had been replaced with discontent over the war, and the counterculture provided a means of resistance to the established politics of the day. The rising of radical organizations like the “Yippies” and “New Left”, their ridiculous platforms and all, speak not only to the political discontent of the day, but the desire for something new.
To the silent majority, Richard Nixon was that “something new”, and his policies promised a return to the tranquility of the Eisenhower years. To the counterculture, Nixon promised to end the war in Vietnam (that didn’t quite work out), and in the big picture, Johnson was our last liberal president. The fall of American liberalism is perhaps the biggest political legacy of the 1960’s. A system which had been in place since the 1930’s, facilitated the recovery of a nation from the worst economic depression in our history, and won a world war had fallen. The beginnings of our shift to the political right had taken root, and the legacy of Kennedy was gone.