Fighting the Good Fight: History of New York Conservative Party

by George J. Marlin

Book Overview

The story of New York's feisty Conservative Party is really the saga of America's tumultuous political maturity. Born in response to the rise of Nelson Rockefeller's liberal Republicanism, the New... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587312514
• ISBN13: 9781587312519
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: St. Augustine's Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.9" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Conservatively Speaking....A Great Read

"Fighting The Good Fight: A History of the New York Conservative Party" is an outstanding account of the New York State Conservative Party which was founded in 1962 as a counterpart to the decades-old Liberal Party. The book is written by George Marlin, a long-time player in Republican Party and Conservative Party circles in New York. Marlin ran for mayor of New York City on the Conservative Party line in 1993 when Rudy Giuliani defeated David Dinkins (he got 1% of the vote). In New York State, cross-party endorsements are permitted in tabulating election returns: this enables candidates from the two major parties to accumulate additional votes on smaller party lines. This gives parties like the Conservative Party important leverage, since their philosophical strengths can be translated into votes on Election Day that can reward or punish politicians (usually Republican) who veer too far off course. The New York State Conservative Party also holds the distinction of electing one of its own, James Buckley (William's F.'s brother), to the United States Senate in 1970, defeating both the Republican and Democratic nominees in a three-way race. Prior to the formation of the Conservative Party in 1962, both the Democrats AND Republicans running statewide and locally courted the Liberal Party line and endorsement. It was this influence on the GOP by the state Liberal Party and New York's liberal establishment that so infuriated local conservatives, who were fed up with the big spending policies of Nelson Rockefeller and later, John Lindsay. Marlin's book is a fascinating grassroots look at the Conservative Party from an individual who was one of the young foot soldiers in the late 1960's (you can read about Marlin literally getting "roughed up" while working on William F. Buckley's campaign to unseat Mayor John Lindsay in 1965). The book has meticulous detail and recollection of specific events, times, and places. Marlin liberally (!) quotes from many Conservative Party veterans and current members, including Mike Long, the current chairman of the party. The result is an in-depth look not only at the building and evolution of a small band of committed, principled individuals looking to "make their mark" but also a very good historical review of New York State politics from the 1950's onward. Marlin's background as an investment banker and finance professional is clearly evident when discussing the many budgetary gimmicks and debt-accumulating policies that both New York City and New York State have engaged in these many decades. Whereas New York City had its baptism of fire in the fiscal crisis of 1975, the state government -- with larger resources (read: tax revenues) at its command -- has been able to delay and postpone the day of reckoning. Judging by the recent political fiscal mismanagement up in Albany, it appears that New York State -- like California in 2003 -- may finally be about hit the brick wall like her largest city did t

Window on New York Politics over 40 Years

While this new work has obvious resonance for persons of a Conservative political persusion, its appeal should transcend the National Review readership.George Marlin -- best known as the Conservative alternative to Giuliani and Dinkins in 1993 -- presents a fascinating chronicle of the unexpected rise of the Conservative movement in one of the nation's most avowedly liberal states. In the process, he provides an engaging -- albeit uni-dimensional -- history of New York politics over the past 40 years.Marlin's book -- in concert with other political works on the period -- will help future generations to understand Conservatives' formidable electoral clout in the second half of the 20th Century, even in formerly liberal, urban bastions in the Northeast. A standout work in this genre is Samuel G. Freeman's "The Inheritance," published about six years ago (though regrettably out of print the last time I checked).I did downgrade Marlin's book by one notch because of a higher-than-acceptable quotient of typographical errors, especially disappointing for a Christian Brothers-educated scholar. (Full disclosure: Marlin and I share a college alma mater.)