John V. Lindsay was elected mayor of New York City in 1965. But that year’s mayoral campaign will forever be known as the Buckley campaign. “As a candidate,” Joseph Alsop conceded, “Buckley was cleverer and livelier than either of his rivals.” And Murray Kempton concluded that “The process which coarsens every other man who enters it has only refined Mr. Buckley.” The Unmaking of a Mayor is a time capsule of the political atmosphere of America in the spring of 1965, diagnosing the multitude of ills that plagued New York and other major cities: crime, narcotics, transportation, racial bias, mismanagement, taxes, and the problems of housing, police, and education. Buckley’s nimble dissection of these issues constitutes an excellent primer of conservative thought. A good pathologist, Buckley shows that the diseases afflicting New York City in 1965 were by no means of a unique strain, and compared them with issues that beset the country at large. Buckley offers a prescient vision of the Republican Party and America’s two-party system that will be of particular interest to today’s conservatives. The Unmaking of a Mayor ends with a wistful glance at what might have been in 1965—and what might yet be.

As the first African American elected mayor of New York City, David Dinkins underwent intense scrutiny—first from the black community, then from white liberal supporters, the media, and the city's electorate. Wilbur C. Rich focuses on the critical role played by the New York City media in the perception of mayoral leadership. Using interviews and words of journalists, Rich examines media coverage as both the architect and challenger of Dinkins' image. The making and unmaking of David Dinkins not only exposes much about the agency of African American politicians, but also reveals the fragility of electoral coalitions.

The perfect gift for sophisticated word lovers, this handy pocket guide comesfrom the author famous for his addiction to and marvelous skill with words ofall kinds. Illustrations.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- ONE: In the Shadow of Woodrow, Lindbergh, and Franklin D. -- TWO: God and Bill at Yale -- THREE: Standing Athwart History -- FOUR: "Reading Dwight Eisenhower Out of the Conservative Movement"--FIVE: The Editor, the Colossus, and the "Anti-Communist at Harvard" -- SIX: Sailing Against the New Frontier -- SEVEN: Bill, Barry, and the Birchers -- EIGHT: Part of the Way with LBJ -- NINE: "Demand a Recount" -- TEN: Buckley and Nixon: Mutual Suspicions -- ELEVEN: "Let the Man Go Decently" -- TWELVE: Bill and Ronnie: Preparing a President -- THIRTEEN: Bill and Ronnie: Advising a President -- FOURTEEN: Disappointed with G.H.W. Bush -- Unsold on Clinton -- FIFTEEN: W: "Counting the Silver" -- SIXTEEN: The Ancient Truths -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- Illustrations

A biography of William F. Buckley who founded modern American conservatism, started The National Review, and influenced a generation of politicians.