Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism

Clifford P. Case was a "liberal Republican" in Congress for 33 years, advocating for civil rights, environmental protection, and global leadership. Despite repeated attempts by GOP conservatives to oust him, he was a respected member until the party moved to the right. Case's biography reveals his courageous leadership, forming coalitions with Democrats on significant issues, and the decline of liberal Republican influence in the GOP.

Format: Hardback
Length: 500 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

Clifford P. Case was an exemplary “liberal Republican” during his 33 years in Congress, including 4 terms in the U.S. Senate. A strong advocate of civil and human rights, environmental protection, high ethical standards for public officials, and U.S. global leadership, Case was a highly respected member of the GOP from 1945-1979. Even so, GOP conservatives repeatedly sought to oust Case, finally succeeding as the Republican party moved inexorably to the right. This book tells Case’s life story, his ascendancy in GOP politics, his achievements and disappointments in Congress, and his unexpected loss in the 1978 NJ GOP primary to Reagan protégé Jeffrey Bell. Case emerges as a courageous politician of principle who valued country over party and regularly formed coalitions with Democrats concerning major foreign and domestic policy issues: ending the Vietnam War, passing landmark civil rights legislation, and reasserting the Senate’s role in foreign policy oversight. The biography also analyzes the gradual decline of liberal Republican influence in the GOP, culminating in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election and the triumph of movement conservatism. For readers who decry America’s political polarization, Case’s career demonstrates that electoral and legislative achievements need not rely on appeals to political extremes.

Weight: 866g
Dimension: 237 x 159 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666928587