Article Preview
The McCarthy Candidacy
- Abstract
It is only recently that I have stopped doing a double-take upon encountering lapel-buttons emblazoned “McCarthy.” For my generation, that surname still has only one enduring meaning, and the new rise of a McCarthy-for-President movement inevitably stirs up old associations. Nevertheless, it is in order to ask whether Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota is actually running for the Presidency—or at least for a Presidential nomination.
The cold fact is that he must be regarded as a candidate. This is so if only because he has chosen to make a bid for both primary votes and convention delegates, intending to take them away from an incumbent President who gives every indication of wanting another term in the White House. To be sure, the primary path is also an excellent public platform. It gets better springtime coverage than do speeches on the Senate floor, and anyway that forum on Vietnam has been pretty well pre-empted by William Fulbright and Wayne Morse, along with the periodic Republicans who wobble over to the dovecotes from time to time.
About the Author
This article is available for purchase to subscribers and for individual purchase
Subscriber Sign In
Not A Subscriber?
