Walter Lippmann and the American Century — 9 Electing a War President

1. 1. Lippmann led the New Republic's crusade to confirm Louis Brandeis to the Supreme Court, denouncing conservative opponents as reactionary Brahmins.
2. 2. After a private interview with Wilson, Lippmann converted from skeptic to supporter, believing Wilson had evolved into a constructive nationalist.
3. 3. Lippmann was disgusted by the 1916 Republican convention, calling it a 'witches’ dance of idiocy' and a travesty of democracy.
4. 4. Lippmann broke with Theodore Roosevelt, concluding that TR had no vision of social justice and was an opportunist.
5. 5. Lippmann argued that electing Wilson meant electing a war president, not the man who kept America out of war.
6. 6. Lippmann believed Wilson was 'frankly unneutral' and would resist pressure to break the British blockade, unlike Hughes who promised impartial neutrality.
7. 7. The New Republic's endorsement of Wilson in October 1916 was a major shift, as Lippmann portrayed Wilson as a 'constructive nationalist' who had grown in office.
8. 8. Lippmann helped swing the Bull Moose Progressives behind Wilson, who won the 1916 election by a narrow margin of 23 electoral votes.
9. 9. Lippmann became a close adviser to Colonel House, Wilson's trusted confidant, and helped shape the New Republic's pro-intervention stance.
10. 10. Lippmann coined the term 'Atlantic community' to argue that America must fight to keep the sea lanes open against German submarine warfare.
11. 11. Lippmann was ecstatic after Wilson's war address, calling it 'magnificent' and claiming it identified America's glory with world peace and liberty.
12. 12. Lippmann abandoned his earlier skepticism about nationalism and imperial war, embracing the conflict as a 'people's war' for democracy and international order.