Category: Political Reform
-
I Can’t See Clearly Now
Kefauver believed that the people should have the power in America, and he backed his words with actions. Voters got it. Why didn’t reporters?
-
Legen-dairy: Kefauver’s Wisconsin Connection
Kefauver and the Badger State understood each other. In 1957, long shot Bill Proxmire stunned the world and reached the Senate using Kefauver’s playbook – with Kefauver’s help.
-
A Complicated Heritage
For two decades, the American Heritage Foundation preached the importance of community and civic engagement. Their message was valuable, but it missed something important… something that Kefauver understood.
-
The Destruction of Coya Knutson
The trailblazing Minnesota Congresswoman defied the party establishment to support Kefauver. The party establishment responded by ruining her career.
-
Too Much Democracy
The press didn’t approve of Kefauver’s way of campaigning for President. Their criticism belied a deeper unease with the primary system.
-
Support Your Local Sheriff!
The crime hearings earned Kefauver a reputation as a racket-buster. But that reputation obscured what he really tried to accomplish.
-
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Kefauver?
Kefauver’s Senate colleagues famously disliked him. But it wasn’t really personal – their dislike came from a deeper source.
-
He Never Fixed the Washing Machine
In Kefauver’s home life and his political life, he often started projects he couldn’t finish. Why was that?
-
Stuck In the Middle With You: Dems’ Brief, Strange Experiment With Midterm Conventions
Republicans are thinking of holding a convention for this year’s midterms. Democrats tried that in the ’70s and ’80s… and it didn’t go so well.
-
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?
