True Blues: The Contentious Transformation of the Democratic Party

276 Pages·2021·1.899 MB·English

by  Adam Hilton

True Blues
AMERICAN GOVERNANCE:
POLITICS, POLICY, AND PUBLIC LAW
Series Editors:
Richard Valelly, Pamela Brandwein,
Marie Gottschalk, Christopher Howard
A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher.
True Blues
The Contentious Transformation
of the Democratic Party
Adam Hilton
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2021 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved.
Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation,
none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
www . upenn . edu / pennpress
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
on acid- free paper
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hilton, Adam, author.
Title: True blues : the contentious transformation of the Democratic Party /
Adam Hilton.
Other titles: American governance.
Description: 1st edition. | Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2021] |
Series: American governance: politics, policy, and public law | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020037061 | ISBN 9780812252996 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Democratic Party (U.S.)—History—20th century. | Democratic
Party (U.S.)—History—21st century. | United States—Politics and government—
20th century. | United States—Politics and government—21st century.
Classification: LCC JK2316 .H55 2021 | DDC 324.2736—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037061
For Ashlee

CONTENTS
Introduction. Who Governs Parties? 1
PART I. THE RISE OF THE ADVOCACY PARTY
Chapter 1. In the Shadow of States’ Rights: The New Deal
Demo cratic Party and the Prelude to Reform 25
Chapter 2. The Undemo cratic Party:
Antiwar Insurgents and the Party Crisis of 1968 47
Chapter 3. “Curing the Ills of Democracy”: Party
Entrepreneurship in the McGovern- Fraser Commission 66
Chapter 4. The Party Turned Upside Down: The McGovern
Nomination and the Backlash Against Reform 88
Chapter 5. Bringing the Counter- Reformers Back In:
The Co ali tion for a Demo cratic Majority and
the Making of the Advocacy Party 110
PART II. THE POLITICS OF THE ADVOCACY PARTY
Chapter 6. The Limits of Group Influence:
Jimmy Car ter and the Demand for Full Employment Policy 131
Chapter 7. The Officeholders Strike Back:
The Success and Failure of the New Democrats 147
viii Contents
Chapter 8. The Advocate- in- Chief:
Barack Obama’s Harnessing of the Advocacy Party 171
Conclusion. The Consequences of the Advocacy Party 192
Notes 207
Index 249
Acknowl edgments 263
True Blues