Although liberal Republicans today constitute a nearly extinct species, after WW II they represented a significant force in the GOP, notably in the Northeast and on the West Coast. One of the most influential of these Republicans was Clifford Case of New Jersey, who served four terms in the House and another four in the Senate until he lost the primary for a fifth term in 1978 to a young movement conservative. A workhorse, rather than a show horse, and a remarkable vote-getter until the end of his career, Case championed civil rights and liberties, environmental protection before it became a mainstream concern, and the expansion of the welfare state during the 1950s and 1960s, in each case working closely with allies in both parties. His causes included government transparency and limiting presidential authority in foreign affairs. Case gradually questioned the American war in Vietnam and by 1970 began shaping legislation to bring American troops home. Exhaustively researched and distinctly sympathetic to its subject, this biography tracks Case’s activities in at times excessive detail. The bottom line according to Fernekes —that Case mattered and that his brand of bipartisan politics is missed today—is persuasive. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.
