Robert Mann (1)

5581, Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds LBJ, Barry Goldwater, and the Ad That Changed American Politics, by Robert Mann (read 16 Sep 2018) This is a 2011 book which gives a detailed account concerning the famous ad shown on 7 Sep 1964. The Democrats paid for the ad and showed it only once, though it was shown repeatedly as news. Some non-Republicans criticized the ad but I never thought it was objectionable and I thought it was a valid commentary on things that Goldwater had said. The book also contains comments by Democratic officials discussing how the campaign should be conducted, which documents are of some interest. I did not find the book of unfailing interest, maybe because it was so long ago though I was intensely caught up in the 1964 election (and overjoyed by the result). On page 90 of the book it is stated that Goldwater sued Ginzberg for libel and obtained a verdict for $75,000 "which was upheld on appeal". The footnote supporting this statement I was astounded to see cites not the court opinion but a book. I think the statement should have been supported, if it is true, by a legal citation, not some book which asserted the claim. This may seem like a minor defect but irritated me.… (altro)

Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds tells the story of the controversial "Daisy Girl" ad, used by the Democrats in the 1964 Presidential campaign, which featured a young girl counting as she pulled petals off a flower, immediately followed by a countdown and the explosion of a nuclear bomb. This was a new form of political advertising; some leaders in both political parties objected to it. The ad referred to what the Democrats claimed Goldwater might do if elected even though Goldwater was never actually named in the ad. The ad was created by DDB an creative advertising firm, which had earlier produced the Avis "we try harder" ad. Mr. Mann placed this ad in the context of the times; the first chapter of the book dealt with U.S. foreign policy versus the Soviet Union, i.e. the Cold War. Mr. Mann argues that this ad did not defeat Goldwater; polls before and after the ad were very similar in the amount of support of the candidates. However, the Republicans made the campaign easier for the Democrats with their reactions to the ad, bringing it up again and again which brought attention to it. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Mann lists 7 ways that the ad helped change American politics and political advertising; it was the first ad which appealed to people's emotions.

A long appendix contains many documents concerning the Democratic campaign. Extensive endnotes, but no separate bibliography.… (altro)

4518. The Walls of Jericho Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell, and the Struggle for Civil Rights, by Robert Mann (read 21 Dec 2008) This is a fantastically absorbing account of the effort to pass civil rights legislation in the 1950's and 1960's, concentrating on the careers in that regard of the three men named in the subtitle. The author has worked for Senators Russell Long and John Breaux, and knows what goes on on Capitol Hill and how to determine what went on. I think this is the best book on its subject--the Senate and civil rights--I have ever read. Really a masterful job went into this book.… (altro)