Category: Political Reform
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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.
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Better Living Through Chemistry: Kefauver and the Department of Science
The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 set off a panic that America was losing the race for space. Kefauver thought that a federal Department of Science would help America catch up. Why wasn’t the idea adopted?
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Read a Book, Write a Bill: Kefauver and Judicial Corruption
Estes Kefauver frequently wrote articles and books urging people to support bills he created. But on at least one occasion, Kefauver was inspired to propose a bill based on a book he read.
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Nothing Succeeds Like Succession: Kefauver and the 25th Amendment
For 180 years after the Constitution, we had no idea what happened when the President was too sick to do the job. Kefauver tried to fix the problem… but it took a tragedy to get his colleagues to listen.
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Turbulence Ahead: Humphrey’s Airline Harangue
In 1960, Hubert Humphrey held a hearing of Kefauver’s Department of Consumers proposal. He used the hearing to…. complain about cramped airline seats and and the lack of radar of planes.
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Attention, Shoppers: Kefauver’s Department of Consumers
In 1960, Kefauver introduced a bill to create a federal Department of Consumers. The bill never passed, but the idea of protecting consumers – and giving them a voice – would outlive his proposal.
Estes Kefauver for President 