Customer Reviews (3)

The Autobiography ofA Great American
Now that we have seen the immense international goodwill for the US frittered away in the same way as its budget surplus by the present ideologues in the White HOuse, this book makes us think what the standing of the United States would be if such a vital, decent and exuberant man as Hubert Horatio Humphrey had made it to the White House. The Happy Warrior in his own words is conversational and irrepressible (about the only ungenerous thing he says about someone is that so and so is "a mean man") and his golly-gosh spirit bubbles throughout the narrative. That such goodness, intelligence and vision got lost to history is America's tragedy. This is a wonderful book for all who still have great hopes for the USA as an example of compassion and a friend to all nations.

Daniel Dennis

Brisbane Australia

The Education of a Public Man:My Life in Politics.
An excellent book on the life of Hubert H. Humphrey, by the subject himself. I have read others pieces on Humphrey, but this work comes through in his own voice, as if he is sitting there talking to you. As biographiesgo, I think Carl Solberg's book on the late Vice President is the mostthorough on the subject, but Humphrey's account is the most readable. Thesubject is also well done by Dan Cohen.

A great autobiography by a great Democrat
This is a great read.Here, Humphrey sums up his life, his beliefs and his goals for the coming years.Those who want to know what our nation should be like ought to read this book.

Humphrey dreamed of anopportunity society in which the public and private good made sure that allof our citizens had access to such basic human needs as health care, ahuman and living wage, education, day care, family leave, a job and a safeneighobrhood and environment.He dreamed of a society in which we wouldall be equal, regardless of who we are or what our skin color is.Has hisdream come true?Of course not.The 'new right' in America has declaredwar on all that is good about our government and its humanitarian goals. They have declared war on the workers and unions which Humphrey so adored. They have declared war on basic labor regulations.They ought to readHumphrey's autobiography and grow a heart!

Hubert Humphrey in hislast speech before Congerss said something which has touched me and is mypolitical motto:"The moral test of government is how it treats thosewho are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight oflife, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, theneedy and the handicapped."We need to make sure that America doesnot fail the 'moral test of government.'

For those who see Humphreyas a has-been civil rights leader and as LBJ's Vice President, I urge youto read this book and see how radically pro-labor and pro-civil rights hewas.It's a good read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Great Hubert H. Humphrey
This is a great book about a great man. Hubert H. Humphrey was an amazing human being - someone who championed numerous progressive causes well before anyone else would even touch them, even when doing so was at great political and even physical risk to himself. The fact that he is reviled by so many modern liberals is unfortunate, to say the least, for our nation would be a far worse place today had Hubert Humphrey never been born.
This book is a celebration of the man, his life, his times, his accomplishments, and his philosophy; it is rich, informative, gripping, and even inspiring; and the photographs themselves (which are strewn throughout the text) are nothing short of beautiful. When American liberals remember their greatest champions from the 1960s, they rightfully include men like John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr; by all rights, Hubert Humphrey should be included on that list. For those of us who already knew that, this book will serve as a pleasant reaffirmation of that conviction, as well as a welcome journey back to a time when liberal wasn't the infamous "l-word"; for those who either dislike Hubert Humphrey or are generally unaware of him, you should read this book before drawing any further conclusions about either him or liberalism in general.

HHH: What Might Have Been
This 500 page account of the life of Hubert Humphrey is an exhaustive look at the man would would be President.He was the liberal's Liberal, the early champion of civil rights, worker's rights, Medicare, the Peace Corps, the Test Ban Treaty, etc.The book gives a thorough account of his life and of course what really happened in 1968, and what might have been.

HHH becamse VP under LBJ and though he was an early opponent of intervention in Vietnam, he was forced by Johnson to kow-tow to his policies.In 1965 he was the sole opponent of intervention in Johnson's inner circle; hence he was exiled until he towed the line.So he convinced himself the war was right for a while promoting it enough to get under Lyndon's good graces.By 1967 Humphrey was off the record saying "we are throwing money and lives down the rat hole of South Vietnam".And such was the political tightrope he walked.Had he come out against the war before the convention LBJ would have destroyed his candidacy.Furthermore the top US negotiators of the Paris Peace talks told him to keep silent lest the major breakthrough would be spoiled.

So while the demonstrators shouted, "Dump the Hump", they unwittingly were helping Nixon to squeak out a victory.After the convention Humphrey cautiously let his private views be known:he wanted peace ASAP.But the message wasn't strong enough or soon enough for those opposed to the war.

The book quotes Humphrey confidante Averell Harriman and head Paris Peace negotiator: "I know that, as president, Hubert would have stopped the Vietnam War in 1969....His election would have avoided the extended tragedy of the Vietnam War as well as Watergate.In addition, I believe that period would have been a time of economic and social progress under an irresistibly optimistic, wise, and determined president."

1968 was the focal point in time.I remember the elections, though I was only four.Humphrey was the one who would not only have prevented Nixon's destructiveness, but given us a constructiveness we could only imagine.I hope critics of Kerry take these thoughts into account. ... Read more

Product Description
This book offers a comprehensive examination of Hubert Humphrey's civil rights rhetoric. The editor showcases Humphrey's civil rights speeches from 1948 to 1964, most of which have never been published. Because it was common for Humphrey to use speeches containing similar strains of thought in a given month or year, the speeches in this text will provide a sound representation of all of Huphrey's speeches during this period. The study begins with Humphrey's first national plea to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Next, readers are taken through Humphrey's entrance into the U.S. Senate, and his asking for national morality and national action. Humphrey's remarks exemplify his development of national arguments in support of the 1964 Civil Rights Amendment and his ideas for the direction of this movement. Comments by Humphrey and others are included in order to provide additional framework for the study of his rhetoric. This thoroughly edited and carefully selected set of essays will enlighten readers to one of the greatest accomplishments of Humphrey's public life--his contribution to civil rights. This book will appeal to students and scholars of rhetoric, speech communication, political science and history. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
Traces the life of the senator from Minnesota who served as Vice President under Lyndon B. Johnson. ... Read more