Preface ix

Introduction: 1968—The End of an Era 1

1 The Politics of Cynicism, 1968–1974 5

The Shaping of a New Majority 7

Conservatism as Reform 16

The Politics of War and Détente 19

Watergate and Its Aftermath 30

2 The Futility of Moderation, 1974–1976 43

The Politics of Forgiveness 44

President as Political Prisoner 48

Détente Derailed 53

3 Dashed Hopes, 1976–1980 60

Fractured Majority 61

Threading the Needle 73

The Abandonment of Idealism 78

4 Dogma and (More) Disappointment, 1980–1988 89

The Rise of the Right 90

Reaganomics 96

Culture Wars and Party Politics 107

Reagan's World 117

5 Squandering the Inheritance, 1988–1992 136

Succession by Hardball 137

The Bills Come Due 144

New World (Dis)Order 153

6 The Deepening Divide, 1992–2000 171

The Illusion of Liberal Revival 172

The Politics of Triangulation 187

Quest for a Post-Cold War Foreign Policy 200

Crises of the Clinton Presidency 212

7 The Politics of Polarization, 2000–2008 221

Ultimate Deadlock: Bush v. Gore 222

The Politics of Anti-terrorism 233

Imagined Mandate 248

The Politics of Certitude 262

8 The Politics of Red and Blue, since 2008 277

The Politics of Hope 279

Government by Dysfunction 296

The Politics of Trench Warfare 315

Conclusion: Deadlock and Disillusionment 328

Bibliographical Essay 335

Index 355