The Cause is Mankind: A Liberal Program for Modern America [*SIGNED*]

New York: Frederick A. Praeger. Near Fine in Very Good+ dj. 1964. 2nd printing. Hardcover. [the book shows only a touch of wear at the extremities; the jacket is very lightly soiled along the spine, and has a one-inch split at the top rear flap-fold]. SIGNED (no inscription) by the author on the front endpaper. "An essential book for our times by a champion of liberalism and one of the most powerful and influential men in the United States Congress." At the time this book was published, Humphrey had served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Minnesota since 1949, and was actively campaigning to become Lyndon Johnson's running mate in the 1964 Presidential election, The book appeared just a couple of weeks before the Democratic National Convention, and it was far from settled at that moment who would get the VP slot on the ticket; in fact, Humphey's leading rival for the position, fellow Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, also issued a book through the same publisher at about the same time, albeit with a less soaring title: "A Liberal Answer to the Conservative Challenge." Humphrey did get the nod, of course, and served as LBJ's Vice-President from 1965 to 1969, before making his own bid for the Presidency as the Democratic nominee in 1968. (In that election he lost to Richard Nixon by less than 1% of the popular vote, although the Electoral College count -- pardon me, the god-damn Electoral College count -- was a 301-191 blowout.) A little blast from the political past, back before conservatives managed to turn "liberal" into an epithet. Signed by Author .