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Camelot's End
Camelot's End: Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party | Jon Ward
4 posts | 2 read | 2 to read
From a strange, dark chapter in American political history comes the captivating story of Ted Kennedy's 1980 campaign for president against the incumbent Jimmy Carter, told in full for the first time. The Carter presidency was on life support. The Democrats, desperate to keep power and yearning to resurrect former glory, turned to Kennedy. And so, 1980 became a civil war. It was the last time an American president received a serious reelection challenge from inside his own party, the last contested convention, and the last all-out floor fight, where political combatants fought in real time to decide who would be the nominee. It was the last gasp of an outdated system, an insider's game that old Kennedy hands thought they had mastered, and the year that marked the unraveling of the Democratic Party as America had known it. CAMELOT'S END details the incredible drama of Kennedy's challenge -- what led to it, how it unfolded, and its lasting effects -- with cinematic sweep. It is a story about what happened to the Democratic Party when the country's long string of successes, luck, and global dominance following World War II ran its course, and how, on a quest to recapture the magic of JFK, Democrats plunged themselves into an intra-party civil war. And, at its heart, CAMELOT'S END is the tale of two extraordinary and deeply flawed men: Teddy Kennedy, one of the nation's greatest lawmakers, a man of flaws and of great character; and Jimmy Carter, a politically tenacious but frequently underestimated trailblazer. Comprehensive and nuanced, featuring new interviews with major party leaders and behind-the-scenes revelations from the time, CAMELOT'S END presents both Kennedy and Carter in a new light, and takes readers deep inside a dark chapter in American political history.
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review
keithmalek
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The timing of this book is perfect with all the current talk of a Republican like John Kasich or Mitt Romney potentially staging a primary challenge against the National Embarrassment--in fact, Republican Bill Weld announced the other day that he'll be staging a primary challenge against him. I wanted to read this to learn more about how that works, and what the consequences are to a political party. This is a very interesting book.

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quote
keithmalek

"Carter significantly raised defense spending to a level the Soviet economy could not match and launched a multifaceted campaign against the Soviets, especially focusing on human rights," Peter Bourne told me. "These policies had a significant effect in the collapse of the Soviet Union but their full impact was not apparent until Carter left office. Ironically, Reagan then claimed full credit for them."

Suet624 Reagan robbed Carter of a number of things. 6y
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review
Anton
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Neither Carter nor Kennedy comes out looking good in this book about the 1980 Democratic primaries when the latter challenged the former for the nomination. Camelot's End contrasts their lives, careers, and personalities to show how they became bitter rivals -- and how that rivalry helped their party lose the White House for more than a decade. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

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Anton
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I don't know why I don't read more non fiction, I always enjoy it when I do. Started this one the other day, it's about the 1980 Democratic primaries when Ted Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the party nomination.