When Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination for governor of California in 1966, The New York Times called the GOP's decision "against all counsels of common sense and political prudence." That comment probably deserves to go down in history as one of the most spectacularly wrong political assessments ever to appear in a newspaper. As historian Matthew Dallek writes in The Right Moment, his account of Reagan's campaign against Democratic governor Pat Brown, "Ronald Reagan redefined politics like no one since Franklin Roosevelt." The future president's "stunning, out-of-nowhere victory," in which he beat Brown by nearly a million votes, altered the course of American politics for at least a generation: it signaled liberalism's descent into the fatal politics of 1970s McGovernism, announced the rebirth of the conservative movement out of the ashes of Barry Goldwater's crushing defeat two years earlier, and foreshadowed Reagan's greater accomplishments on the national stage. Before becoming governor, Reagan faced the formidable challenge of persuading mainstream voters that an affable actor could indeed perform effectively as a chief executive. But an even trickier task, in Dallek's telling, was how Reagan rescued the conservative movement from its own extremist elements. There was, for instance, the John Birch Society, a right-wing organization whose thousands of members would form a part of any successful conservative coalition, but whose leaders believed in the plainly absurd idea that President Eisenhower was a Communist agent. Reagan at once had to harness this group's energies and keep his distance from its nuttier beliefs. This he accomplished with a deftly written one-page statement repudiating some of what the group's leaders had alleged and courting their followers at the same time. By zeroing in on this half-forgotten episode of Reagan's career, Dallek shows how the consequences of one election can reverberate throughout the years. This book is almost as much about Pat Brown as it is about Ronald Reagan--fans of Ronald Radosh's Divided They Fell, for instance, will surely enjoy that aspect of it--but most readers will be drawn to The Right Moment for its detailed chronicle of how Reagan got his start in politics. --John J. Miller
From Library Journal
Ronald Reagan's 1966 victory over incumbent California governor Pat Brown, not his capture of the White House in 1980, was the true start of the "Reagan Revolution" and the ascendancy of the Right. The race also marked Reagan's first try at electoral politics, and although he has been portrayed as a lightweight creation of his handlers, he proved himself an intelligent and highly skillful campaigner. Indeed, Reagan was able to distance himself from the far-right John Birch Society while taking full advantage of the openings presented by Brown's failed fair-housing proposal, the Watts riots, and campus unrest at Berkeley. This first book by journalist Dallek (e.g., Slate, the Atlantic Monthly), who based his work on dozens of interviews and substantial archival research, is a good political story written in a clear style. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.DRobert F. Nardini, Chichester, NH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reagan's defeat of incumbent California governor Pat Brown in 1966 marked a turning point in American politics as well as Reagan's own career. The turbulence of the 1960s and the venue of California, often a bellwether for the nation, signaled a turn to conservatism that continues to impact American politics. Dallek focuses on this first political victory for Reagan, until then considered a marginal player more renowned for his career as a B-grade actor. Dallek examines the similarities between Reagan and Brown: troubled family backgrounds, political party conversion, and strong convictions in their political beliefs. Dallek details Brown's second term as governor and the defeat of his fair housing initiative, which set the stage for the political upheaval that resulted in Reagan's election. The cultural and social changes in California--the rise of black militancy and antiwar demonstrations--certainly helped enhance the appeal of a conservative message, delivered with Reagan's smooth charm. Inevitably, Dallek brings things together with a discussion of the impact of Reagan's victory in California on the shape of national politics. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Irwin F. Gellman author of The Contender: Richard Nixon, The Congress Years, 1946-1952 Matthew Dallek dissects the complex drama of Ronald Reagan's rise in 1966, with its fascinating characters and explosive issues. Edmund "Pat" Brown comes to life as both a sympathetic liberal Democratic governor and a politician unable to cope with the dilemmas created by student upheavals, African-American frustrations, and Vietnam protests. Reagan gradually changes from an image on a movie screen to a voice for sanity and the voters' choice. The Right Moment is well balanced, well researched, and riveting. -- Review
