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McGovern, Eagleton, and a Campaign in Crisis
Yale University Press
August 2012
On Sale: August 1, 2012
392 pages
ISBN: 0300176295
EAN: 9780300176292
Kindle: B008GSB296
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction Political
No skeletons were rattling in his closet, Thomas Eagleton assured George McGovernβs political director. But only eighteen days laterβafter a series of damaging public revelations and feverish behind-the-scenes maneuveringsβMcGovern rescinded his endorsement of his Democratic vice-presidential running mate, and Eagleton withdrew from the ticket. This fascinating book is the first to uncover the full story behind Eagleton's rise and precipitous fall as a national candidate. Within days of Eagleton's nomination, a pair of anonymous phone calls brought to light his history of hospitalizations for βnervous exhaustion and depressionβ and past treatment with electroshock therapy. The revelation rattled the campaign and placed McGovern's organization under intense public and media scrutiny. Joshua M. Glasser investigates a campaign in disarray and explores the perspectives of the campaignβs key players, how decisions were made and who made them, how cultural attitudes toward mental illness informed the crisis, and how Eagleton's and McGovern's personal ambitions shaped the course of events. Drawing on personal interviews with McGovern, campaign manager Gary Hart, political director Frank Mankiewicz, and dozens of other participants inside and outside the McGovern and Eagleton campsβas well as extensive unpublished campaign recordsβGlasser captures the political and human drama of Eagleton's brief candidacy. Glasser also offers sharp insights into the America of 1972βmired in war and anxious about the economy, a time with striking similarities to our own.
 Media BuzzAll Things Considered - August 4, 2012
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