Hubert Humphrey: The creator of the Harris-Walz “Politics of Joy.” The lead Jersey practitioner: former Governor Dick Hughes

When evaluating modern journalists, I often express annoyance at their failure to cite historical antecedents for contemporary situations.  The current journalistic attention to the “Politics of Joy” theme of the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Democratic presidential ticket is a quintessential example of that.

The inventor of the concept, “Politics of Joy” was former Vice President and US Senator Hubert Horatio Humphrey.  He coined this phrase in his  speech announcing his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on April 27, 1968 in the following context:

And here we are, just as we ought to be, here we are, the people, here we are the spirit of dedication, here we are the way politics ought to be in America, the politics of happiness, politics of purpose, politics of joy; and that’s the way it’s going to be, all the way, too, from here on out.

I have yet to hear one single national political journalist, network or cable, credit Hubert Humphrey with the authorship of the concept and phrase, Politics of Joy.  The ignorance of history by our contemporary celebrity television journalists is appalling.

In the tumultuous, tragic year of 1968 in American politics, Humphrey would win the Democratic presidential nomination and come within a hair’s breadth of defeating Richard Nixon for the presidency.  He would have defeated Nixon had he selected New Jersey Governor Dick Hughes as his running mate, as I have asserted in a previous column.

Humphrey and Hughes were very close friends and firm political allies.  The relationship was not just one of mutual self-interests and beliefs.  Hughes was an enthusiastic practitioner of the Humphrey Politics of Joy.  My late close friend, former Governor Jim Florio described Dick Hughes upon his death in 1992 as having “practiced the politics of joy but also of determined hard work to bring about change.”

The Dick Hughes brand of the Politics of Joy was typified by his gregarious nature and his delightful penchant for storytelling.  Indeed, he and his wife, the late beloved New Jersey First Lady, Betty Hughes were co-practitioners of the Politics of Joy.  Above all, the Dick Hughes brand of the Politics of Joy featured a profound emphasis on Civility.  In fact, the definitive biography of Dick Hughes, authored by Seton Hall Professor of Law John Wefing is entitled, The Life and Times of Richard J. Hughes: The Politics of Civility.

The Dick Hughes style of the Politics of Joy is best described by his son, former Morris County Prosecutor Michael Murphy.  Michael told me how Dick Hughes was wont to say, “I can get more done inviting Republicans to meet me at Lorenzo’s (the former famed Trenton restaurant) than I can by just meeting with people at the State House.”

Humphrey’s heartfelt connection with New Jersey Democrats did not end with the election of 1968.  In 1976, there was a movement among New Jersey Democrats, led by State Senator and Democratic State Committee Chair Jim Dugan, supported by Hubert’s wife, Muriel, to persuade him to challenge Jimmy Carter in the Jersey Democratic presidential primary.  Humphrey, facing terminal cancer, declined.

I learned from highly reliable sources on Sunday, August 4 that Kamala Harris would select Tim Walz over Josh Shapiro as her Democratic vice-presidential nominee, basically due to an NDA issue involving Josh’s former chief of staff.  I will write more about this in a subsequent column.

I then stated my immediate concern on Facebook and Twitter: Who is Minnesotan Tim Walz:  Fellow late Minnesotan Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy or Fellow late Minnesotan Democratic Senator Hubert Humphrey?

McCarthy was a most competent US Senator and towering historic figure, whose anti-Vietnam War candidacy in the 1968 Democratic primaries led to the decision of LBJ to not seek reelection.  He was a man of unimpeachable ethics, character, and integrity.  Unfortunately, he had a dour personality, which foreclosed any possibility of running successfully after 1968 for either the presidency or US Senate.  As Theodore H. White said of McCarthy in 1968 in his book, The Making of the President 1968, “All through the year, one’s admiration of the man grew – and one’s affection lessened.”

By contrast, Hubert Humphrey was a much beloved US Senator.  This was vital to his success in being the leading Congressional figure in the enactment of both Medicare and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

I received the answer to my Minnesota question on Monday morning, August 5, when current US Senator from Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar stated that Tim Walz was a practitioner of the Politics of Joy.  She never acknowledged Hubert Humphrey, however, as the author of the Politics of Joy.  I was indeed delighted that I could infer that Tim Walz is a Humphrey-style Minnesota Democrat, rather than Eugene McCarthy.   Yet I was annoyed that Amy never mentioned Hubert.

It would be helpful if the Democrats started mentioning Hubert Humphrey’s authorship of the Politics of Joy.  The contrast between the Humphrey Politics of Joy and the Donald Trump concept of the Politics of Darkness, Paranoia, Racial and Gender Grievance, and Institutional Mistrust could not be more vivid.  The election of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in 2024 will be another vindication of the greatness of Hubert Humphrey, just as was his enactment of Medicare and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Alan J. Steinberg of Highland Park served as regional administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.

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28 responses to “Hubert Humphrey: The creator of the Harris-Walz “Politics of Joy.” The lead Jersey practitioner: former Governor Dick Hughes”

  1. “A house divided against each other can not stand.”
    The greatest treat to our democracy is our division.
    “Politics of Joy” vs “ Politics of Darkness” is another attempt to divide and conquer.
    There is nothing joyful about being hungry, poor schools, run away debt, endless wars, corporate greed, censorship, loss of sovereignty…………..
    Vote policy, Vote Independent, UNITE AMERICA 🇺🇸

  2. Tim AWOL Walz is a WHITE GERMAN SOCIALIST!!!! Communist anti-Israel Harris picked him over Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Now, that’s what I call ANTI-SEMITISM by the Democrat Party, and a HATE CRIME!!!!!!!!!

    When are Democrat voters going to wake up and smell the coffee that the Democrat Party is a tyrannical fascist party hell-bent on destroying Jews and White Americans?????????????

  3. I’m pleased to see that someone finally noted the historical circumstances between Hubert Humphrey and the current vice president candidate. The only thing that remains to be seen now, is if the street fights which occurred in Chicago in 1968 will repeat.
    Kelly was clearly my choice for any number of reasons not the least of being the absolute impossibility of launching a swift boat assault. Why he was not selected I don’t know perhaps he was too menacing in appearance but I believe that to be an absolute plus when it comes to dealing with the loons in the right.
    I don’t think Elmer Fudd from frostbite Falls is the right guy.

  4. I enjoyed reading your column, Alan Steinberg.

    As for me, I am ready for and happily embrace the Politics of Joy. Enough of Trump’s Era of doom, gloom, darkness, chaos, and incompetence.
    I find Tim Walz to be joyfully and delightfully human—- likable , dare I say endearing.

    VP Harris said at the UAW local in Michigan,
    …..”folks who understand the true measurement of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down,
    it is based on who you lift up.”

    So bring on the wonder, the awe, the joy, the competence, the peace, the positive energy, i am ready for it!

  5. Hypocrisy is as hypocrisy does.
    What positive energy has radiated in the past 3 1/2 years of the Biden- Harris administration. It was so full of gloom and doom and internal chaos that Biden was dumped like a sack of potatoes. Harris is now a rebranded Wonder Woman who magically has flipped the switch on all her policies.
    Vote Independent
    Vote for truth
    UNITE AMERICA

  6. Come gather ’round people
    Wherever you roam
    And admit that the waters
    Around you have grown
    And accept it that soon
    You’ll be drenched to the bone
    If your time to you is worth savin’
    And you better start swimmin’
    Or you’ll sink like a stone
    For the times they are a-changin’
    Come writers and critics
    Who prophesize with your pen
    And keep your eyes wide
    The chance won’t come again
    And don’t speak too soon
    For the wheel’s still in spin
    And there’s no tellin’ who
    That it’s namin’
    For the loser now
    Will be later to win
    For the times they are a-changin’
    Come senators, congressmen
    Please heed the call
    Don’t stand in the doorway
    Don’t block up the hall
    For he that gets hurt
    Will be he who has stalled
    The battle outside ragin’
    Will soon shake your windows
    And rattle your walls
    For the times they are a-changin’
    Come mothers and fathers
    Throughout the land
    And don’t criticize
    What you can’t understand
    Your sons and your daughters
    Are beyond your command
    Your old road is rapidly agin’
    Please get out of the new one
    If you can’t lend your hand
    For the times they are a-changin’
    The line it is drawn
    The curse it is cast
    The slow one now
    Will later be fast
    As the present now
    Will later be past
    The order is rapidly fadin’
    And the first one now
    Will later be last
    For the times they are a-changin’
    Source: LyricFind
    Songwriters: Bob Dylan

  7. NDA my tushee. Shapiro was passed over because Kamala would never get a moment of peace from the Democrat Socialist Free Free Palestine Hitler Youth crowd if she picked him. So instead she plagiarizes the “Politics of Joy”. No surprise given the prowess of her mentor the last 3 1/2 years.

  8. 1968 was not a year of Joy. Neither is this one. Humphrey LOST by the way, for all the joy he brought. Misusing Bob Dylan won’t help — though unlike Walz, he’s a Minnesota boy who’s true like ice like fire.

  9. “The need for an independent President who stands outside the divide and can unify the country is more compelling than ever. ”
    Walz called Trump supporters “fascist” and “weird” and they are calling him worse than that.
    The Independent message is Unity, not division. The priority is the people, not politics.
    America was once renown for its integrity and revered around the globe for its moral authority and leadership. We were the template for liberty and the proof – that for a country to thrive its people must be free.
    A sovereign nation must have borders with open gates for legal entry and the freedom of speech without being censored. And the people must be told the truth.
    For the times they are a-changin’ – They love us hating each other.
    Divide and Conquer vs Heal the Divide.
    Vote INDEPENDENT
    Vote for WE THE PEOPLE party
    Fly the American flag with pride instead of watching it burn in the streets – UNITE AMERICA
    Source: Kennedy24
    Opinion writer: NJVOTER

  10. Stewie R.: Yes, I do think J.D. Vance is more qualified than Tim AWOL Walz. Vance had 3 years of actual combat as a Marine in Afghanistan. Walz ran away from his duties to lead his 500 men in battle in Iraq when he quickly retired from the NG when he found out he was going to Iraq. Another military fraud/stolen valor.

    Let’s not forget that when Walz was a college freshman he drank a gallon of horse semen as part of the hazing ritual in his fraternity. He had his stomach pumped as a result. Walz is nothing more than fascist Nazi. All one has to do is look at his record in Minnesota. Case closed.

  11. CASE CLOSED…..I thought we were just start our morning rants.

    Anyway, STEWART Resmer, our dear friend TJ is now an authority on when to close a case.
    I might add that TJ is also an authority on who is dumb.
    AND… ..has declared me dumb in the comments on Carina Pizarro’s article.

    I am trying to improve this deficiency now that it has been kindly pointed out to me.
    Therefore, I will continue to joyfully read Alan Steinberg’s informative columns.

  12. Thanks, Alan, for your insightful columns. It is a joy to read them. Thank you for your comments Stewart and Kathleen. It is a joy to read them. Bob Dylan is also from Minnesota and he has also brought me and millions more, joy! God is watching this election. Not the god of Christian Nationalism, but the God of Abraham, Saint Augustine, and Ishmael. As sure as God made green apples, Harris and Walz will lead us to a better place for All Americans.

  13. And if God is watching this election- let neither side scream that whoever wins is
    1. Not my President
    2. An Illegitimate President
    3. A Stolen election President
    4. A Russian Agent President
    Because both sides are guilty of these narratives.
    Both the DNC and the RNC are guilty of undermining elections.
    [The Time They Are A-Changin’ – Bob Dylan wrote in 1964 to create an anthem of change for the time. A rallying cry for millions of young Americans who were caught up in the turbulence of political and social upheaval.]
    The millions of youth today are not feeling the joy.
    Stop the vitriol of 2024 and HEAL THE DIVIDE
    Vote INDEPENDENT – WE THE PEOPLE PARTY- UNITE AMERICA

  14. Alan Steinberg, SUGGESTION ….Write one of your interesting, entertaining sports columns, rather mild and placid.

    Perhaps, emphasis on perhaps, then we will all settle down and become a united, cohesive group of Insider NJ readers of whom you can be proud.

    If not, please send psychiatric help. Perhaps George Conway will help you.

    PS….Thank you for your outstanding patience.

  15. NJ Voter,
    You shared here that you are a supporter of RFK, Jr. He is now below 5% in some polls. He was thrown off ballot in NY due to misrepresentation of his official voting residence, and the same legal tool very well may be used to remove him from ballot in other states, as well. I do respect your tenacity to stay with him, in that, when I was young, ( just like you have given at least one clue here that you are young) I foolishly threw away my vote in 1980 and voted for “Independent “ candidate for President, John Anderson, a former Republican congressman. If I recall, he got about 6% of the vote. I should have voted for Jimmy Carter. I made another youth mistake during that primary by voting for Edward Kennedy instead of Jimmy Carter. While Carter was the Nominee, Kennedy’s Primary challenge weakened Carter and the Democrats. Of course the failed hostage rescue did not help Carter, either. Carter was absolutely more skilled and knowledgeable in Domestic and Foreign Affairs, but we ultimately got a Hollywood Actor who learned his lines well, as this former Democrat and SAG Union leader had fallen under the influence of Supply Side Economics and convinced too many good blue collarDemocrats that a few ‘welfare queens’ were the enemy, rather than his fat cat Wall Street friends, corporations like GE who did not ( and still do not) pay their fair share of taxes. Reagan exploded the deficit and piled on to our National Debt by lowering taxes for the wealthy but not significantly reducing expenditures. It was also his Administration which adjusted upwards the retirement age, which very negatively affected millions of our most economically vulnerable elderly. In your heart of hearts, NJ Voter, I ask you to search your heart and choose the candidate from either of the two principle parties who would serve Our Country better than the other would.

  16. Thank you for your words of wisdom. I am steadfast, because I do follow my heart.
    The rest of my comment is “awaiting moderation”

  17. “That says something about the DNC’s contempt for democracy.” They believe they are entitled to choose who you are allowed to vote for by weaponizing the courts with an army of multi-million dollar lawyers and their bag of tricks.
    Having no primaries or debates of all the candidates is an acknowledgment that, “They don’t believe in democracy or trust the voters anymore. ” It is no wonder the government has lost the trust of the people it is suppose to serve.
    And that is a far cry from joyful politics.
    Don’t let my youth fool you.

  18. Alan Steinberg, be of good cheer.

    Eventually, this joyfully read column will be retired to live happily with your other Senior columns.

    Hopefully, peace and quiet will then reign…….UNTIL…..
    your next column.

  19. Politics is a very dirty business and has lost the trust of the people it is meant to serve. The trillions of dollars of debt due to out of control spending- that is not being -addressed – will clearly land in the hands of today’s youth. They are not joyful about their future- they are scared and rightfully so.
    A bunch of career, self-serving politicians have been running the show trying extremely hard to dismantle this great country with vitriol, hate and division.
    Both parties have undermined any other candidate to have a voice, which is highly devious and undemocratic. “We The People” should hear from all the candidates so that each of us can vote with our hearts. That is called Democracy.
    And that is when peace and quiet will then reign……….UNTIL that time may we all have some self -introspection.

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