Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism

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 Cases 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 protg 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 Senates role in foreign policy oversight. The biography also analyzes the gradual decline of liberal Republican influence in the GOP, culminating in Ronald Reagans 1980 election and the triumph of movement conservatism. For readers who decry Americas political polarization, Cases career demonstrates that electoral and legislative achievements need not rely on appeals to political extremes.