Books in Brief

George Wallace: American Populist, by Stephan Lesher (Addison-Wesley, 587 pp., $29.95)

WHEN Governor George Wallace blocked the door of the University of Alabama to keep two black students from registering in 1963, a maintenance crew had painted white lines on the ground to mark where Wallace would stand, where federal agents would approach and then stop, where reporters would gather. Racism for Wallace, if not for many of his aides and supporters, often seemed more a matter of political theater than hatred; thus he rarely allowed his race-baiting to eclipse his vote-getting. And he did a lot of that— winning five terms as governor, the last in 1982 (by which time he was actively seeking black votes), and running for President three times. In this sympathetic biography, Mr. Lesher argues that the Wallace brand of populism—with promises of tax relief for the little guy, attacks on the Federal Government, and calls for law and order—has figured in some way in all winning presidential campaigns since Richard Nixon. “History,” Mr. Lesher writes, “already has substantiated his idea of America.” This glosses over too much: Wallace’s us—them stemwinders, for instance, sound less like Ronald Reagan on free enterprise than Ross Perot on NAFTA. But, more modestly, it can be said that any party that ignores Wallace’s unwashed middle class is doomed. Reading this engaging book, one can’t help feeling a bit of admiration for a man who was a brave fighter, even for cowardly causes. —Rich Lowry

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George Wallace: American Populist, by Stephan Lesher (Addison-Wesley, 587 pp., $29.95)

WHEN Governor George Wallace blocked the door of the University of Alabama to keep two black students from registering in 1963, a maintenance crew had painted white lines on the ground to mark where Wallace would stand, where federal agents would approach and then stop, where reporters would gather. Racism for Wallace, if not for many of his aides and supporters, often seemed more a matter of political theater than hatred; thus he rarely allowed his race-baiting to eclipse his vote-getting. And he did a lot of that— winning five terms as governor, the last in 1982 (by which time he was actively seeking black votes), and running for President three times. In this sympathetic biography, Mr. Lesher argues that the Wallace brand of populism—with promises of tax relief for the little guy, attacks on the Federal Government, and calls for law and order—has figured in some way in all winning presidential campaigns since Richard Nixon. “History,” Mr. Lesher writes, “already has substantiated his idea of America.” This glosses over too much: Wallace’s us—them stemwinders, for instance, sound less like Ronald Reagan on free enterprise than Ross Perot on NAFTA. But, more modestly, it can be said that any party that ignores Wallace’s unwashed middle class is doomed. Reading this engaging book, one can’t help feeling a bit of admiration for a man who was a brave fighter, even for cowardly causes. —Rich Lowry