Tag: adlai stevenson
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Kefauver and Voters: A Mysterious Connection

Kefauver’s handshakes were the key to his campaigns. But two reporters who watched him believed that he didn’t enjoy it. So why did he keep doing it? And why did the voters love it so much?
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Civil Words on Civil Rights: Kefauver Calms an Angry Crowd

In 1956, Kefauver stood up to a pro-segregation crowd in Florida… and won them over. What can his courageous example teach us today?
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Thank God I’m A Country Boy: Kefauver’s Musical Connection

Throughout his career, Estes Kefauver used country music to connect with people and promote his campaigns. Like Kefauver himself, it may not have impressed the powerful, but it hit home with regular people.
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Don’t Touch That Dial: Kefauver and Television

Estes Kefauver was the first politician to use TV as a springboard to national fame. Why has his pioneering role been forgotten?
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Campaign 1956: Kefauver VP Nomination Speech, A Truncated Tribute

When Adlai Stevenson let the convention pick his running mate, Mike DiSalle of Ohio nominated Kefauver. He gave a good speech – one that he had to edit while he spoke,
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Campaign 1956: John Hoving’s Convention Memories

In 1988, C-SPAN interviewed veterans of past Democratic conventions. Thanks to them, we were able to hear ex-Kefauver staffer John Hoving’s behind-the-scenes stories of the 1956 convention… and the Kefauver vs. Kennedy battle for the vide presidency.
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Just Plane Crazy, Part 2: Look Out Below!

During the 1950, jet travel was a novelty. Late in the 1956 campaign, Kefauver was able to draw a big crowd in a small town… but not for the reason he expected.
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Kefauver’s Magical History Tour of Political Ethics

In 1952, Kefauver wrote a scholarly article surveying the history of political ethics in America. How would he feel about where we are today?
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Teddy White: Kefauver Was the “Godfather of the Presidential Primary System”

I’ve made the case that Kefauver should be credited for inventing the modern Presidential campaign. But don’t take my word for it… ask the man who invented modern Presidential campaign reporting.
