Category: Political Reform
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Protesting Too Much? Kefauver on Congressional “Vaudeville Shows”
In 1948, Kefauver wrote an article decrying excessive Congressional travel and “headline-hunting hearings.” Did his later career make him a hypocrite?
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Electoral College Dropout, Part 5: Kefauver’s Southern Strategy
In 1948, disaffected Southerners tried to hijack the Electoral College because they felt that their region was getting ignored by the national parties. Kefauver sympathized with their complaints… but he felt there was a better way.
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Electoral College Dropout, Part 4: The Dixiecrats’ Dress Rehearsal
We’ve all heard about the South’s third-party effort in the 1948. But did you know that they plotted to subvert the Electoral College four years earlier?
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Legislation in an Emergency: Kefauver Tries to Prepare Government for the Atomic Age
The atomic bomb ushered in a frightening new world with unexpected risks. Kefauver tried to fix the Constitution to safeguard Congress in the event of a disaster. Why didn’t it work?
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Picking a President: Kefauver’s Push for a National Primary
After getting his Presidential hopes crushed at the 1952 convention, Kefauver tried for a Constitution amendment mandating national primaries. Was he the biggest obstacle to his amendment’s success?
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What You Can Do For Your Country: Kefauver on Responsible Citizenship
At the height of his fame from the organized crime hearings, Kefauver gave a speech laying out a rigorous vision of active citizenship. Was America up to the challenge? Are we still?
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I’m 18 and I Like It: Kefauver and Youth Voting
The national voting age was lowered to 18 by the 26th Amendment in 1971. But that amendment would never have come to pass without decades of work by Kefauver – and a forgotten Senator from West By-God Virginia.
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All’s (Not) Fair in Politics and War: Kefauver Proposes a Congressional Code of Conduct
Kefauver used congressional investigations as a route to fame. But he also understood how they could be abused. And he tried to do something about it. But as usual, Congress couldn’t be bothered to act.
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“A Twentieth Century Congress”: Kefauver’s Call for Change
After the Great Depression and WWII, the federal government was bigger and more complex than ever. And Congress, wedded to archaic and inefficient traditions, was struggling to cope. Kefauver offered a way out of the wilderness. If only Congress had listened.
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Kefauver’s Unconventional Thoughts on Conventions
Ever the reformer, Estes Kefauver proposed a bold plan for reinventing the political convention during his 1952 Presidential campaign. His suggestions were ignored… but some of them were adopted eventually.
Estes Kefauver for President 