The New York Times Book of Politics: 167 Years of Covering the State of the Union - Hardcover

Rosenthal, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1454931264 ISBN 13: 9781454931263

Publisher: Union Square & Co., 2018

Synopsis

For 167 years, The New York Times has been in the forefront of political reporting—from memorable campaigns and elections to controversial legislation, scandals, and issues ranging from immigration, race, and gender to the economy and war.

In today’s turbulent times, the newspaper’s political coverage is more relevant than ever; not only for the news itself, but because of the paper’s leadership in defending the freedom of the press.

Compiled by noted New York Times editor Andrew Rosenthal, this anthology explores the newspaper’s broad scope of unparalleled political coverage and examines what has changed over the decades and what remains the same. Covering stories from 1856 to 2018, it features presidential milestones: the astounding 1860 triumph of Republicanism with Abraham Lincoln’s election and Senator Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential victory as racial barriers seemed, perhaps prematurely, to fall. Wars: the start of the atomic age, the fall of Saigon, the conflict in Iraq. Important legal issues like the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, the 2000 Florida presidential recount, and same-sex marriage. The course of the country’s economy, such as the 2008 financial disaster and President Donald Trump’s tax overhaul. Momentous protests, like the 1963 March for Civil Rights, Kent State, the takeover of Wounded Knee, Black Lives Matter, and the MeToo movement. Political scandals and investigations, from Watergate to the firing of F.B.I. director James B. Comey. And so much more.

With 60 photographs as well as reproductions of front-page stories, here are the noteworthy political articles from The New York Times archives that are sure to engross readers.

Included are stories on tumultuous campaigns and surprising elections, scandals that rocked the world, the waging of war—from “good” wars (World Wars I and II) to “bad” wars (Vietnam), groundbreaking legislation, important protests, and hot button issues like feminism, LGBTQ rights, and DACA. The 81 articles include:

1. “Demands Oil Regulation—La Follette Committee Suggests 8 Immediate Remedies” (March 5, 1923)
2. “Welch Assails McCarthy’s ‘Cruelty’ and ‘Recklessness’ in Attack on Aide”—W. H. Lawrence (June 10, 1954)
3. “Vietnam: The Signs of Stalemate”—R. W. Apple Jr. (August 7, 1967)
4. Goal Is Harmony—President-Elect [Nixon] Vows His Administration Will Be “Open”—Robert B. Semple Jr. (November 7, 1968)
5. “Senators Bar Weakening of Equal Rights Proposal”—Eileen Shanahan (March 22, 1972)
6. “Goldwater Vows to Fight Tactics of ‘New Right’”—Judith Miller (September 16, 1981)
7. “Raze Berlin Wall, Reagan Urges Soviet”—Gerald M. Boyd (June 13, 1987)
8. “Riots in Los Angeles: The Blue Line”—(May 1, 1992)
9. “Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers without Courts”—James Risen and Eric Lichtblau (December 16, 2005)
10. “Senate Repeals Ban Against Openly Gay Military Personnel”—Carl Hulse (December 18, 2010)
11. “Donald Trump Is Elected President in Stunning Repudiation of the Establishment”—Matt Flegenheimer and Michael Barbaro (November 9, 2016)
12. “How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science”—Coral Davenport and Eric Lipton (June 3, 2017)
13. “After 16 Futile Years Congress Will Try Again to Legalize ‘Dreamers’”—Yamiche Alcindor and Sheryl Gay Stolberg (September 5, 2017)

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew Rosenthal is former editorial page editor of The New York Times and oversaw the editorial board, the Letters and Op-Ed departments, and the Editorial and Op-Ed sections of NYTimes.com. In March 2016, he became a columnist and podcast contributor for The Times. He was recently the Visiting Murrow Lecturer of the Practice of Press and Public Policy at Harvard.

Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary and author of three New York Times bestsellers, became an Op-Ed columnist in 1995. She also writes for the “Style” section and The Times Magazine.

Ms. Dowd began her journalism career in 1974 as an editorial assistant at The Washington Star. In 1983, she joined The New York Times as a metropolitan correspondent and then moved to The Times’ Washington bureau in 1986 to cover politics. Ms. Dowd has covered nine presidential campaigns, served as The Times’ White House correspondent, and written “On Washington,” a column for The Times Magazine. She is the author of several books, including Bushworld (2004, G. P. Putnam’s Sons), Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide (2005, Penguin), and The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics (Grand Central). Ms. Dowd has also written for GQ, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, Sports Illustrated, and others. Her Op-Ed column appears every Sunday. She lives in Washington, DC.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

The New York Times Book of Politics
by Andrew Rosenthal and Maureen Dowd
© 2018 by The New York Times®. All Rights Reserved

CHAPTER 1: PRESIDENTS AND THEIR ELECTIONS

“I realize keenly the responsibility I shall assume, and I mean to serve with my utmost capacity the interest of the nation. The people could not have arrived at this result if they had not been informed properly of my views by an independent press.”

—President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, November 9, 1932

The 46 presidents of THE UNITED STATES are about as nondiverse a group as you could assemble. Forty-five men (Grover Cleveland was technically the 22nd and 24th president since he was elected to nonconsecutive terms), 44 of them white and 1 African American. All but 3 of them professed Protestant Christianity—Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson defied denominational labels and John F. Kennedy was the only Roman Catholic, even though it is the largest religious denomination in the country. All of them were of Western European ancestry; even Barack Obama was born to a woman of mostly English descent. Four of them were assassinated, all by firearms. Despite the power of incumbency, only 13 of them served two full terms in office (Franklin Roosevelt died in his fourth term). Some served with little distinction, such as Howard Taft and Grover Cleveland. Others lent their names to the most significant periods of our history, namely Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton, Obama and perhaps Donald Trump.

ASTOUNDING TRIUMPH OF REPUBLICANISM

NOVEMBER 7, 1860

The canvas for the presidency of the United States terminated last evening, in all the States of the Union, under the revised regulation of Congress, passed in 1845, and the result, by the vote of New York, is placed beyond question at once. It elects Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, president, and Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, vice president of the United States, for four years, from the 4th March next, directly by the people: these Republican candidates having a clear majority of the 309 electorial votes of the 33 states, over all three of the opposing tickets.

Being 19 over the required majority, without wasting the returns from the 2 Pacific states of Oregon and California. The election, so far as the city and state of New York are concerned, will probably stand, hereafter as one of the most remarkable in the political contests of the country; marked, as it is, by far the heaviest popular vote ever cast in the city, and by the sweeping, and almost uniform, Republican majorities in the country.

It elects Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, president, and Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, vice president of the United States.

The state of Pennsylvania, which virtually decided her preference in October, has again thrown an overwhelming majority for the Republican candidates. And New Jersey, after a sharp contest has, as usual in nearly all the presidential elections, taken her place on the same side. The New England majorities run up by tens of thousands.

The Congressional elections which took place yesterday in this state have probably confirmed the probability of an anti-Republican preponderance in the next House of Representatives, by displacing several of the present Republican members.

AWFUL EVENT; PRESIDENT LINCOLN SHOT BY AN ASSASSIN

By EDWIN M. STANTON, APRIL 15, 1865

This evening at about 9:30 p.m., at Ford’s Theatre, the president, while sitting in his private box with Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Harris and Major Rathburn, was shot by an assassin, who suddenly entered the box and approached behind the president.

The assassin then leaped upon the stage, brandishing a large dagger or knife, and made his escape in the rear of the theatre.

The pistol ball entered the back of the president’s head and penetrated nearly through the head. The wound is mortal. The president has been insensible ever since it was inflicted and is now dying.

About the same hour an assassin, whether the same or not, entered Mr. Seward’s apartments, and under the pretense of having a prescription, was shown to the secretary’s sick chamber. The assassin immediately rushed to the bed and inflicted two or three stabs on the throat and two on the face. It is hoped the wounds may not be mortal. My apprehension is that they will prove fatal.

The nurse alarmed Mr. Frederick Seward, who was in an adjoining room, and hastened to the door of his father’s room, when he met the assassin, who inflicted upon him one or more dangerous wounds. The recovery of Frederick Seward is doubtful.

It is not probable that the president will live throughout the night.

Gen. Grant and wife were advertised to be at the theatre this evening, but he started to Burlington at six o’clock this evening.

At a cabinet meeting at which Gen. Grant was present, the subject of the state of the country and the prospect of a speedy peace was discussed. The president was very cheerful and hopeful, and spoke very kindly of Gen. Lee and others of the Confederacy, and of the establishment of government in Virginia.

All the members of the cabinet except Mr. Seward, are now in attendance upon the president.

I have seen Mr. Seward, but he and Frederick were both unconscious.

SWEEP IS NATIONAL; DEMOCRATS WIN SENATE

By ARTHUR KROCK, NOVEMBER 9, 1932

Roosevelt Statement

President-elect Roosevelt gave the following statement to The New York Times early this morning:

“While I am grateful with all my heart for this expression of the confidence of my fellow Americans, I realize keenly the responsibility I shall assume, and I mean to serve with my utmost capacity the interest of the nation.

“The people could not have arrived at this result if they had not been informed properly of my views by an independent press, and I value particularly the high service of The New York Times in its reporting of my speeches and in its enlightened comment.”

A political cataclysm, unprecedented in the nation’s history and produced by three years of depression, thrust President Herbert Hoover and the Republican power from control of the government yesterday, elected Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt president of the United States, provided the Democrats with a large majority in Congress and gave them administration of the affairs of many states of the Union.

Fifteen minutes after midnight, Eastern Standard Time, the Associated Press flashed from Palo Alto this line: “Hoover concedes defeat.”

It was then 15 minutes after 9 in California, and the president had been in his residence on the Leland Stanford campus only a few hours, arriving with expressed confidence of victory.

A few minutes after the flash from Palo Alto the text of Mr. Hoover’s message of congratulation to his successful opponent was received by The New York Times, though it was delayed in direct transmission to the president-elect. After offering his felicitations to Governor Roosevelt on his “opportunity to be of service to the country,” and extending wishes for success, the president “dedicated” himself to “every possible helpful effort . . . in the common purpose of us all.”

This language strengthened the belief of those who expect that the relations between the victor and the vanquished, in view of the exigent condition of the country, will be more than perfunctory, and that they may soon confer in an effort to arrive at a mutual program of stabilization during the period between now and March 4, when Mr. Roosevelt will take office.

The president-elect left his headquarters shortly before 2 a.m. without having received Mr. Hoover’s message.

As returns from the Mountain States and the Pacific Coast supplemented the early reports from the Middle West and the Eastern Seaboard, the president was shown to have surely carried only 5 states with a total of 51 electoral votes. It is probable that Mr. Roosevelt has capture 42 states and 472 electoral votes. With 2 states in doubt he has taken 40 states and 448 votes. Only 266 are required for the election of a president. It also appeared certain that the Congress elected by the people yesterday will be wet enough not only to modify the Volstead Act, as pledged in the Democratic platform, but to submit flat repeal of national prohibition.

Republican Strongholds Fall

The states carried by the president, after weeks of strenuous appeal for reelection on his record, seemed early this morning to have been Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont. It is possible that complete returns may deprive him of one or more of these, but Connecticut seems to have returned to the Republican standard.

In 1928 Mr. Hoover defeated Alfred E. Smith by a popular plurality of more than 6,300,000 and with a tally of 444 electoral votes to 87. Not only will this equation be more than reversed, according to all indications, but in the final accounting it may be shown that Mr. Smith, who aided powerfully in Governor Roosevelt’s cause with especial effects in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey was a much less badly defeated candidate than his successful rival of four years ago.

Late returns indicate that such Republican fortresses as Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming—and even the president’s birth state of Iowa and resident commonwealth of California—will join New York and the eleven Southern states which led the van of Governor Roosevelt’s overwhelming victory.

Votes National Grouch

The country was voting a “national grouch” against three years of business stagnation, against farm foreclosures, bank failures, unemployment, and the Republican argument that “things could have been worse.” The president’s single-handed fight to sustain his record, his warnings against Democratic changes in the Hawley-Smoot Tariff and efforts to impress the country with fear of a change of administration were as futile in the final analysis as straw votes and the reports of newspaper observers indicated that it would be.

Mr. Hoover joins in history Benjamin Harrison and William Howard Taft as the only Republican presidents who sought and were denied reelection. In the sum, his defeat was greater even than Mr. Taft’s in 1912, for while his electoral and popular vote will be greater, he had a united party organization behind him and Mr. Taft was opposed by Theodore Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party.

Defeat Privately Conceded

Before nine o’clock, following the discouraging news from New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and Indiana, Republican leaders privately conceded their defeat, although they withheld official acknowledgments. President-elect Roosevelt came early to his headquarters at the Biltmore Hotel, in New York City, where, surrounded by a happy and confident group, he heard the returns and smiled when his campaign and pre-nomination manager, National Chairman James A. Farley, reiterated his often-asserted but now disproved claim that Mr. Hoover would not carry one state.

The president was at his home in Palo Alto for the news. He had reached there this afternoon, weary after thousands of miles and active days and nights of campaigning, but expressing confidence that the people would give him a vote of confidence.

Business as represented by Wall Street has already discounted the result of the election and has expressed its confidence in the future by a general rise in stocks on Monday of this week. When the rise came, the betting was as high as seven to one on Governor Roosevelt and few important members of the financial community doubted that the odds were accurate.

END COMES SUDDENLY AT WARM SPRINGS

By ARTHUR KROCK, APRIL 13, 1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, war president of the United States and the only chief executive in history who was chosen for more than two terms, died suddenly and unexpectedly at 4:35 p.m. today at Warm Springs, Ga., and the White House announced his death at 5:48 o’clock. He was 63.

The president, stricken by a cerebral hemorrhage, passed from unconsciousness to death on the 83rd day of his fourth term and in an hour of high triumph. The armies and fleets under his direction as commander in chief were at the gates of Berlin and the shores of Japan’s home islands as Mr. Roosevelt died, and the cause he represented and led was nearing the conclusive phase of success.

Less than two hours after the official announcement, Harry S. Truman of Missouri, the vice president, took the oath as the 32nd president. The oath was administered by the chief justice of the United States, Harlan F. Stone, in a one-minute ceremony at the White House. Mr. Truman immediately let it be known that Mr. Roosevelt’s cabinet is remaining in office at his request, and that he had authorized Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius Jr. to proceed with plans for the United Nations conference on international organization at San Francisco, scheduled to begin April 25. A report was circulated that he leans somewhat to the idea of a coalition cabinet, but this is unsubstantiated.

Funeral Tomorrow Afternoon

It was disclosed by the White House that funeral services for Mr. Roosevelt will take place at 4 p.m. (E.W.T.) Saturday in the East Room of the Executive Mansion. The Rev. Angus Dun, Episcopal bishop of Washington; the Rev. Howard S. Wilkinson of St. Thomas’s Church in Washington, and the Rev. John G. McGee of St. John’s in Washington will conduct services.

The body will be interred at Hyde Park, N.Y., Sunday, with the Rev. George W. Anthony of St. James Church officiating. The time has not yet been fixed.

Jonathan Daniels, White House secretary, said Mr. Roosevelt’s body would not lie in state. He added that, in view of the limited size of the East Room, which holds only about 200 persons, the list of those attending the funeral services would be limited to high government officials, representatives of the membership of both houses of Congress, heads of foreign missions, and friends of the family.

President Truman, in his first official pronouncement, pledged prosecution of the war to a successful conclusion. His statement, issued for him at the White House by press secretary Jonathan Daniels, said:

“The world may be sure that we will prosecute the war on both fronts, East and West, with all the vigor we possess to a successful conclusion.”

News of Death Stuns Capital

The impact of the news of the president’s death on the capital was tremendous. Although rumor and a marked change in Mr. Roosevelt’s appearance and manner had brought anxiety to many regarding his health, and there had been increasing speculation as to the effects his death would have on the national and world situation, the fact stunned the government and the citizens of the capital.

It was not long, however, before the wheels of government began once more to turn. Mr. Stettinius, the first of the late president’s ministers to arrive at the White House, summoned the cabinet to meet at once. Mr. Truman, his face gray and drawn, responded to the first summons given to any outside Mr. Roosevelt’s family and official intimates by rushing from the Capitol.

Mrs. Roosevelt had immediately given voice to the spirit that animated the entire government, once the first shock of the news had passed. She cabled to her four sons, all on active service:

“He did his job to the end as he would want you to do. Bless you all and all our love. Mother.”

Those who have served with the late president in peace and in war accepted that as their obligation. The comment of members of Congress unanimously reflected this spirit. Those who supported or opposed Mr. Roosevelt during his long and controversial yea...

About this edition

• Publisher: Union Square & Co.
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1454931264
• ISBN 13: 9781454931263
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368