'What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?' Jimmy Carter, America's 'Malaise,' and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country

by Mattson, Kevin

• ISBN13: 9781608192069
• ISBN10: 1608192067
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-03
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary

The summer of 1979 was a critical moment in Jimmy Carter's presidency: An energy crisis was creating mile-long gas lines, suburban riots were breaking out across America, and the White House was racked by internal struggle. Amid low morale and even lower ratings, Carter delivered the speech of his career. Honest and urgent, it should have earned a place in history alongside Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or FDR's First Inaugural. Instead, it led to his political downfall.

Author Biography

Kevin Mattson is the Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History at Ohio University. He is the author of Rebels All!, When America Was Great, Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century, and Intellectuals in Action, and has written for the American Prospect, Dissent, the Nation, the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, and many other publications.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xii
Introduction: "What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?"	p. 1
Diagnosing a Nation's Heart of Glass (April 1979)	p. 13
Making Friends and Enemies in a Time of Crisis (May 1979)	p. 56
"The Worst of Times" (June 1979)	p. 97
"One of My Best" (July 1979)	p. 129
The Speech Becomes a "Turning Point" (July 1979-January 1981)	p. 167
Epilogue: In Dreams There Begin No Responsibilities	p. 196
Appendix: The Speech "A Crisis of Confidence" (July 15, 1979)	p. 207
Acknowledgments	p. 219
Notes	p. 221
Bibliographic Note	p. 247
Index	p. 253
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