The Politics of Equality

This text explores the links between Senator Hubert Humphrey's policies on racial justice and economic reform. It investigates Humphrey's legislative agenda in the context of the tensions between the class-based politics of the New Deal to which Humphrey wished the party to return, and the rights-based politics that eventually came to dominate the Democratic platform. The author aims to show that Humphrey stood out in his commitment to achieving racial equality through means of economic reform, an approach that was not readily embraced by the Democratic party. Thuber traces Humphrey's early life, details the rise of his political career, his life-long commitment to the New Deal goal of economic quality and his legislative agenda as a senator. Thuber uses Humphrey's career, not only to explore the intersection of race, class and politics, but also to reveal the trajectory of Democratic politics in the postwar era.