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The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose from Defeat to Create the New Majority
Patrick J. Buchanan, bestselling author and senior advisor to Richard Nixon, tells the definitive story of Nixon's resurrection from the political graveyard and his rise to the presidency.
After suffering stinging defeats in the 1960 presidential election against John F. Kennedy, and in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Nixon's career was declared dead by Washington press and politicians alike. Yet on January 20, 1969, just six years after he had said his political life was over, Nixon would stand taking the oath of office as 37th President of the United States. How did Richard Nixon resurrect a ruined career and reunite a shattered and fractured Republican Party to capture the White House?
In The Greatest Comeback , Patrick J. Buchanan--who, beginning in January 1966, served as one of two staff members to Nixon, and would become a senior advisor in the White House after 1968--gives a firsthand account of those crucial years in which Nixon reversed his political fortunes during a decade marked by civil rights protests, social revolution, The Vietnam War, the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King, urban riots, campus anarchy, and the rise of the New Left. Using over 1,000 of his own personal memos to Nixon, with Nixon’s scribbled replies back, Buchanan gives readers an insider’s view as Nixon gathers the warring factions of the Republican party--from the conservative base of Barry Goldwater to the liberal wing of Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney, to the New Right legions of an ascendant Ronald Reagan--into the victorious coalition that won him the White House. How Richard Nixon united the party behind him may offer insights into how the Republican Party today can bring together its warring factions.
The Greatest Comeback is an intimate portrayal of the 37th President and a fascinating fly on-the-wall account of one of the most remarkable American political stories of the 20th century.
After suffering stinging defeats in the 1960 presidential election against John F. Kennedy, and in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Nixon's career was declared dead by Washington press and politicians alike. Yet on January 20, 1969, just six years after he had said his political life was over, Nixon would stand taking the oath of office as 37th President of the United States. How did Richard Nixon resurrect a ruined career and reunite a shattered and fractured Republican Party to capture the White House?
In The Greatest Comeback , Patrick J. Buchanan--who, beginning in January 1966, served as one of two staff members to Nixon, and would become a senior advisor in the White House after 1968--gives a firsthand account of those crucial years in which Nixon reversed his political fortunes during a decade marked by civil rights protests, social revolution, The Vietnam War, the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King, urban riots, campus anarchy, and the rise of the New Left. Using over 1,000 of his own personal memos to Nixon, with Nixon’s scribbled replies back, Buchanan gives readers an insider’s view as Nixon gathers the warring factions of the Republican party--from the conservative base of Barry Goldwater to the liberal wing of Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney, to the New Right legions of an ascendant Ronald Reagan--into the victorious coalition that won him the White House. How Richard Nixon united the party behind him may offer insights into how the Republican Party today can bring together its warring factions.
The Greatest Comeback is an intimate portrayal of the 37th President and a fascinating fly on-the-wall account of one of the most remarkable American political stories of the 20th century.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
46 people are currently reading
691 people want to read
About the author
Patrick J. Buchanan
22 books401 followersOne of America's best known paleoconservatives, Buchanan served as a senior advisor to Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He ran for president in 1992, 1996 and 2000. Buchanan is an isolationist on the subject of American foreign policy and believes in a restrictive immigration policy.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/patric...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/patric...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
September 24, 2019
I rarely read presidential biographies. The two exceptions to this tendency are Abraham Lincoln for his historic role in ending slavery, and Richard Nixon for the dark humor that underlies any such discussion. I confess that when my finger tapped the button requesting Net Galley send me a copy, I had not noticed who the author was. Still, up until the 78% mark of the text, I would have had to give Buchanan five stars, because the title clearly states his thesis, and up till that point, he was doing a pretty good job with it. The text is accessible, well paced, and he has a remarkable collection of anecdotes from his years as a writer and high level adviser for Richard Nixon. For those who enjoy the intrigue and gamesmanship of how a successful modern political contest is won, there is plenty of readable documentation.
Many people do not read the footnotes or end notes that nonfiction has to offer, but I do. At the very least, I scan them, sometimes at the end of the selection, and sometimes (when possible) before I buy a book, if I am trying to decide whether this is the book I will buy. If the publisher is not a literary one (such as a college or university press), then the end notes will tell a lot about the level and diversity of material being sourced.
It is understood here that Buchanan has a bias, and it is right out there in front. He was a Nixon man, and still is, though Nixon is no longer living. I am at the opposite end of the political spectrum (and enjoyed his brief mention of the Young Socialist Alliance, of which I would become a member about a decade later than the time he notes it), but I understood from the beginning that when a persuasive piece is being written, the writer gets to decide what facts to include, and which to leave out.
However, at some point, if the piece is going to be strong, at least a few opposition sources need to be quoted, if only to take their viewpoint apart and explain what’s wrong with it. But there was nothing from the opposition in his end notes at all. That takes the scholarship down a notch. Still, he was doing pretty well; the text was engaging, and I heard echoes from my youth. My dad was a Nixon man, and my sister was in college, so the drama of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War played out—with voices rising in hysteria and decibel until one of the debaters was sent to her room. It happened over and over, and I think part of the reason I found myself so far to the left, was that given the opportunity, the Nixon argument in our household could not conclude or prevail without the use of force, and ultimately that proved true for his policies as well.
I fully appreciated the writer’s distaste for the Yippies and other ultra-left organizations that made antiwar organizing so difficult for the forces on the old left, people who did not scream curses and did not want to alienate the public by starting street fights, which after all only end up in giving the cops an excuse to lock people up, and which sometimes also end in cops hurting innocent people. Nevertheless, I found it shocking that Buchanan would urge Nixon to side exclusively with the cops after he saw them push people who were mere bystanders through a plate glass restaurant window. But still, the author says what he saw, what he did, and what Nixon and his senior staff members did, and it’s all accurate as far as I can tell. At this point, he probably had four stars coming from me, which is quite good; his only real fault was in failing to note the opposition viewpoint in anything resembling a reasoned refutation. Generally, he was still telling the story well and proving his point, from that viewpoint of course.
Buchanan’s argument that Nixon was a unifying force when the country was in turmoil is also very well crafted, and as campaigns go, brilliantly executed, as long as we don’t include that whole Watergate mess. The author refers to The Selling of the President, which I have on my shelves, and I found myself wondering whether the first election, the one Nixon lost to Kennedy, might have been the first in which the candidates were marketed like products. Buchanan’s contention that Nixon lost to Kennedy largely due to looks, charisma, and the bias of the press is well documented. I agreed with him. The two candidates delivered the same message, but Kennedy had a more graceful surface and a powerhouse family brokering him, whereas Nixon was an awkward workaholic Quaker kid who didn’t understand the ropes yet. But he would.
Here’s where the stars start falling off of my review: it is one thing to write a persuasive text and choose what to discuss, and what not. But when the facts are not straight, that’s a problem. And had Buchanan read and resourced The Pentagon Papers—not just the summaries by the New York Times, but the documents themselves, which have been published for many decades and grace my own shelves—he would be forced to admit two things. One of them is that LBJ had not erred in “failing” to sufficiently bomb North Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers tell us that US forces were running low on pilots. The North Vietnamese kept shooting them down, and it takes a long time to train a pilot. Although the propaganda dispersed by the White House said that the North Vietnamese targets had all been hit and therefore only South Vietnam would be bombed, it was a lie built to cover up the damning truth, which was that a military enemy that flew over Hanoi stood a good chance of going down in flames. When too many pilots are getting dead, you can’t keep doing the same thing. You can make more planes, but training pilots takes time.
The other plain lie is in stating that Nixon was able to find a just and honorable way to end the war in Vietnam. The goal all along had been to unify the country under the rule of the US-backed government in Saigon. The United States failed to do this. (Earlier in the text, interestingly, Buchanan admits that if the US were simply to withdraw and leave the whole thing up to the Vietnamese to decide, the Vietnamese people would go with Hanoi.) In short, although Nixon had the Oval Office when the troops came home, it was a lost cause, one which the United States had no business entering when Ike sent them in, nor when Kennedy and LBJ escalated it, nor when Nixon became president. The people of Vietnam were virtually living in craters and they still won that war. I know this is not something Buchanan would prefer to say, but he could have dodged it simply by ending the memoir a little bit sooner, when Nixon won in 1968.
A viewpoint is one thing; revisionism that falsifies history is another. For a well-told tale of how Nixon re-crafted his campaign and won the presidency, three stars. Two others are lost for the reasons stated above.
Many people do not read the footnotes or end notes that nonfiction has to offer, but I do. At the very least, I scan them, sometimes at the end of the selection, and sometimes (when possible) before I buy a book, if I am trying to decide whether this is the book I will buy. If the publisher is not a literary one (such as a college or university press), then the end notes will tell a lot about the level and diversity of material being sourced.
It is understood here that Buchanan has a bias, and it is right out there in front. He was a Nixon man, and still is, though Nixon is no longer living. I am at the opposite end of the political spectrum (and enjoyed his brief mention of the Young Socialist Alliance, of which I would become a member about a decade later than the time he notes it), but I understood from the beginning that when a persuasive piece is being written, the writer gets to decide what facts to include, and which to leave out.
However, at some point, if the piece is going to be strong, at least a few opposition sources need to be quoted, if only to take their viewpoint apart and explain what’s wrong with it. But there was nothing from the opposition in his end notes at all. That takes the scholarship down a notch. Still, he was doing pretty well; the text was engaging, and I heard echoes from my youth. My dad was a Nixon man, and my sister was in college, so the drama of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War played out—with voices rising in hysteria and decibel until one of the debaters was sent to her room. It happened over and over, and I think part of the reason I found myself so far to the left, was that given the opportunity, the Nixon argument in our household could not conclude or prevail without the use of force, and ultimately that proved true for his policies as well.
I fully appreciated the writer’s distaste for the Yippies and other ultra-left organizations that made antiwar organizing so difficult for the forces on the old left, people who did not scream curses and did not want to alienate the public by starting street fights, which after all only end up in giving the cops an excuse to lock people up, and which sometimes also end in cops hurting innocent people. Nevertheless, I found it shocking that Buchanan would urge Nixon to side exclusively with the cops after he saw them push people who were mere bystanders through a plate glass restaurant window. But still, the author says what he saw, what he did, and what Nixon and his senior staff members did, and it’s all accurate as far as I can tell. At this point, he probably had four stars coming from me, which is quite good; his only real fault was in failing to note the opposition viewpoint in anything resembling a reasoned refutation. Generally, he was still telling the story well and proving his point, from that viewpoint of course.
Buchanan’s argument that Nixon was a unifying force when the country was in turmoil is also very well crafted, and as campaigns go, brilliantly executed, as long as we don’t include that whole Watergate mess. The author refers to The Selling of the President, which I have on my shelves, and I found myself wondering whether the first election, the one Nixon lost to Kennedy, might have been the first in which the candidates were marketed like products. Buchanan’s contention that Nixon lost to Kennedy largely due to looks, charisma, and the bias of the press is well documented. I agreed with him. The two candidates delivered the same message, but Kennedy had a more graceful surface and a powerhouse family brokering him, whereas Nixon was an awkward workaholic Quaker kid who didn’t understand the ropes yet. But he would.
Here’s where the stars start falling off of my review: it is one thing to write a persuasive text and choose what to discuss, and what not. But when the facts are not straight, that’s a problem. And had Buchanan read and resourced The Pentagon Papers—not just the summaries by the New York Times, but the documents themselves, which have been published for many decades and grace my own shelves—he would be forced to admit two things. One of them is that LBJ had not erred in “failing” to sufficiently bomb North Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers tell us that US forces were running low on pilots. The North Vietnamese kept shooting them down, and it takes a long time to train a pilot. Although the propaganda dispersed by the White House said that the North Vietnamese targets had all been hit and therefore only South Vietnam would be bombed, it was a lie built to cover up the damning truth, which was that a military enemy that flew over Hanoi stood a good chance of going down in flames. When too many pilots are getting dead, you can’t keep doing the same thing. You can make more planes, but training pilots takes time.
The other plain lie is in stating that Nixon was able to find a just and honorable way to end the war in Vietnam. The goal all along had been to unify the country under the rule of the US-backed government in Saigon. The United States failed to do this. (Earlier in the text, interestingly, Buchanan admits that if the US were simply to withdraw and leave the whole thing up to the Vietnamese to decide, the Vietnamese people would go with Hanoi.) In short, although Nixon had the Oval Office when the troops came home, it was a lost cause, one which the United States had no business entering when Ike sent them in, nor when Kennedy and LBJ escalated it, nor when Nixon became president. The people of Vietnam were virtually living in craters and they still won that war. I know this is not something Buchanan would prefer to say, but he could have dodged it simply by ending the memoir a little bit sooner, when Nixon won in 1968.
A viewpoint is one thing; revisionism that falsifies history is another. For a well-told tale of how Nixon re-crafted his campaign and won the presidency, three stars. Two others are lost for the reasons stated above.
August 1, 2014
Outstanding and extremely well written review of the Nixon comeback years, from being exiled into the wilderness after his 1962 California governor's loss to his amazing comeback to take the presidency in a USA that was at the brink of collapse in 1968. Patrick J. Buchanan has outdone himself in this historical saga that reads like a fast-paced thriller. In addition to showing the depth of Nixon, Buchanan paints a dark, but accurate picture of the sinkhole that American culture had fallen into, i.e., the 1960's; the remnants of which we are still struggling to crawl out of.
Thanks to today's media, when we hear the name Nixon, all we think of is Watergate. There is much more and Buchanan brings that to life in The Greatest Comeback.
Cannot wait for your next one Pat. You hit this one out of the park!
Thanks to today's media, when we hear the name Nixon, all we think of is Watergate. There is much more and Buchanan brings that to life in The Greatest Comeback.
Cannot wait for your next one Pat. You hit this one out of the park!
February 8, 2019
I used to wonder if Richard Nixon was really as evil as everyone said. This book convinced me.
January 30, 2015
This is a fabulous book about not only the rise of Nixon from the political death to being elected to the Presidency, but also a look at the sixties and the goings on during those years. Still there are names that are in the news today, Romney, not Milt, but his father, Rockefeller, who might have gotten an nomination but during the convention after Nixon gave a speech bringing all the Republicans together and stop fighting, Nelson Rockefeller got up and did as he always di and attacked his own party and the ones who make the decisions. After this convention Nixon was back. Mr. Buchanan, takes you back through his defeat to Kennedy, and how people listening to that debate on the radio thought Nixon won, but if you watched it on TV Kennedy did. Yes the times were changing. By 65 when Johnson was elected President the Democrats held 295 seats in the House and 68 in the Senate. Since Ike had first taken office the Republicans controlled both Houses and now their strength had been cut to less than one-half of the Democratic Party. Mr. Buchanan, started working for Nixon in 65 and would continue to work with or for him until the day he resigned from office, so as you can see you are actually being told a story by someone who was actually their and at the back of the book there are copies of memos as well which I found to be fascinating. Now not everyone likes Nixon, I on the other hand grew up in a home that talked politics and Nixon was not a bad guy, all politicians are humans so they have good and bad that is what you get when they are elected. Back to the book. In 65 and leading up to the election of 66 which were all midterm elections Nixon was traveling to 35 states visiting 80 congressional districts, after the election the republicans picked up 47 seats in the house 3 in the Senate, 8 new governorships, and for states GOP 540. This was after losing seats from 58,60,62,64. It changed and people were crediting Nixon this all would come back to help him in 68, because people remember what he did for them in 66 and how he brought the party back. He then takes you through what went on to not only get the nomination but to win in 68 and again in 72. I people still think of water gate, but Nixon did do good he created the Environmental Protection Agency that everyone seems to love, the occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Cancer Institute, I am glad for that one. Plus some others. Theses book would be a good read to get a feel for the 60’s and is a good political story of someone coming back for a third time. Well written and a good book. I got this book from net galley.
March 6, 2015
Excellent. Strongly recommended to anyone who wants to know how US politics actually works in the making the sausage sense. If you're offended by books like The Prince then stay away from this one...
This is a book about politics and political strategy. Anyone with an interest in politics and history will be enthralled by Buchanan's work in "The Greatest Comeback." Nearly a day by day account of Nixon's attempt to run for President from 1966 to his victory in 1968. It puts the politics of today in perspective. Matters in 1968 were significantly more tumultuous.
I've read quite a bit works by or about recent politicians including G W Bush, Cheney (In My Time and Angler), Reagan (Selected Speeches, Diaries, Invisible Bridge) Carter's excellent "White House Diary", Roosevelt (Rough Riders) and War Lovers but by far the most interesting are the words of and about Nixon... Nixonland Nixon and Mao and Nixon's own In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal.
Buchanan's unique perspective makes "The Greatest Comeback" perhaps the most enlightening and the most interesting of all of these! Buchanan, Nixon and one other staffer were together at the beginning of preparation for Nixon's first successful presidential campaign. This book helps you to appreciate how difficult the election process in the United States is, the difficulty of combining different racial/industrial/interest groups into a coalition large enough to get elected.
Whether or not you can appreciate Buchanan's political views, his writing is measured, intelligent and easy to digest. This is an interesting picture of a complex man and candidate rising from the depths of political obscurity after two devastating losses. His will, grit, determination, intelligence, political acumen and good timing allowed him to resuscitate his career and take him to the presidency.
Nixon's advisers covered the political spectrum, showing that Nixon didn't agree entirely with any of them. The advisers were a sounding board to better understand the reactions to each possible position.
So many interesting tidbits that none of the reviewers on Goodreads have even begun to summarize. I'm tempted to read it again and take better notes. The foreign policy bits, trips to Isreal where Nixon was tipped off that he should engage China, bringing Egypt into alliance with the US... And much of the massively pro-Israel US foreign policy that continues today started with Nixon's attempt to gain a larger share of the Jewish (democratic) vote... Ironically, he still captured less than 20% of that block. At the same time, Wallace in the south was a former democrat turned independent that was running on a pro-segregation platform. Fascinating.
Need to read this one again...
This is a book about politics and political strategy. Anyone with an interest in politics and history will be enthralled by Buchanan's work in "The Greatest Comeback." Nearly a day by day account of Nixon's attempt to run for President from 1966 to his victory in 1968. It puts the politics of today in perspective. Matters in 1968 were significantly more tumultuous.
I've read quite a bit works by or about recent politicians including G W Bush, Cheney (In My Time and Angler), Reagan (Selected Speeches, Diaries, Invisible Bridge) Carter's excellent "White House Diary", Roosevelt (Rough Riders) and War Lovers but by far the most interesting are the words of and about Nixon... Nixonland Nixon and Mao and Nixon's own In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal.
Buchanan's unique perspective makes "The Greatest Comeback" perhaps the most enlightening and the most interesting of all of these! Buchanan, Nixon and one other staffer were together at the beginning of preparation for Nixon's first successful presidential campaign. This book helps you to appreciate how difficult the election process in the United States is, the difficulty of combining different racial/industrial/interest groups into a coalition large enough to get elected.
Whether or not you can appreciate Buchanan's political views, his writing is measured, intelligent and easy to digest. This is an interesting picture of a complex man and candidate rising from the depths of political obscurity after two devastating losses. His will, grit, determination, intelligence, political acumen and good timing allowed him to resuscitate his career and take him to the presidency.
Nixon's advisers covered the political spectrum, showing that Nixon didn't agree entirely with any of them. The advisers were a sounding board to better understand the reactions to each possible position.
So many interesting tidbits that none of the reviewers on Goodreads have even begun to summarize. I'm tempted to read it again and take better notes. The foreign policy bits, trips to Isreal where Nixon was tipped off that he should engage China, bringing Egypt into alliance with the US... And much of the massively pro-Israel US foreign policy that continues today started with Nixon's attempt to gain a larger share of the Jewish (democratic) vote... Ironically, he still captured less than 20% of that block. At the same time, Wallace in the south was a former democrat turned independent that was running on a pro-segregation platform. Fascinating.
Need to read this one again...
September 25, 2019
This was a highly informative book about a time period before I was born, which my knowledge of is spotty. Pat Buchanan is a skilled and articulate writer, largely because he was a journalist before working for Nixon. It makes me want to read more of Buchanan's books. Recommended.
I have seen other reviewers indicating an obvious bias against this book due to their hatred of Richard Nixon. Some of those call it a biography of Nixon. First, they should understand that the book is a memoir, not a biography; and it is as much about Buchanan as about Nixon. Second, the book has nothing to do with Nixon's actions during his second term that made so many people despise him (and made him a useful bogeyman to be trotted out by Democrats whenever convenient).
The book contains two themes, neither of them particularly relevant to why people despised Nixon: the memoir of Buchanan and Nixon's relationship--which began with an acquaintance in 1955, and became a working relationship in 1965--and that Nixon is responsible for the center-right coalition that the Republican party's electoral successes and failures have depended on ever since. It ends immediately after the 1968 election (and thus doesn't cover Watergate), with Buchanan stating that anything he has to tell about the rest of Nixon's presidency is material for a future book.
Buchanan extensively talks about the chaos surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Assigned by Nixon to observe and provide firsthand information, Buchanan personally watched the violent protests in the streets from his hotel, making this book possibly useful as a primary source.
A very interesting thing I learned requires a mention: that what has been labeled the "Southern Strategy" as usually understood is a myth and a lie. According to Buchanan, the phrase originated (or at least was made famous) by Nixon's primary opponent Nelson Rockefeller. Nixon had to win over the George Wallace voters, and more generally the South, and make them part of his voter coalition. He did this by appealing to Southerners' appreciation of law and order and revulsion at the growing breaches of it: the late sixties crime wave and the anarchic violence of leftist protesters. No appeal was made to the South's racism, and Nixon was no racist himself; but Nixon's opponents, especially Rockefeller, jumped all over Nixon's willingness to appeal to the South; and thus the myth of the Southern Strategy became part of history and taught to impressionable kids such as me in school.
I have seen other reviewers indicating an obvious bias against this book due to their hatred of Richard Nixon. Some of those call it a biography of Nixon. First, they should understand that the book is a memoir, not a biography; and it is as much about Buchanan as about Nixon. Second, the book has nothing to do with Nixon's actions during his second term that made so many people despise him (and made him a useful bogeyman to be trotted out by Democrats whenever convenient).
The book contains two themes, neither of them particularly relevant to why people despised Nixon: the memoir of Buchanan and Nixon's relationship--which began with an acquaintance in 1955, and became a working relationship in 1965--and that Nixon is responsible for the center-right coalition that the Republican party's electoral successes and failures have depended on ever since. It ends immediately after the 1968 election (and thus doesn't cover Watergate), with Buchanan stating that anything he has to tell about the rest of Nixon's presidency is material for a future book.
Buchanan extensively talks about the chaos surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Assigned by Nixon to observe and provide firsthand information, Buchanan personally watched the violent protests in the streets from his hotel, making this book possibly useful as a primary source.
A very interesting thing I learned requires a mention: that what has been labeled the "Southern Strategy" as usually understood is a myth and a lie. According to Buchanan, the phrase originated (or at least was made famous) by Nixon's primary opponent Nelson Rockefeller. Nixon had to win over the George Wallace voters, and more generally the South, and make them part of his voter coalition. He did this by appealing to Southerners' appreciation of law and order and revulsion at the growing breaches of it: the late sixties crime wave and the anarchic violence of leftist protesters. No appeal was made to the South's racism, and Nixon was no racist himself; but Nixon's opponents, especially Rockefeller, jumped all over Nixon's willingness to appeal to the South; and thus the myth of the Southern Strategy became part of history and taught to impressionable kids such as me in school.
July 11, 2019
One of the reasons why TV series like House of Cards are so popular, I guess, is because it allows the viewer to be a fly on the wall. One can see the plots being forged and the reasons why decisions are made or not. Who else that Pat Buchanan as former adviser to three US presidents, to lead us through the back door of American politics?
The story of Richard Nixon's election as US president in 1968 is quite interesting. After being beaten by JFK in 1960 and losing the California governor's election in 1962, former vice-president Richard Nixon his political career seemed over and out. In 1964, Barry Goldwater ran for US president as Republican but lost big. Lyndon Johnson now held a majority in both Houses! GOP was only half of the size of the Democratic Party and liberals and centrists like Rockefeller and Romney tried to claim Republican leadership. Time did not seem right for a conservative movement.
But the American society started to get divided and clash over Vietnam war, urban riots, crime and civil rights protests. Campus anarchy and the rise of the New Left brought violence into the political debate. While Democratic candidates got cornered by angry Southerners (united by presidential candidate George Wallace) and nasty leftists, Nixon positioned himself handily as a conservative answer to LBJ's policy, representing the 'silent majority'.
Nixon was surrounded by a team of different political opinions and some Young Turks like Pat Buchanan and future Fed chairman Alan Greenspan. RN could keep Reagan quiet as California governor but all looked as if Reagan would be thé next Republican presidential candidate soon to follow.
No doubt that Nixon had some luck with Wallace running as third candidate, Romney's clumsy campaign and troubles with LBJ's military strategy in Vietnam. But Nixon knew how to win Republican rivals for his candidacy by showing them respect and help whenever needed.
It is just a pity that Buchanan handles the election night only very short. Next to that, it would have been helpful to make a post-election analysis on which voters in the end delivered Nixon's victory. But in the end, the book offers a interesting insight in US politics during the roaring sixties.
The story of Richard Nixon's election as US president in 1968 is quite interesting. After being beaten by JFK in 1960 and losing the California governor's election in 1962, former vice-president Richard Nixon his political career seemed over and out. In 1964, Barry Goldwater ran for US president as Republican but lost big. Lyndon Johnson now held a majority in both Houses! GOP was only half of the size of the Democratic Party and liberals and centrists like Rockefeller and Romney tried to claim Republican leadership. Time did not seem right for a conservative movement.
But the American society started to get divided and clash over Vietnam war, urban riots, crime and civil rights protests. Campus anarchy and the rise of the New Left brought violence into the political debate. While Democratic candidates got cornered by angry Southerners (united by presidential candidate George Wallace) and nasty leftists, Nixon positioned himself handily as a conservative answer to LBJ's policy, representing the 'silent majority'.
Nixon was surrounded by a team of different political opinions and some Young Turks like Pat Buchanan and future Fed chairman Alan Greenspan. RN could keep Reagan quiet as California governor but all looked as if Reagan would be thé next Republican presidential candidate soon to follow.
No doubt that Nixon had some luck with Wallace running as third candidate, Romney's clumsy campaign and troubles with LBJ's military strategy in Vietnam. But Nixon knew how to win Republican rivals for his candidacy by showing them respect and help whenever needed.
It is just a pity that Buchanan handles the election night only very short. Next to that, it would have been helpful to make a post-election analysis on which voters in the end delivered Nixon's victory. But in the end, the book offers a interesting insight in US politics during the roaring sixties.
July 23, 2014
When I saw the author was Patrick Buchanan, I remembered him as an aide to Richard Nixon, so I understood from the beginning the book would have a favorable bias. The book covers the time frame from the defeat by JFK for the presidency in 1960 and the lost to Pat Brown for governor of California in 1962 to his winning the presidency in 1968. This time frame to borrow from Winston Churchill was his “wilderness years”.
The GOP was split between the John Birch Society-Barry Goldwater hard-liners and the more moderate Republicans represented by Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney. Nixon started courting the conservative press and laying down strategy for helping the GOP recoup losses in the mid-term election of 1966. This strategy included reassuring law and order, endorsing Rockefeller for Governor of New York, fashioning a new Republican Party of the South that rested on human rights not bigotry.
Buchanan provides an insider’s account of how Nixon made his comeback. Buchanan bolsters his tale with copious evidence, not just his first hand memoires as a major participant but also abundant new clips and archival material. The book is thoughtful, well-written and entertaining full of intrigue and gamesmanship of politics. I did note the book revealed time and again that Nixon chose to attack opponents rather than develop solutions for problems facing the country at the time. As we are at the fortieth anniversary of Nixon resignation I assume more books about Nixon will be forthcoming. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Arthur Morey narrated the book.
The GOP was split between the John Birch Society-Barry Goldwater hard-liners and the more moderate Republicans represented by Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney. Nixon started courting the conservative press and laying down strategy for helping the GOP recoup losses in the mid-term election of 1966. This strategy included reassuring law and order, endorsing Rockefeller for Governor of New York, fashioning a new Republican Party of the South that rested on human rights not bigotry.
Buchanan provides an insider’s account of how Nixon made his comeback. Buchanan bolsters his tale with copious evidence, not just his first hand memoires as a major participant but also abundant new clips and archival material. The book is thoughtful, well-written and entertaining full of intrigue and gamesmanship of politics. I did note the book revealed time and again that Nixon chose to attack opponents rather than develop solutions for problems facing the country at the time. As we are at the fortieth anniversary of Nixon resignation I assume more books about Nixon will be forthcoming. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Arthur Morey narrated the book.
June 6, 2018
This is a stunning piece of revisionist history that could be read either in 1968 or 2016. Mr. Buchanan, to which I disagree with on pretty much his entire word view, has painted Mr. Nixon as a good moral citizen who happened to be associated with shady people who brought his entire presidency down. This mitigates full blown scandals (The checkers speech), seems to marginalize key events in the 1960's (The free speech movement), and tries to act like Mr. Nixon had solved the conflict in Southeast Asia, when in fact he escalated the bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos, never mind that because of the bombing's and bringing the War to those two countries gave rise to the Khmer Rouge (To which Mr. Buchanan seems to take no credit for). Total red meat to the conservatives of today who follow him and his ideas.
Overall, this is a good book for those who subscribe to Mr . Buchanan's worldview. The only part of the book that I liked was the inner workings of the campaign, which I always find interesting because what I read in the news only scratches the surface of what really goes on
Overall, this is a good book for those who subscribe to Mr . Buchanan's worldview. The only part of the book that I liked was the inner workings of the campaign, which I always find interesting because what I read in the news only scratches the surface of what really goes on
October 7, 2017
In contrast to the book I recently read on Reagan's comeback, this was written by somebody who was there with Nixon. In addition, Patrick Buchanan is a great writer.
While I prefer Reagan to Nixon (by a lot) I enjoyed this book more. It gave insight to the man and the candidate. Reagan had strong principles which meant he didn't have to turn over in his mind the various possible reactions to issues. Nixon was more flexibleHe had to navigate constantly between the conservatives and the old GOP (Rockefeller, Romney, etc.) And he was running in a much more fluid environment - with the Vietnam war and race riots being part of the daily news. He needed to find the right stance on the war - not in favor of a pullout, but how to change Johnson's course. He also had to contend with a powerful third party,candidate, George Wallace.
Nixon was masterful in getting the GOP nomination and then winning the general election.
A good read.
While I prefer Reagan to Nixon (by a lot) I enjoyed this book more. It gave insight to the man and the candidate. Reagan had strong principles which meant he didn't have to turn over in his mind the various possible reactions to issues. Nixon was more flexibleHe had to navigate constantly between the conservatives and the old GOP (Rockefeller, Romney, etc.) And he was running in a much more fluid environment - with the Vietnam war and race riots being part of the daily news. He needed to find the right stance on the war - not in favor of a pullout, but how to change Johnson's course. He also had to contend with a powerful third party,candidate, George Wallace.
Nixon was masterful in getting the GOP nomination and then winning the general election.
A good read.
August 1, 2014
Pat Buchanan in all his glory.
If you're a fan of inside politics you'll enjoy this book.
Buchanan of course is over the top at times (Pat we get it- you don't like the Great Society...but do you have let us know every other page?)but there are a lot of good stories...even if he's an off the charts Nixon apologist.
The real historical value is how the GOP went from getting creamed in 1964 to picking up seats in off-year elections in '66 and winning the whole shebang in '68.
The dynamics between Nixon, Romney, Reagan, Rockefeller, LBJ, George Wallace and Hubert Humphrey were fascinating. Nixon outwitted them all.
If you're a fan of inside politics you'll enjoy this book.
Buchanan of course is over the top at times (Pat we get it- you don't like the Great Society...but do you have let us know every other page?)but there are a lot of good stories...even if he's an off the charts Nixon apologist.
The real historical value is how the GOP went from getting creamed in 1964 to picking up seats in off-year elections in '66 and winning the whole shebang in '68.
The dynamics between Nixon, Romney, Reagan, Rockefeller, LBJ, George Wallace and Hubert Humphrey were fascinating. Nixon outwitted them all.
July 16, 2014
A part of Nixons history that is forgotten by many are his wilderness years. He had lost to JFK. He had lost to Pat Brown for Gov. in California and even he thought he was washed up politically. He became a partner in a NYC law firm and began life as a private citizen. This is where Patrick J.Buchanan steps in.This book fills in very nicely a part of Nixons life that has not been extensively studied.The part from just after his loss to Pat Brown until his election as president in 1968.
January 8, 2024
Very good book. I must admit that I didn’t know many names because the press did not go much below surface names. I enjoyed the book.
August 8, 2023
Richard Nixon was a Republican candidate in the 1960 Presidential election. Nixon appeared haggard and unkept during the televised debates, especially in comparison to his Democratic opponent, John F. Kennedy. (I looked up footage of this debate, because much was made about his appearance, and I must admit I can see why people had that opinion.) He did not give a very rousing performance during debates, in my opinion, and ultimately wound up losing to Kennedy. After that loss, he entered the 1962 Governor of California, again losing that political race. Many people were convinced that his political career was over after two high profile losses, coupled with the fact that Nixon promised not to run in the 1964 Presidential election. He campaigned fiercely for the Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, despite not thinking he would win. (Spoiler alert: he didn't win.) Seeing how he handled all of that stuff and eventually had a successful Presidential run was very interesting. It is really striking that he went through all of that to obtain the Presidency and then disgraced himself.
I didn't know very much about Richard Nixon prior to reading this book. I have to admit that US History is not my favorite historical topic, despite being an American. I went through a phase where I bought a bunch of US History books, especially about Presidents. I only picked this up to read because I am downsizing my collection, but there are a lot of interesting parallels in this book with some goings on in our current era. I thought the book was well written and contained a lot of valuable information about Nixon and his campaigns. I learned a great deal from this book, so it was worth whatever I paid for it at the used bookstore I frequent.
I didn't know very much about Richard Nixon prior to reading this book. I have to admit that US History is not my favorite historical topic, despite being an American. I went through a phase where I bought a bunch of US History books, especially about Presidents. I only picked this up to read because I am downsizing my collection, but there are a lot of interesting parallels in this book with some goings on in our current era. I thought the book was well written and contained a lot of valuable information about Nixon and his campaigns. I learned a great deal from this book, so it was worth whatever I paid for it at the used bookstore I frequent.
August 8, 2014
I once voted for Pat Buchanan but I am not particularly proud of the fact. I was a little ticked off at Bush 41 at the time. I was not particularly forgiving on his reneging on his no new taxes pledge and I was even less enamored of him encouraging Chinese students to protest, cower as they were massacred and then sending Scowcraft to clink drink glasses with his Chinese counterparts shortly thereafter.
The unfortunate thing is that Buchanan thought all of our anti-Bush votes were because we subscribed to his Pitchfork Pat persona and he became the if not the Stassen of our times at least the William Jennings Bryan of our era. This sort of encouraged Buchanan to focus on some book writing and this hasn't been a terrible thing...at least not at first.
One thing that can be said about Buchanan is that he has mastered his art and that his prose is a delight to read. For years Buchanan has dedicated himself to works on current issues and policy. His beliefs may be beyond the pale to most but in the written word Buchanan is everything that he is not in spoken word...he is measured, intelligent and easy to digest...even when espousing some questionable causes.
What we have here now, however, is something altogether different - this is a memoir of his time with Nixon from the moment he joined up with him until his electoral victory in 1968. It is an absolute treat.
Let me get the negative out first. This is more about Buchanan than Nixon, it is, after all, his memoir. While we get some insight into Nixon we never forget that Buchanan is our guy. It's as if we are looking over his shoulder at Nixon the entire time. This isn't a bad thing it just does not seem to be the book that the title suggests.
One other slight negative is that being Buchanan's memoir you could argue that his critical role in Nixon's campaign is inflated that much more. At first constantly referencing the memo's he typed for Nixon and quoting Nixon's complimentary marginalia gets annoying. As the story develops however it does become a great plot device to keep things moving along.
Now for the good - at least part of it because there is so much to tell. Let's be clear, there are few elections in our time that could match the '68 in terms of giants gracing the stage. You'd have to go back to 1912 to find characters this compelling. It would be difficult to make a boring book out of an election that featured not just Nixon but candidates such as Rockefeller, LBJ, George Wallace, RFK, Ronald Reagan and to a much lesser extent Romney and Humphrey. Throw in the socio-political backdrop of '68 and you certainly have enough good material to work with and to his credit Buchanan doesn't squander it.
What we get in this book is an interesting picture of a complex man and candidate rising from the depths of political obscurity after two devastating losses. His will, grit, determination, intelligence, political acumen and yes, good timing allowed him to resuscitate his career and take him to the pinnacle of his profession.
The Nixon that is emerges is pragmatic and intelligent. A man confident enough in his own abilities to surround himself with a collection of minds that under normal circumstances would not even consider fraternizing. His advisers covered the political spectrum and many times the book does degenerate into a war for Nixon's soul. What is most telling is that there isn't a candidate today that would even consider having such a diverse set of opinions sitting in their shop. In addition I am wondering what Buchanan would say today if a young upstart stalwart conservative would up and join the Obama administration. That young conservative would be pilloried by others in the right.
As for the writing, as mentioned earlier, Buchanan is at the top of his game. The book is basically beach reading, that's how easy it is to read. Highly recommend for history buffs.
The unfortunate thing is that Buchanan thought all of our anti-Bush votes were because we subscribed to his Pitchfork Pat persona and he became the if not the Stassen of our times at least the William Jennings Bryan of our era. This sort of encouraged Buchanan to focus on some book writing and this hasn't been a terrible thing...at least not at first.
One thing that can be said about Buchanan is that he has mastered his art and that his prose is a delight to read. For years Buchanan has dedicated himself to works on current issues and policy. His beliefs may be beyond the pale to most but in the written word Buchanan is everything that he is not in spoken word...he is measured, intelligent and easy to digest...even when espousing some questionable causes.
What we have here now, however, is something altogether different - this is a memoir of his time with Nixon from the moment he joined up with him until his electoral victory in 1968. It is an absolute treat.
Let me get the negative out first. This is more about Buchanan than Nixon, it is, after all, his memoir. While we get some insight into Nixon we never forget that Buchanan is our guy. It's as if we are looking over his shoulder at Nixon the entire time. This isn't a bad thing it just does not seem to be the book that the title suggests.
One other slight negative is that being Buchanan's memoir you could argue that his critical role in Nixon's campaign is inflated that much more. At first constantly referencing the memo's he typed for Nixon and quoting Nixon's complimentary marginalia gets annoying. As the story develops however it does become a great plot device to keep things moving along.
Now for the good - at least part of it because there is so much to tell. Let's be clear, there are few elections in our time that could match the '68 in terms of giants gracing the stage. You'd have to go back to 1912 to find characters this compelling. It would be difficult to make a boring book out of an election that featured not just Nixon but candidates such as Rockefeller, LBJ, George Wallace, RFK, Ronald Reagan and to a much lesser extent Romney and Humphrey. Throw in the socio-political backdrop of '68 and you certainly have enough good material to work with and to his credit Buchanan doesn't squander it.
What we get in this book is an interesting picture of a complex man and candidate rising from the depths of political obscurity after two devastating losses. His will, grit, determination, intelligence, political acumen and yes, good timing allowed him to resuscitate his career and take him to the pinnacle of his profession.
The Nixon that is emerges is pragmatic and intelligent. A man confident enough in his own abilities to surround himself with a collection of minds that under normal circumstances would not even consider fraternizing. His advisers covered the political spectrum and many times the book does degenerate into a war for Nixon's soul. What is most telling is that there isn't a candidate today that would even consider having such a diverse set of opinions sitting in their shop. In addition I am wondering what Buchanan would say today if a young upstart stalwart conservative would up and join the Obama administration. That young conservative would be pilloried by others in the right.
As for the writing, as mentioned earlier, Buchanan is at the top of his game. The book is basically beach reading, that's how easy it is to read. Highly recommend for history buffs.
December 8, 2014
The Greatest Comeback is an intimate look at Richard Nixon’s political resurrection culminating in his election as President in 1968. Patrick Buchannan, one of his chief staff writers during the campaign, relies on his personal memories and written correspondence to “RN” and others, to give an “inside baseball” perspective on events of the time. And it was an eventful time. The campaign was waged as Viet Nam smoldered, MLK and RFK were assassinated, the 6-Day War was fought, and rioting broke out on campuses, in the cities, and at the Democratic National Convention.
The Sixties were taught to my generation (by the campus radicals of yore) as being an awakening, a time when staid conventions of the oppressive majority were shaken off in a glorious blossoming of contagious counter-cultural energy. For “The Silent Majority,” the reality was rather uglier and frightening. Nixon was able to create a majority by running against the far left as a centrist focusing on law-and-order and a realist foreign policy while assuring the country that the social safety net would not be cut down. He was no ideologue, but a consummate politician, in the least derogatory sense of the word, who aimed to find the center of the country and create the largest constituency possible. This is not to say that he was unprincipled, but rather, that he understood that coalition building required a certain degree of flexibility and the occasional repositioning for maximum political advantage.
Buchannan was a movement conservative and was often frustrated with Nixon’s decisions. But Nixon purposely surrounded himself with aides from various backgrounds and political persuasions. By judging their reactions, he was able to gauge how different factions and political constituencies would react throughout the country.
His primary challenges are very interesting in light of modern primaries. Many people’s initial reaction would be “Oh Nixon could never win the nomination today with the Tea Party controlling the process.” However, one must not forget that the GOP’s previous candidate had been Barry “extremism in defense of liberty is no vice” Goldwater. The conservatives in the party held quite a bit of sway. It was Nixon’s decision to go all in for Goldwater after he’d been nominated in ’64 that raised his stock amongst conservatives, who wrote off Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney when they refused to support Goldwater. Nixon lived by the 11th commandment: thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. Having established himself through hard work campaigning for every Republican in the ‘66 midterms as senior statesman, he carried this admonition forward into the primaries and ran against LBJ, largely ignoring attacks from his left by Rockefeller and Romney, and never speaking ill of Reagan, running to his right.
This book was very enlightening, especially for a gen-x’er who did not live through it all. It was very interesting to see the early careers of many of the entrenched media and political class, as well as seeing the tumultuous sixties through the eyes of a counter-revolutionary who witnessed it all.
The Sixties were taught to my generation (by the campus radicals of yore) as being an awakening, a time when staid conventions of the oppressive majority were shaken off in a glorious blossoming of contagious counter-cultural energy. For “The Silent Majority,” the reality was rather uglier and frightening. Nixon was able to create a majority by running against the far left as a centrist focusing on law-and-order and a realist foreign policy while assuring the country that the social safety net would not be cut down. He was no ideologue, but a consummate politician, in the least derogatory sense of the word, who aimed to find the center of the country and create the largest constituency possible. This is not to say that he was unprincipled, but rather, that he understood that coalition building required a certain degree of flexibility and the occasional repositioning for maximum political advantage.
Buchannan was a movement conservative and was often frustrated with Nixon’s decisions. But Nixon purposely surrounded himself with aides from various backgrounds and political persuasions. By judging their reactions, he was able to gauge how different factions and political constituencies would react throughout the country.
His primary challenges are very interesting in light of modern primaries. Many people’s initial reaction would be “Oh Nixon could never win the nomination today with the Tea Party controlling the process.” However, one must not forget that the GOP’s previous candidate had been Barry “extremism in defense of liberty is no vice” Goldwater. The conservatives in the party held quite a bit of sway. It was Nixon’s decision to go all in for Goldwater after he’d been nominated in ’64 that raised his stock amongst conservatives, who wrote off Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney when they refused to support Goldwater. Nixon lived by the 11th commandment: thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. Having established himself through hard work campaigning for every Republican in the ‘66 midterms as senior statesman, he carried this admonition forward into the primaries and ran against LBJ, largely ignoring attacks from his left by Rockefeller and Romney, and never speaking ill of Reagan, running to his right.
This book was very enlightening, especially for a gen-x’er who did not live through it all. It was very interesting to see the early careers of many of the entrenched media and political class, as well as seeing the tumultuous sixties through the eyes of a counter-revolutionary who witnessed it all.
August 18, 2014
Patrick J. Buchanan's "The Greatest Comeback" is his chronicle of the rehabilitation of Richard Nixon's political career from Nixon's loss to John F. Kennedy in the presidential election of 1960 through Nixon's presidential victory in 1968.
The subtitle of this book, "How Richard Nixon Rose from Defeat to Create the New Majority" is somewhat misleading. I assumed this book would tell the story of Nixon in the years between 1960 and 1968, but in fact it tells the story of Pat Buchanan in that period. The book is essentially a memoir of one of Nixon's advisors and speechwriters.
It is not, as the title and sub-title would seem to indicate a book about Nixon. What it is, is a book about the campaign leading up to 1968. The book consists primarily of recollections and reminiscences of Mr. Buchanan, with quotes from a large number of memos written by him to Nixon. In fact, an appendix at the back of the book contains photographic images of some of the more interesting memos quoted in the book.
"The Greatest Comeback" does much to remind of the political history of the years leading up to 1968. Today, many assume that Robert Kennedy was the frontrunner in the Democratic primaries prior to his assassination. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The romance of "Camelot" has stoked this image in many people's minds; but, in reality, Hubert Humphrey was the vice-president and the preferred candidate of a split Democratic party at the time.
Also, the turbulence of the times plays a large part in this book, as Buchanan provides context against a background of crime, violence, campus protests, and race riots. It's stunning how far we have come in the last forty years, and how far we still have to go.
(As I write this, there is civil unrest in Ferguson, MO, as the result of a police officer having shot a black teenager for reasons that have yet to become clear. This event and its aftermath would fit very neatly into Buchanan's narrative of the state of race relations in the US in 1968.)
Some of the most interesting parts of the book involve Ronald Reagan, who was an up and coming politician at the time and a challenger to Richard Nixon in 1968. Although Reagan would later become a darling of the Republican party, in 1968 his conservatism was out of step with the times. But, the birth of the conservative movement that Reagan would lead - and of which Buchanan was a part - a decade later can easily be seen in the pages of this book.
This book is an excellent campaign memoir. But, anyone looking for a book about Richard Nixon will be disappointed. This is a book about politics and political strategy. Any political junkie with an interest in history will be enthralled of Buchanan's work in "The Greatest Comeback."
The subtitle of this book, "How Richard Nixon Rose from Defeat to Create the New Majority" is somewhat misleading. I assumed this book would tell the story of Nixon in the years between 1960 and 1968, but in fact it tells the story of Pat Buchanan in that period. The book is essentially a memoir of one of Nixon's advisors and speechwriters.
It is not, as the title and sub-title would seem to indicate a book about Nixon. What it is, is a book about the campaign leading up to 1968. The book consists primarily of recollections and reminiscences of Mr. Buchanan, with quotes from a large number of memos written by him to Nixon. In fact, an appendix at the back of the book contains photographic images of some of the more interesting memos quoted in the book.
"The Greatest Comeback" does much to remind of the political history of the years leading up to 1968. Today, many assume that Robert Kennedy was the frontrunner in the Democratic primaries prior to his assassination. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The romance of "Camelot" has stoked this image in many people's minds; but, in reality, Hubert Humphrey was the vice-president and the preferred candidate of a split Democratic party at the time.
Also, the turbulence of the times plays a large part in this book, as Buchanan provides context against a background of crime, violence, campus protests, and race riots. It's stunning how far we have come in the last forty years, and how far we still have to go.
(As I write this, there is civil unrest in Ferguson, MO, as the result of a police officer having shot a black teenager for reasons that have yet to become clear. This event and its aftermath would fit very neatly into Buchanan's narrative of the state of race relations in the US in 1968.)
Some of the most interesting parts of the book involve Ronald Reagan, who was an up and coming politician at the time and a challenger to Richard Nixon in 1968. Although Reagan would later become a darling of the Republican party, in 1968 his conservatism was out of step with the times. But, the birth of the conservative movement that Reagan would lead - and of which Buchanan was a part - a decade later can easily be seen in the pages of this book.
This book is an excellent campaign memoir. But, anyone looking for a book about Richard Nixon will be disappointed. This is a book about politics and political strategy. Any political junkie with an interest in history will be enthralled of Buchanan's work in "The Greatest Comeback."
December 2, 2019
I met Pat Buchanan and listened to him speak a number of times when I lived and worked in DC, and even though I don't agree with much of his conservative mantra, he is a wonderful speaker and writer. Having read many books on Richard Nixon, I was intrigued to see this one about the years where Nixon recovered from his failed 1960 and 1962 campaigns to amazingly win the presidency in 1968. Buchanan was a key advisor and writer for Nixon in this time period and throughout his presidency, and with the passage of nearly 50 years, I thought Buchanan's memoirs of this time would be interesting and insightful, and they were both informative and a great read.
Of course Buchanan emphasizes his role and his point of view throughout his account of his work with Nixon, as could be expected, and no one should consider this book impartial, unbiased or a full account. But there is no doubt that Buchanan played a major role in Nixon's political re-rise and later in his presidency and his recollections and insights are important to understanding how Nixon succeeded in 1968.
Nixon was an introvert who preferred to communicate via memo with his staff, and Buchanan, a talented writer, was able to play his role very strongly because he excelled at exactly the way Nixon preferred to communicate. The many books I have read about Nixon all say the same thing-- that he liked to be presented with long policy memos and proposals in writing that he would then mark up and return to the writer, and this is exactly what Buchanan says happened and he even provides some photos of such memos in the book.
Buchanan lays out a whole series of events and occurrences and his role in them and provides commentary along the way. Buchanan was a political master of his time and he speaks to events and insights no rote historian could ever depict. But with the passage of nearly 50 years if you aren't familiar with the political history of the 1960s you might not immediately recognize some of the names such as NYC Mayor John Lindsay and other politicians of the times, that Buchanan refers to time and again, mostly by their last names.
But that is my only quibble with this well-written and informative book. Buchanan does a fine job relating the role he played in Nixon's comeback, and even though it may not be an impartial account, it is an insider's view that helps more fully flesh out the mystery of Richard Nixon, who for good or ill, had a huge impact on many aspects of American history. Well worth a read if you are interested in Nixon.
Of course Buchanan emphasizes his role and his point of view throughout his account of his work with Nixon, as could be expected, and no one should consider this book impartial, unbiased or a full account. But there is no doubt that Buchanan played a major role in Nixon's political re-rise and later in his presidency and his recollections and insights are important to understanding how Nixon succeeded in 1968.
Nixon was an introvert who preferred to communicate via memo with his staff, and Buchanan, a talented writer, was able to play his role very strongly because he excelled at exactly the way Nixon preferred to communicate. The many books I have read about Nixon all say the same thing-- that he liked to be presented with long policy memos and proposals in writing that he would then mark up and return to the writer, and this is exactly what Buchanan says happened and he even provides some photos of such memos in the book.
Buchanan lays out a whole series of events and occurrences and his role in them and provides commentary along the way. Buchanan was a political master of his time and he speaks to events and insights no rote historian could ever depict. But with the passage of nearly 50 years if you aren't familiar with the political history of the 1960s you might not immediately recognize some of the names such as NYC Mayor John Lindsay and other politicians of the times, that Buchanan refers to time and again, mostly by their last names.
But that is my only quibble with this well-written and informative book. Buchanan does a fine job relating the role he played in Nixon's comeback, and even though it may not be an impartial account, it is an insider's view that helps more fully flesh out the mystery of Richard Nixon, who for good or ill, had a huge impact on many aspects of American history. Well worth a read if you are interested in Nixon.
September 11, 2014
Growing up, I loved President Nixon. Our family spoke well of him, and if you've read my memoir, you know that the evening of his resignation is still etched clearly in my mind, although I was just 9 at the time. After that, I wrote him a letter, telling him how much I admired him and wished him well (I'm still a little sad that he never wrote back ....)
So, when Crown Publishing offered me a review copy of "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose from the Dead to Create American's New Majority," I was happy to comply.
I have to admit that I felt this book would be about Nixon's comeback from Watergate. It's not -- it's his comeback from electoral defeats to win the presidency in 1968.
I learned a lot reading this book, since I basically have no memory of the 1968 campaign or of Nixon's victory (I had just turned 4 when he was elected). The book is by Pat Buchanan, who I know from The McLaughlin Group which I enjoy watching on Saturday mornings on PBS. Buchanan was a young assistant to Nixon during the campaign, and he's written this book based on his voluminous notes and excellent memory of a time nearly 50 years ago. The book is full of details -- but they're details of a campaign and of specific people (George Romney -- Mitt's dad, who ran for President too, which I didn't know; Ronald Reagan, who ran then also, and Nelson Rockefeller, to name a few).
It was also interesting to read about the 1960s, and to realize that, as bad as things now seem in our nation, they must have seemed pretty lousy then as well (just in 1968, there were the assassinations of RFK and MLK Jr., race riots, and Vietnam).
The book had next to nothing about Nixon's personality, his relationship with his wife or daughters, or information on any of them, which I would have found interesting.
Still, if you're a political junkie, you'd most likely enjoy the book. It definitely takes you to another time and place.
So, when Crown Publishing offered me a review copy of "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose from the Dead to Create American's New Majority," I was happy to comply.
I have to admit that I felt this book would be about Nixon's comeback from Watergate. It's not -- it's his comeback from electoral defeats to win the presidency in 1968.
I learned a lot reading this book, since I basically have no memory of the 1968 campaign or of Nixon's victory (I had just turned 4 when he was elected). The book is by Pat Buchanan, who I know from The McLaughlin Group which I enjoy watching on Saturday mornings on PBS. Buchanan was a young assistant to Nixon during the campaign, and he's written this book based on his voluminous notes and excellent memory of a time nearly 50 years ago. The book is full of details -- but they're details of a campaign and of specific people (George Romney -- Mitt's dad, who ran for President too, which I didn't know; Ronald Reagan, who ran then also, and Nelson Rockefeller, to name a few).
It was also interesting to read about the 1960s, and to realize that, as bad as things now seem in our nation, they must have seemed pretty lousy then as well (just in 1968, there were the assassinations of RFK and MLK Jr., race riots, and Vietnam).
The book had next to nothing about Nixon's personality, his relationship with his wife or daughters, or information on any of them, which I would have found interesting.
Still, if you're a political junkie, you'd most likely enjoy the book. It definitely takes you to another time and place.
January 26, 2018
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Richard Nixon, the election loss in 1960, his failed gubernatorial run in 1962, his courting of and campaigning for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and winning the nomination again and the finally the election in 1968.
Written by one of his foremost advisors, the conservative Pat Buchanan, the book gets into how Nixon dusted off the "loser" mantle and found a way to be the consensus candidate that united the Romney, Rockefeller, Javits moderate to liberal wing and the conservative Goldwater and Reagan wing.
The one thing that's fairly interesting about this book and the president himself is that Nixon really wasn't really a conservative guy from the modern conservative vantage point. He didn't campaign so much on what we consider to be conservative dogma, the legacy of the party of Reagan, if you will.
Buchanan makes the point that had Nixon left office voluntarily in Jan 1973 after winning 49 states, his legacy of ending the Vietnam war, not going after the Great Society, the opening to China, overseeing desegregation etc would've made him one of the best presidents of all time. While that might be a stretch, one can imagine history looking quite favorably at the legacy of Richard Nixon without the Watergate controversy.
It's also hard know if Reagan and modern day conservativism would have taken a hold in the country if Nixon had never been afflicted with Watergate.
Written by one of his foremost advisors, the conservative Pat Buchanan, the book gets into how Nixon dusted off the "loser" mantle and found a way to be the consensus candidate that united the Romney, Rockefeller, Javits moderate to liberal wing and the conservative Goldwater and Reagan wing.
The one thing that's fairly interesting about this book and the president himself is that Nixon really wasn't really a conservative guy from the modern conservative vantage point. He didn't campaign so much on what we consider to be conservative dogma, the legacy of the party of Reagan, if you will.
Buchanan makes the point that had Nixon left office voluntarily in Jan 1973 after winning 49 states, his legacy of ending the Vietnam war, not going after the Great Society, the opening to China, overseeing desegregation etc would've made him one of the best presidents of all time. While that might be a stretch, one can imagine history looking quite favorably at the legacy of Richard Nixon without the Watergate controversy.
It's also hard know if Reagan and modern day conservativism would have taken a hold in the country if Nixon had never been afflicted with Watergate.
November 12, 2015
Buchanan clearly relished his role in Richard Nixon's extraordinary comeback from oblivion to become President in 1968, and this book does a good job of chronicling just how that happened in great detail. Some of it is insightful, some sentimental, some merely informative.
The book's biggest challenge is, many books have been written that discuss this topic, Nixon's books themselves, numerous biographies (I like Conrad Black's) etc. So the real question is, what does this book do that is new? It has more details to be sure, and does a solid job of showing the perspective of a young up-and-comer who was involved in it all. But really it's only useful for someone who is highly interested in one or the other of those niche items. Since I was interested in both, I enjoyed it. But I'm not sure there's a lot here for someone who doesn't have a very strong interest in these kinds of details. Other books cover the big picture quite well and include a lot more.
Still, it's far from a bad book. It just has a somewhat limited audience. If anybody but Buchanan had written this, I doubt it would get much attention at all.
The book's biggest challenge is, many books have been written that discuss this topic, Nixon's books themselves, numerous biographies (I like Conrad Black's) etc. So the real question is, what does this book do that is new? It has more details to be sure, and does a solid job of showing the perspective of a young up-and-comer who was involved in it all. But really it's only useful for someone who is highly interested in one or the other of those niche items. Since I was interested in both, I enjoyed it. But I'm not sure there's a lot here for someone who doesn't have a very strong interest in these kinds of details. Other books cover the big picture quite well and include a lot more.
Still, it's far from a bad book. It just has a somewhat limited audience. If anybody but Buchanan had written this, I doubt it would get much attention at all.
September 2, 2014
It was an interesting book though of course pretty biased. It goes through what is nearly a day by day account of Nixon's attempt to run for President from 1966 to his victory in 1968. It puts the politics of today in perspective. Matters in 1968 were significantly more tumultuous. It was interesting to see a day by day analysis of the RFK campaign. It undercuts the "only if" speculation that is conventional wisdom today. Kennedy's poor relationship with LBJ, the opportunistic timing of his getting into the race, what the effects of the '68 convention would have been on his candidacy, his primary record before getting into the race, and the role of political bosses which has significantly been diminished from then to now, and the effect of George Wallace's third party run when the Democrats dominated the South, really undermines most of the conventional wisdom of today.
March 23, 2015
Pat Buchanan is an enjoyable writer and this volume is no different. He was the conservative aid to Richard Nixon while Nixon was mounting his comeback from "loser" (the moniker given him by the liberal Republicans of his day, i.e. Nelson Rockefeller and George Romney) to winner of the Republican primary and the presidency in 1968. It is quite detailed (too much so at times) as the author explains every detail of Nixon's comeback, who Nixon visited, and the other responsibilities of Mr. Buchanan at the time.
Besides being a little tedious in some early chapters, the general election chapters at the end seemed rushed. But these complaints are menial compared to the interesting profiles given of Nixon's friends and enemies. It gives a small taste of what it took to win a presidential election in 1968.
Besides being a little tedious in some early chapters, the general election chapters at the end seemed rushed. But these complaints are menial compared to the interesting profiles given of Nixon's friends and enemies. It gives a small taste of what it took to win a presidential election in 1968.
August 23, 2014
rule of law or lack of faith in law and do whatever, Dems anti-black, inflate to draw attention, Brown and support for selective renting, Romney and Vietnam change in support, annoyance at being held to higher standards than competition, Ethiopia desire to be like Israel Kenya pro-American, Israel only has to lose once, Wilson wrote Nixon’s idol, Robert Kennedy and the law is enemy far left of JFK, gradualism failed in Vietnam, war’s only outcome is victory, violence eruption with movies and riots of 68 after leaders professing laws as wrong, gained multi-political viewpoint and feedback, DC disorder and crime, Rome mob rule, less crime in depression than 60’s, August 68 riots dems in Chicago liberalism failed.
January 6, 2015
Even considering the author's obvious bias (my wife switched parties after hearing his speech at the 1992 Republican convention), this book was an interesting read. The Nixon portrayed in this book is a much likable Nixon than the one we got as President. Buchanan was his conservative point man during the campaign and his tint is apparent on every discussion of issues (such as Buchanan thought we could have "won" the Vietnam War if Nixon had done his "get tough" actions in 1969). Get Real - that war was unwinnable from the beginning and people like Buchanan would still be fighting it today.
November 6, 2017
No matter his politics, Pat Buchanan was always fun to watch. An arch conservative, he held the line and didn't care who didn't like it. Buchanan's volume is a long overdue 'Nixon without Jeers.
Buchanan signed on with Nixon during the wilderness years before he was thirty.
This volume traces, in some detail, how the 'New Nixon" made his comeback in 1968. Written in a kind of article format, Buchanan uses his memory and meticulous notes to tell about fighting Rockefeller and Romney, LBJ and Humphrey and the mass media to gain the White House.
A little dry in places but a great addition to the Nixon chronicle.
3and a half jimmys out of five.
Buchanan signed on with Nixon during the wilderness years before he was thirty.
This volume traces, in some detail, how the 'New Nixon" made his comeback in 1968. Written in a kind of article format, Buchanan uses his memory and meticulous notes to tell about fighting Rockefeller and Romney, LBJ and Humphrey and the mass media to gain the White House.
A little dry in places but a great addition to the Nixon chronicle.
3and a half jimmys out of five.
August 3, 2015
Excellent saga of Nixon's comeback by the still-active columnist and broadcast pundit who served him during those years. Chronicles the ups and downs, bad and good, of the campaign to come from dead-in-the-water Nixon after the 1962 California gubernatorial campaign to election night in 1968. Though the book doesn't make the point, it is evident 2016 looks a lot like 1968 in terms of what the public thinks about the current Democratic administration and what it looks for in a candidate in the next election.
September 8, 2014
This is a very personal account of Nixon coming back after saying he was through with politics. Buchanan was certainly instrumental in the comeback and he tells many of his vital actions. I did not find out so much about Nixon as about the process working up to being nominated and what a person is willing to do to get it.
See my complete review at http://bit.ly/1ud4ymb.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
See my complete review at http://bit.ly/1ud4ymb.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
September 24, 2019
An in depth look at how Nixon went from being politically dead after his 1962 loss in the California Governor's election to winning the Presidency in 1968. Buchanan is very pro Nixon but that does not negatively effect his ability to tell how Nixon won the Presidency. Buchanan uses his insider status as one of Nixon's speech writers to tell the strategy Nixon used to make this unbelievable comeback.
April 7, 2019
In "The Greatest Comeback", the reader gets a behind the scenes' view of the elements needed for a successful political campaign. Buchanan, one of Nixon's trusted advisers, recounts the process that made Richard M. Nixon, deemed a "loser" by the press after his loss to John F, Kennedy in the 1960 presidential campaign, the 37th President of the United States. I highly recommend this book to students of American history , specifically those who are fascinated by Presidential politics.
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