Tag: dwight eisenhower

  • When the Dam Breaks

    When the Dam Breaks

    When the Eisenhower administration tried to kill a public power project, Kefauver fought back with hearings that exposed a giveaway to private industry. He couldn’t save the dam, but won a different victory.

  • California, Rest In Peace

    California, Rest In Peace

    Democratic leaders in the Golden State tried to lock up the 1956 nomination months before the primaries even started. But Kefauver wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  • Legen-dairy: Kefauver’s Wisconsin Connection

    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

    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.

  • Rage Against the Machine

    Rage Against the Machine

    Wayne Morse and Estes Kefauver were both principled liberals who took plenty of lonely stands. But their approaches to politics couldn’t have been more different.

  • A Fork in the Democratic Road

    A Fork in the Democratic Road

    After Ike’s big win in 1952, Estes Kefauver and Hubert Humphrey had ideas for what the Democrats should do. They sought the same destination, but had very different routes to get there.

  • How Adlai Really Won

    How Adlai Really Won

    Stevenson is remembered as the man who practiced a nobler brand of politics. A forgotten incident from the 1956 campaign tells a different story.

  • No Lamb for Slaughter

    No Lamb for Slaughter

    In 1954, the FCC – lead by a Joseph McCarthy acolyte – went after a close friend of Kefauver’s for alleged Communist ties. Kefauver stood up for his friend and for civil liberties – even at a political cost.

  • Kefauver Guides Youngsters on a Changing World

    Kefauver Guides Youngsters on a Changing World

    In 1957, Kefauver urged Young Democrats to stay involved and help shape the future of a world in turmoil. The topics he discussed -70 years ago – control of the Middle East, technology’s impact on American culture, the problem of too-powerful corporations – are just as relevant today as they were then.

  • Another Ad Break: Kefauver for President Commercials, Part 2

    Another Ad Break: Kefauver for President Commercials, Part 2

    Continuing from last week’s post, here’s a look at another set of ads from Kefauver’s 1956 campaign, and a look at what they did – and didn’t – say.