Up next Lawrence Odonnell talks about his book playing with fire. And the transformation of american politics, which recalls the turmoil of the 1968 president ial election. We recorded this in washington to d. C. In 2017. This 1968 election, was the first when i was alert for. I was in high school, i remember zero of the 1964 election, just the one right before that. And i remember just flashes of 1960, because it was a giant deal for Irish Catholic boys in boston. And one of us was on his way to winning it. And its hard to believe this now, but in those days we lived under a certain kind of, old ghetto culture notion that it could not happen. That they could not elect a catholic president of the United States. But if you know our political history, for the decades proceeding that without smith, and with others there was evidence, that you could not elect a catholic person. And that was transcended and exploded, one night in november in 1960. So the world we were looking at, in 1968 wh
Notion that it couldnt happen, that they could not elect a catholic president of the United States. If you know our political history for the decades preceding that with al smith and others there was evidence that , you cannot elect a catholic, and that was all transcended and exploded one night in november 1960. And so the world we were looking at in 1968 when i could really finally Pay Attention was a world coming apart in the United States. The vietnam war is raging, we had an incumbent president Lyndon Johnson who had been elected four years ago in a landslide who was on the way to an easy reelection again. He was very likely to be facing some of very good at losing president ial elections. Richard nixon, who had the distinction in history at the beginning of 1968, of being the very first Vice President in history to lose a president ial campaign. He then made Hubert Humphrey the second 1968. As the year began, it was back in that ancient america where if someone said, i democrat o
[applause] good evening. I am bradley graham. Coowner of politics and prose. On behalf of everybody here thank you for coming. Well try to get through tonight home in time to watch the last words of this evening. [applause] the show hasnt been written yet so its very important we really and on time. Lawrence has had several interesting careers, back in the late 1970s and 80s he was a writer. His first book, deadly force about wrongful death and Police Brutality in which his father was the plaintiffs lawyer was made into a movie and will be reissued soon. If you dont have a copy you can look forward to that. Thats called deadly force. In the late 80s he got into politics working for Daniel Patrick moynihan. Later the finance committee. After that he found his way to tv writing for or producing on the west wing and winning an emmy in the process. He was also involved with other dramas including first monday and mr. Sterling. I mentioned he won an emmy for his work, that was the last thin
1968 was the year where the real decisions between the party that we see now were first locked in cement and we saw as one of the more poignant scenes in this book what literally became the last liberal standing on a Republican Convention stage in 1968, and it was the moment when mayor john lindsay of new york was forced at least half against his will to second the nomination of spiro agnew to be president of the United States after lindsay himself wanted to get that nomination, he then had to second that nomination for agnew and that was the last time a National Republican of significance stood on a Republican Convention stage as a liberal and john lindsay eventually left the Republican Party not long after 1968 so we now have a world in which when people hear that you are a democrat or they hear that youre a republican, they think they know everything about you. Its not just a know whether youre a liberal or conservative, they think they know everything in 1968 had more drama and cha
My center right conservative audience loved both because of the passion and knowledge of both authors. I begin with hardball Chris Matthews and with this poster. Take a look at that, america. That was on my wall when i was a 12yearold. The first guy i loved in politics was bobby kennedy. This book touched me in a way that a lot of biographies dont. I think there is a little bit of memoir, a little bit of Chris Matthews but a lot of spirit and love for Robert Kennedy. I dont think conservatives and moderates would be opposed to him today. You take a tough issue like black lives versus police. He would say, no, im not going to take sides on that. I think law and order should be just. We will feet mob sisters, street criminals. We will be on the side of the people who live in those neighborhoods. I think it would be a positive view today. He wouldnt some elite liberal Walking Around with his nose in the air. As jack newfeld said, his people were the waitresses. Black and white. They were