My Declaration of Independence
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. [2], 136, [6] pages. Inscribed by the author on the title page. The Senator's personal account of his break from the Republican Party. James Merrill Jeffords (May 11, 1934 – August 18, 2014) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont. In 1988 he was the successful Republican nominee for the United States Senate seat held by the retiring Robert Stafford. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become an Independent and began caucusing with the Democrats. His switch changed control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic, the first time a switch had ever changed party control. Jeffords retired from the Senate in 2007. He graduated from Yale University, served for three years in the United States Navy, and then attended Harvard Law School, from which he received his degree in 1962. Jeffords served one term in the Vermont Senate (1967-1969), and two as Attorney General of Vermont (1969-1973). Prior to the Senate, he served as the U.S. Representative for Vermont's at-large congressional district from 1975 to 1989. Senator James Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party on May 24, 2001, when he could no longer reconcile his beliefs with the policies of the party he had supported his whole adult life. In "My Declaration of Independence," Jeffords explains the issues that led to this dramatic break. Foremost among them was the Bush Administration's and the Republican leadership's failure to recognize the need to invest in education. Tracing the genesis of his decision, Jeffords describes his attempts to effect change within his party, and the pain of hurting Republican colleagues and friends. His decision came just at the moment when his defection would deprive them of the Washington trifecta they had recently achieved -- Republican control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. It was also going to cost many of his friends committee chairmanships they had acquired only a few months before. Senator Jeffords provides a moving, witty, and instructive example of what can happen in public life. It is a riveting story that has wide implications for the whole country. Condition: Very good / very good.
Keywords: Vermont, Karl Rove, Education Policy, George Bush, U.S. Senate, Politics and Government, Public Policy, Republican Party
ISBN: 0743228421
[Book #74726]
Price: $50.00