Mr. Democrat tells the story of Jim Farley, Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaign manager. As party boss, Farley experienced unprecedented success in the New Deal years. And like his modern counterpart Karl Rove, Farley enjoyed unparalleled access and power. Unlike Rove, however, Farley was instrumental in the creation of an overwhelming new majority in American politics, as the emergence of the New Deal transformed the political landscape of its time.
Mr. Democrat is timely and indispensable not just because Farley was a fascinating and unduly neglected figure, but also because an understanding of his career advances our knowledge of how and why he revolutionized the Democratic Party and American politics in the age of the New Deal.
"Daniel Scroop's intelligent and elegant Mr. Democrat restores Jim Farley to his rightful place as a major figure in twentieth-century American history. But it is not just the story of a single man; it is also an important exploration into the character of American politics."
—Alan Brinkley, Columbia University
"In this impeccably researched biography, Dan Scroop provides a long-overdue reassessment of the architect of FDR's greatest presidential election victories. In tracing the move to a new issue-driven national politics, Scroop shows that Farley was not a naive uncomprehending bystander, but someone who actively hastened in the new politics. He split with Roosevelt, not out of personal spite, but out of deep unease at what these changes were doing to the Democratic Party he loved."
—Anthony Badger, Cambridge University
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