JUST after 9 one morning last week, a pair of registrars from the New York City Board of Elections were summoned to Gracie Mansion, the mayor's 18th century residence overlooking the East River. There John V. Lindsay and his wife Mary, both lifelong Republicans, filled in new voter registration forms, marked the circle for "Democratic Party" and signed their names.
With that long-awaited formality, Lindsay changed not only his partisan label but also, quite possibly, the shape of Democratic national politics. On the eve of the 1972 presidential campaign, he has injected himself...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
