The politics of presidential appointment : a memoir of the culture war / Sheldon hackney ; with a foreword by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hackney, Sheldon, 1933-2013.

Contributor:

Class of 1924 Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hackney, Sheldon, 1933-2013.

Hackney, Sheldon.

National Endowment for the Humanities--Officials and employees--Selection and appointment.

National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historians--United States--Biography.

Historians.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1993-.

Politics and government.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

247 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] : Montgomery, AL : NewSouth Books, [2002]

Summary:

Historian and former university president Sheldon Hackney recounts how he became an unwitting combatant in the culture wars when his nomination to become President Bill Clinton's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities came under fire from right-wing conservatives. Hackney meticulously describes the background of ideological maneuvering that was behind not only the attacks on him but also the fierce campaign to bring down Clinton. He says, "I believe my story illustrates how the Culture War and the current media environment combine to polarize discussion until the public has no chance to understand complex issues. Not only are moderates trampled underfoot, but the great gray areas where life is actually lived, the areas of ambiguity and tradeoffs between competing values, are rendered toxic to human habitation. This is not healthy for a democracy."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 236-240) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1924 Book Fund.

ISBN:

1588380688

OCLC:

52265971