Private Lives/Public Consequences: Personality and Politics in Modern America

431 Pages·2005·1.2 MB·English

by  William H. Chafe

P R I V A T E L I V E S / P U B L I C C O N S E Q U E N C E S
William H. Chafe
P R I V A T E L I V E S /
P U B L I C C O N S E Q U E N C E S
Personality and Politics
in Modern America
H A R V A R D U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England
2005
Publication of this book has been supported through the generous
provisions of the Maurice and Lula Bradley Smith Memorial Fund.
Copyright © 2005 by William H. Chafe
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chafe, William Henry
Private lives/public consequences : personality and politics in modern
America / William H. Chafe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-674-01877-X (alk. paper)
1. United States—Politics and government—20th century—Psychological aspects.
2. Political leadership—United States—Psychological aspects. 3. Politicians—United
States—Psychology. 4. Presidents—United States—Psychology. I. Title.
E743.C425 2005 2005050771
973⬘.099—dc22
For Lila and Jordan, the next generation
in the hope that the leaders of our future may
inspire faith, not dismay
C O N T E N T S
Introduction 1
1. The Roosevelts: A Partnership Unprecedented 5
2. Martin Luther King Jr.:
Toward the Promised Land 61
3. John F. Kennedy:
From Detachment to Engagement 96
4. Robert F. Kennedy: Despair and Commitment 140
5. Lyndon Baines Johnson:
A Need for Consensus 178
6. Richard M. Nixon: Genius and Paranoia 233
7. Ronald Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime 292
8. The Clintons: A Flawed Co-Presidency 327
Conclusion 381
Bibliographical Essay 393
Acknowledgments 403
Index 405
P R I V A T E L I V E S / P U B L I C C O N S E Q U E N C E S