ABSTRACT
TheissuesthatprovedtobeobstaclestoPatBrowninhisreelectiondrive didnotreflectwellonthestateofliberalisminCaliforniaortherestofthe nation.Thoughthebackbreakingsqueezewouldnotcomeuntil1968,liberalismwascaughtinanever-tighteningvisebythesummerof1966,withthe "NewLeft"ononesideandagrowingnumberofconservatives--especially onsocialmatters-ontheother.The"counterculture"wouldnotfully emergeuntilthefollowingyear(withthe"summeroflove"),buttheantiestablishmentpoliticsofyoungstudentactivistsandlike-mindedotherscoalescedaroundoppositiontotheescalatingwarinVietnam.Generally supportiveofthatbattleagainstcommunismandardentlyagainstprotesting students,conservativesventedtheirangeroverPresidentJohnson'sWaron Povertythroughpolemicsthatcouldbesummedupingoodpartbythe buttonsandbumperstickersthatproclaimed:"JointheGreatSociety--Go onWelfare!"Hislegislativeaccomplishmentsaspresidentnotwithstanding, Johnson'svisionofaGreatSocietyhadwitheredintwoshortyearsduetoa lackofnurtureinanationthatwascomingapartratherthantogether. Ironically,theresentfulanddivisive"usagainstthem"rhetoricthathad helpedspurNewDealliberalismunderRoosevelt--his"forgottenman" versusthecallous"economicroyalists"-wouldnowbeusedbyconservativesagainst"nonproducers"tounderminethekindredliberalismofthe GreatSociety.
