Spiro Agnew and the rise of the Republican right

Provides a political biography tracing Agnew's life and career and shows how Agnew was a key figure in American politics--and documents how a powerful politician who looked to be headed to the presidency ended up having to resign from the office of the vice president in shame and fade into the shadows of political history. Coffey examines how Spiro Agnew's ideological transformation from a moderate liberal to a conservative spearheaded the rise of the Republican Right. He explores the political, social, and racial aspects of Agnew's career and how he both influenced and was himself shaped by each of these parameters. --From publisher description.